Survey Highlights Major Changes at the Edge of Network

Edge computing – moving processing and storage closer to end-users to better manage data – is nearly ubiquitous. But the next five years will see a significant, industry-wide change in the profile of the data system ecosystem as the industry doubles-down on the edge.

A new global survey by Vertiv, a global provider of critical digital infrastructure and continuity solutions, gathered insight from 156 data center industry professionals around the world on their companies’ edge computing plans. Among other points, survey data shows that 34% of respondents are planning or deploying new edge sites.

What will this significant growth at the edge of the network look like? Respondents helped us describe the current and future state.

Choosing the best edge infrastructure design Is essential 

Almost half of respondents said their companies are operating legacy edge sites. But as expectations for uptime and reliability continue to exponentially increase, legacy sites will be hard-pressed to support new applications, create new customer experiences, and effectively manage limited IT resources. Massive growth at the edge requires a more standardized approach to edge architecture.

Categorizing requirements for your use case, including latency, bandwidth, availability, and security, helps define the key attributes needed for practical design decision-making. A 2021 report by Vertiv, Edge Archetypes 2.0: Deployment-Ready Edge Infrastructure Models, identifies four infrastructure models for edge deployments. Though every case is unique, these semi-standard models allow for more intelligent design and deployment.

Security and availability listed among top priorities

Related priorities among survey respondents are security and availability. Survey data show 85% of industry professionals consider security among their top three challenges. But many companies are still reliant on legacy systems, which present challenges to both security and availability.

Distributing IT resources complicates data security, as more sites means more opportunity for foul play. Edge data sites must be designed for both data and physical security. It’s not enough to secure the data but not the door, or vice versa.

Availability is another challenge for edge computing. Survey data exposed that more action needs to be taken in both power protection and thermal management to handle the greater power needs of edge computing and to protect availability. Legacy edge design practices seem to prevail as more than half (52%) of respondents are deploying a level of resiliency comparable to Uptime Institute’s Tiers I or II levels, which can present problems for latency, bandwidth, and availability.

Sustainability is front of mind for many 

In 2022, sustainability is becoming essential for application within every industry, including edge computing. Handling more data faster requires a significant amount of energy. Vertiv survey data shows that 77% of site operators are planning to use or are already using energy-efficient UPS systems. Additionally, 40% are investing in renewable energy, 31% in water-efficient cooling, 29% in dynamic grid support technologies, and 19% in cooling systems having refrigerants with low global warming potential (GWP). Energy efficiency is an operational necessity, but it also can increase brand trust, as more consumers expect companies to reduce their environmental impact.

Read the full results 

The next five years will bring massive growth in edge computing. In fact, these changes are already underway. Are you prepared? Access the full survey report to learn why Vertiv’s global vice president for edge strategy and transformation, Martin Olsen, says that the next five years will “reshape the data center landscape.” You can also use Vertiv’s recently launched free configuration tool to further help simplify edge infrastructure setup based on common use cases.