Controlling latency has never been more important, whether data flows to a distributed workforce or a multitude of smart gadgets that make up the Internet of Things. Low latency is critical to help ensure smooth transport of data and for optimizing application experiences. Increasingly business executives are turning to solutions that move technology resources closer to where data is produced and consumed. A new global survey conducted by analyst firm IDC and sponsored by Lumen Technologies and Intel Corporation indicated two-thirds of global IT leaders are in the process of implementing edge computing solutions.
Ninety percent of business leaders who participated in the survey specified they needed low latency of 10ms or less to ensure the success of their applications. Seventy-five percent said they require 5ms or less for edge initiatives.
"C-suite leaders across verticals are looking to edge computing solutions to achieve significant operational efficiencies and improved security and compliance by limiting movement of data," said Ghassan Abdo, research vice president, WW telecom, virtualization & CDN at IDC. "They also want to deliver better customer experiences. All of these priorities can be addressed through edge computing solutions."
Edge solutions can help with latency issues inherent in centralized computing scenarios like the cloud by distributing resources closer to where data is generated and consumed. Latency can be significantly reduced when data can travel shorter distances. Forty percent of organizations surveyed plan to invest in new edge solutions in less than a year in part to help achieve real-time data consumption and analysis.
"It is clear that reducing the distance critical data must travel is seen as imperative to fueling growth and innovation for enterprises," said Abdo.
Nearly 75% of executives consider edge computing a strategic investment, in part because the cost of bandwidth and a centralized infrastructure is seen as prohibitive. Fifty-four percent were comfortable turning to a technology service provider to deliver edge solutions.
When considering new edge solutions, 73% of respondents noted they preferred a flexible managed service model with subscription-based services. This preference aligns with the popularity of consumption-based models across all industries, both business to business and business to consumer.
