Five trends in edge computing for 2022

Edge computing trends play a key role in business as edge deployments are now essentially everywhere. With the list of edge computing devices, including smartphones, smartwatches, and self-driving cars, growing at an exponential rate, business professionals need to stay on top of cutting-edge trends as we head into 2022.

In fact, after several years of development, it looks like edge computing will make huge strides in adoption and investment in 2022. Here are the edge computing trends to watch.

1. Internet of Things

The Internet of Things (IoT) is undoubtedly the fastest growing edge computing device.

IoT devices include:

• Smart appliances
• Smartphone
• Wearable devices
• Game System
• printer

The penetration of smart devices themselves is expected to quadruple by 2025, and this growth will greatly expand the capabilities of edge computing. In fact, the growth of the Internet of Things may bring even greater benefits to the edge computing space, such as lower latency.

The rise of IoT devices will not only drive the development of edge computing, but also bring changes to various industries such as healthcare and education. In fact, IoT devices in edge computing deployments are now being utilized by the healthcare industry to help track changing data sets and remotely monitor facilities.

2. Customer Experience

One of the more unique ways edge computing is being leveraged to help businesses is in the area of ​​customer experience. By leveraging the low latency of edge computing, businesses are able to provide the best possible customer experience.

Conglomerates such as Disney are using IoT sensors and edge computing to quickly transmit data on the performance of rides. This data is used to make adjustments to optimize rides and attractions, ensuring minimal disruption to park visitors.

On a more practical level, the speed gains that edge computing brings to businesses can dramatically impact sales. A Deloitte study found that for every 100 millisecond improvement in mobile retail speed, sales conversion rates increased by 8.4%. Reduced latency can also help marketers and businesses process customer data in near real time. This allows marketing teams to build more personalized and interactive customer experiences, such as advanced chatbots, and even offline interactions.

3. Security

From cloud computing to artificial intelligence, cybersecurity is a rising issue as we head into 2022. Various growing technologies, such as 5G and IoT, have their own cybersecurity vulnerabilities. Edge computing is being leveraged to mitigate these potential threats.

Traditional centralized networks and data storage give attackers a single target center. In a sense, edge computing diversifies this network and provides greater protection.

This doesn’t mean edge computing is flawless. In fact, much of 2022 will be defined by companies struggling to address edge computing security flaws rather than its strengths. A report from Kollective shows that 66% of IT teams believe edge computing is a threat to the enterprise.

One of the main threats posed by edge computing is its increase in physical data sources. Because edge computing relies on more physical resources being placed in the real world, physical attackers are given more targets to disrupt the network. If malicious actors somehow gain access to these devices, they can extract valuable information, tamper with or destroy node circuits, or even change the entire operating system and node software.

Still, the topic is fairly divisive. Some, like Kirk Wolfe, VP of corporate development at Kollective, believe that concerns about edge computing overshadow its benefits and may even slow adoption. Clearly, cybersecurity is an ongoing issue that relies on many continually advancing technologies, including edge computing. Expect these issues to be continually debated as the technology evolves.

4. Edge computing in healthcare

The healthcare industry has been at the forefront of IoT adoption, so it stands to reason that they’re also leading the way in edge computing technology.

Large hospitals are realizing that it’s better for operations to keep data from things like medical sensors, electronic health records and digital imaging systems close to them, rather than pushing it to the cloud.

5. Workplace safety in the energy sector

One of the most actionable and important benefits of edge computing is its application in oil and energy-related industries.

These industries have traditionally relied on collecting and transmitting data to observation centers that are often very far away. This means that if there are sensors tracking pressure and conductivity, there is more data.