Edge Computing Presents Different Challenges
Also speaking at the event were Ed Hicks, business development manager at Dell EMC, and Nigel Steyn, EMEA Edge CTO at the company. They agreed with Dell that data’s center of gravity is shifting to the edge. They said many organizations are looking to automated solutions at the edge to help handle the overwhelming volume of data.
Hicks cited recent analysis by Forrester, noting that 70 percent of organizations are bringing in data faster than they can process and analyze it. And according to the Global AI Adoption Index 2021, commissioned by IBM, he stated that 90 percent of IT professionals say that being able to run their AI projects where the data resides is key to the technology’s adoption.
Hicks noted that the edge offers greater value, improved safety, reduced costs, tighter security and faster decisions for data but said some organizations are still hesitant. He said moving computing power to the edge introduces new levels of IT complexity, and use cases are frequently siloed, making it more difficult to manage data across platforms.
MORE FROM BIZTECH: Explore how Dell PowerEdge can enhance performance at the edge.
Why the Focus Should Be on Outcomes First
Steyn suggested that any organization looking to enable edge computing should first consider its business goals. “Data-driven insights help empower a safer, more engaging people experience, drive operational efficiencies, create new business models and lower the environmental footprint.”
Bill Schmarzo, customer advocate for data management incubation at Dell, spoke in a separate session but offered similar insights. “If we want to have an edge strategy that’s relevant to the business, then we need to start the conversation with the business.”
Schmarzo recommended developing an edge strategy, as opposed to what he called a “one-off edge approach.” He said organizations should have a strategy tied to the business and that starts with a business initiative. “Maybe they’re trying to reduce unplanned operational downtime. Maybe they’re trying to do predictive maintenance, really trying to optimize asset utilization across a series of wind turbines. There are a bunch of use cases out there, and this is where we’re going to define them. Not in isolation of the business but in collaboration with the business, speaking their language.”
He offered the example of sensors to explain the importance of focusing on business outcomes. “What are the problems with edge? One of the problems of IoT is, where do you put your sensors? What sensors do I need? If you don’t know what decision you’re trying to make and you don’t know what data you might want to gather to make better decisions, then it’s hard to know where to put your sensors.”
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