Opportunities and Use Cases for Edge Computing in the IoT

IoT edge computing is significantly different from non-IoT edge computing, with distinct demands and considerations. IoT devices typically have limited data processing and storage capabilities, so substantial data processing needs to occur off the device, with the edge offering an environment to undertake this processing and manage large volumes of IoT devices and data. This in turn can reduce device cost, as many functions can be off-loaded to the edge. The location of the edge itself has various possibilities and will differ according to the use case. For example, the edge for IoT could reside at an operator’s local or regional data center, at a base station or at a dedicated server on the customer’s premises.