‘Life on the edge’ might be an all too apt way to describe the past year, but when it comes to edge computing the next twelve months seem unquestionably brighter. According to a new research paper from IDC and Limelight Networks we will see a 40% increase in edge deployment of network resources by 2022, with 60% of all network resources being deployed at remote edge or service provider locations by next year.

The report, ‘Outlook for Edge Services’, surveyed 1,100 analysts worldwide and found that 73% of those interviewed viewed edge as a strategic investment, with another 17% saying it will be required by business operations. The industry professionals also believe edge will improve productivity or efficiency (45%), increase security & compliance (44%) and ensure faster decision making (42%).

This positive outlook for the edge is also shared in new research from Telehouse International Corporation of Europe, with nearly nine in ten (89%) UK IT decision-makers saying that edge computing will be important to their business over the next ten years - even though only a quarter of the organisations surveyed (26%) currently deploy it.

Steve Miller-Jones, VP of Strategy, Industry & Partnership at Limelight Networks commented: “The network edge makes it possible to affect data as it flows towards end users and devices, and to control the flow of data from those devices. Shipping large quantities of raw data towards cloud providers is expensive and can introduce significant latency. This is why the network edge will be used more for data processing and decision making. It allows access to multiple compute locations close to end users and devices, therefore removing the potential for latency without incurring additional operational overheads. The net result is improved content performance in a cost efficiency way, with built-in security and scale.” It seems certain that we’ll all be looking over the edge in greater detail in the months ahead.

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