Edge Device What is an edge device?
Edge devices are computing devices near the network's edge, usually near data sources or consumers. These play a pivotal role in real-time applications and IoT deployments. Their local data processing prowess significantly reduces latency and response time, surpassing the capabilities of traditional data centers or clouds. Before dispatching data to central servers or other devices, these devices meticulously aggregate, filter, and analyze it. They run the gamut from simple sensors to complex industrial systems. They are scanners and smartphones, medical devices and scientific instruments, autonomous vehicles and automated machines.
- Why are edge devices needed?
- What does an edge device do?
- What’s the difference between an edge and non-edge device?
- HPE and edge devices
Why are edge devices needed?
There are already many times more edge devices on the planet than people, generating more than two-thirds of enterprise data—and growing. And as the number of edge devices and the volume of data they generate continue to multiply, it becomes progressively more difficult, even impossible, to control those devices and process that information from the data center, or even in the cloud. Intelligent edge devices capable of analyzing and using data when and where they generate it are critical to the future of distributed computing.
What does an edge device do?
Edge devices exist on the boundary between digital processes and the physical environment. They accept instructions from end-users and return information. They monitor and control machinery. They record measurable phenomena and convert it to usable data. And as devices grow more sophisticated, they are increasingly able to process and apply data at the edge, avoiding latency and bandwidth limitations.
What’s the difference between an edge and non-edge device?
Edge and non-edge devices differ primarily in proximity and network role:
Proximity: Edge devices are situated in close proximity to the locations where data is produced or used, as at the edge of a network or on-site at a factory. Non-edge devices are usually found in cloud settings or centralized data centers, which are farther away.
Functionality: Edge devices process, filter, and store data locally. They minimize latency and enable real-time or near-real-time decision-making by processing data closer to the source. Non-edge devices can assist numerous edge devices or end-users by performing computing and data storage duties.
Deployment: Edge devices are deployed across multiple places, making them ideal for situations requiring speedy data processing and low latency, such as IoT deployment or industrial automation. Centralized computing settings promote scalability, resource pooling, and data analytics, hence non-edge devices are more frequent.
Connectivity: Non-edge devices have reliable network connections, whereas edge devices have sporadic or limited connections.
Examples: Non-edge devices include servers, conventional desktop PCs, and cloud infrastructure; edge devices include IoT sensors, gateways, and mobile devices.
The key differences between edge and non-edge devices lie in their location, functionality, and significance in supporting diverse computer paradigms and applications.
HPE and edge devices
HPE offers edge device solutions:
- HPE Aruba Networking Wireless Access Points: Offers quick, secure, and intelligent enterprise connection.
- HPE GreenLake for Networking: Helps organizations configure, manage, and scale networks.
HPE's edge computing solutions enable enterprises to use data insights and real-time processing closer to data generation.