Edge computing and 5G: What's next for enterprise IT?

There are some obvious commonalities that power edge implementations: containers and other cloud-native technologies come to mind, as does machine learning. But the specific applications of the edge that build on these foundations are rapidly diversifying. "Telecom applications often have little in common with industrial IoT use cases, which in turn differ from applications in the automotive industry," said Gordon Haff, a Red Hat technology evangelist. This reflects the diversity of what he sees as the broader edge computing trend in 2022. When you combine proven edge technologies with the expansion of 5G networks, enterprise strategies and goals may become more specific. Simply put, "the combination of 5G and edge varies by enterprise business type," says YugalJoshi, a partner at Everest Group who leads the company's digital, cloud and applied services research practice. Broadly speaking, 5G edge tandem promises to drive the next phase of digital transformation that many companies are already undergoing. As Joshi sees it, a new wave of high-value production assets, including the massive amounts of data generated by edge devices and applications, will dominate the IT portfolio and subsequently generate business impact. "Companies are combining 5G with edge locations and creating a range of smart devices and back-end systems that can communicate with each other, unlike the early days when network transformation did not touch the last mile of equipment," Joshi said. A Turnaround Year for Edge Computing 5G edge pairing is a long-tail event for the enterprise. But there are many reasons - including, of course, the expansion of telecom-operated 5G networks - to think 2022 will be a turnaround year. "We will see a transition from many smaller early deployments to large-scale global production 5G network deployments following cloud-native design principles," said Chris Wright, chief technology officer at Red Hat. "Because we provide a cloud-native platform for 5G, we have a good understanding of this transition. "By 2022, 5G and edge will be unified into a common platform to deliver ultra-reliable and low-latency applications," said Shamik Mishra, chief technology officer of Capgemini Engineering Connect. A broader set of factors is fueling this belief, including, of course, the wider availability of 5G networks. "With the development of the edge-to-cloud architecture model and the introduction of 5G, edge use cases are likely to become mainstream by 2022," said Saurabh Mishra, senior manager, SAS Internet of Things. The concept of the "last mile" is key. From a consumer perspective, the only thing most people really care about when it comes to 5G is, "It makes my phone faster. Enterprise POV is even more complex. Essentially, while 5G's relationship to the edge also boils down to speed, it is often expressed in two related terms more familiar to the IT community: latency and performance. The relentless pursuit of low latency and high performance is ingrained in the DNA of IT leaders and telecom operators. The relentless pursuit of low latency and high performance is embedded in the DNA of IT leaders and telecom operators. Enterprise IT, meet MEC Joshi and other analysts and IT leaders generally agree that multi-access edge computing (MEC) - also known as mobile edge computing - is an integral part of how (and why) enterprises adopt (and benefit from) 5G and edge. It is the infrastructure behind the scenes (the kind that everyday consumers don't care about) that delivers on the promise of 5G's sky-high prices. The exact definition of MEC may vary, but the term essentially refers to the closest possible pairing or hosting of an edge device with mobile infrastructure, usually in a telecommunications environment. It's a not-so-secret flavoring that shortens the latency and extends the boundaries of what people think of when they say "edge". This is necessary to deliver on the promise of a 5G-enabled edge ecosystem and the applications that enterprises will develop for them. Latency is a common problem in telecom and IT environments and almost seems boring. But the potential impact of 5G and MEC is enormous. Without them, for example, many of the noblest claims about artificial intelligence and machine learning would remain out of reach. It's the difference between hitting a button and waiting five seconds for a response and waiting half a second," Dan McConnell, chief technologist at BoozAllenHamilton, told us last year. "With the explosion of data being collected and processed for high-intensity AI/ML algorithms, it's important to ensure that data-driven insights get to users as quickly as possible. Enterprise Focus: Private 5G Networks When people talk about 5G, they are usually referring to the major telecom networks (and the 5G-enabled devices connected to those networks) that are already rolling out and will expand significantly over time. Of course, these networks will have an impact on businesses. But for many enterprises, the "next big thing" may be private 5G networks. It's not a perfect comparison, but private 5G networks are a bit like private clouds - the answer to the question (wait): "What happens if I want to take advantage of the technology while retaining as much control as possible? "Beyond typical 5G, more and more enterprises are evaluating private 5G models to transform specific parts of their business," said Josh, an analyst at Everest Group. "This combined with edge devices can meaningfully change the way businesses work." Joshi notes that use cases such as smart stadiums, connected fleets, self-driving cars, smart ports and telemedicine are already generating widespread interest, and the combination of private/public 5G networks and edge architectures is likely to flourish. Cloud-to-edge (and vice versa) is both an architectural model and a budding ecosystem in which cloud providers, telecom operators, and enterprise IT all play important roles. "The business domain where significant computing can occur at the edge and where data generated or consumed can be transmitted to nearby edge servers or clouds via 5G is the most powerful value creator," Josh said. As a result, major cloud platforms are already offering private 5G capabilities and related edge services. Cloud-to-edge (and vice versa) is both an architectural model and a budding ecosystem in which cloud providers, telecom operators and enterprise IT all play important roles. "I see private MEC taking off with the emergence of edge-to-edge cloud services and the convergence of the enterprise edge and the 5G network edge," said SAS' Mishra. "This is especially true in the manufacturing and energy sectors given the presence of enterprise edge computing and the proven value of deploying edge workloads. We are likely to see Kubernetes and other cloud-native technologies play a central role in managing workloads in these broad environments as well. Automation, consistency, reliability and other issues will be critical, similar to hybrid clouds and other distributed environments. New horizons, familiar challenges Consumer adoption of 5G and edge technologies is simple: do I live in the coverage area and do I need a new phone? Clearly, there's more to it than that from the perspective of operators and the broader enterprise. While the potential for 5G-enabled edge architectures and applications is huge and potentially lucrative, IT and business leaders will face a number of challenges along the way. Many of them may look familiar. For one thing, the 5G edge portfolio in an enterprise environment always means deploying and managing not only IT, but also OT (operational technology) and so on. As with other major initiatives, there will be a lot of moving parts and pieces to manage. "Given the different people and systems involved - OT versus IT - governance and scale will continue to be a challenge," says SAS's Mishra. "Making decisions around which workloads exist in the cloud and at the edge, and the lack of understanding of the security configuration of edge-centric applications will also be a challenge." Scale is probably the biggest mountain to climb. According to Kris Murphy, senior principal software engineer at RedHat, this will require precise planning. "Ruthlessly standardize, minimize operational 'surface area,' pull rather than push as much as possible, and automate the little things. 5G and edge technologies will also present another familiar problem for CIOs - the occasional gap between what a vendor or provider says it can do and what it can actually do in your organization. The underlying technology is advancing and maturing. "It's more important for enterprise IT to increase its business understanding of operational technology and to work with a variety of network equipment providers, cloud providers and IT service providers," Joshi said. Lock-in may be another familiar challenge for enterprise IT, Joshi said, emphasizing the need for rigorous evaluation of potential platforms and providers. "Open source adoption and the openness of the value chain, [including] RAN software, towers, base stations, cloud computing and storage" will be an important consideration, Joshi said, as well as finding the substance in the hype on the nose. Which brings us back to the use case. If you're not sure what the next step is for 5G and edge in your organization, start with potential business applications. Joshi is seeing increased adoption of remote training using digital twins, remote health consulting, media streaming and real-time asset monitoring, among other uses. "Any contributing factors in 5G, such as small cells and low latency, are highly compatible with edge architectures," Joshi said. "However, the goal should not be to enable 5G, but to have an appropriate business context in which 5G adoption can have an enhanced impact." Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)