Tackling the challenges of operating at the edge
TACKLING THE CHALLENGES OF OPERATING AT THE EDGE
Computing at the edge was a hot topic at the recent DCD > Inside Australia conference held on 13 May 2021, where DC Alliance was one of the official Thought Leaders. Among several sessions for the day, DC Alliance took part in the very first keynote panel that featured experts like Adam Davis, (Director, TPL Connect), Dr Saul S. Carroll, (Director, Soliton Network Consulting) and our own General Manager Albert Wong as they debated the impact Edge would have on IT infrastructure and services.
If you missed it, you can read on for the key takeaways. Also, stream-on demand is still available.
What Edge is about
Edge has become a buzzword recently, but what is it really about, and how do you make it work? Here’s what the panel concluded:
· Edge is not easily defined.
Edge has a multi-layered definition. From a location perspective, DC Alliance’s Perth-based Data Centre (DC) could be considered an Edge to the Asia Pacific (APAC) hub – Singapore – and from there the rest of the world. So, a Perth-based DC is an Edge due to its direct link to the APAC hub.
From a functional perspective, Edge is part of an integrated eco-system. Despite being near to users, Edge still requires support of the core to address connectivity issues and to allow users to get to the cloud effectively, so it’s not a standalone system.
· There is a real need for Edge
This is especially true in countries like Australia where sheer size and geographical differences can pose challenges to connectivity. With proper development, Edge can help bridge connectivity issues and bring infrastructure growth.
The difficulties in making Edge work
As much as Edge brings obvious benefits, making Edge solutions work isn’t as easy as just down-sizing a metropolitan data centre and locating it in a rural area. Costs can easily outweigh benefits if you take this approach, and you may face compatibility issues if your clients are working with legacy systems.
“The Edge is not ‘full function’ and will not adequately meet today’s demand for bandwidth, latency or service resilience. On-prem servers alone at the edge can be OK but ultimately, all of the data needs to backhauled into the main system for processing, so it always involves a core which needs to be fully-fledged colocation”
That just results in multiple “islands” instead of one well-connected network. So, there is a need to align the interests of the equipment, infrastructure vendors, telecommunications providers, Internet and Cloud service providers to make Edge viable.
At DCA, we call this “The last mile of connectivity”, and our approach is to treat every Edge deployment as bespoke, because the requirements at each location are very different. There could be bandwidth constraints, tech roll-out issues, security concerns and more.
Tapping on the strengths of many
The Colo+ model allows DCA to bring together different stakeholders to solve the connectivity piece. Over time, this should be smoother than coming up with a bespoke solution for every new client, as there will already be a range of partners and services ready to support their needs.
By involving other telecommunications providers, Internet and Cloud service providers to solve the issues users face, DCA allows a curated, fit for purpose solution.
We foresee that in the short future, a new hybrid model will emerge where the customer moves more of his workload to the Edge to improve efficiency and user experience. The flexibility and scalability from which will become cornerstone of a successful deployment at the edge.
DCA can support this by tapping on the skillset and market reach of our partners within our ecosystem to provide end-to-end connectivity and elastic solutions – from data centre to end nodes.
Edge will change the IT landscape
Edge computing will definitely have an impact on the IT landscape in the near future. The recent pandemic has accelerated the take-up of remote working arrangements. With the growth of smart cities, the Internet-of-Things and autonomous vehicles, the Edge is paramount to these innovation rollouts, corresponding the need for reliable connectivity to full functioning data centres.
This means the industry will probably come to be dominated by a few large providers, with Cloud providers moving to provide edge-like services and telecommunications providers providing more seamless connectivity. There will be likely be less choice of operators, but a greater range of services.
Deployment will cost less and be more seamless, with co-location providers like DCA facilitating it in the middle. Ultimately, Edge is here, and here to stay. DCA is exciting to be an integral part of this deployment at the Edge transformation.