1 Introducing edge computing

Edge computing is the practice of moving data processing closer in proximity to the sources of data generation. The purpose of edge computing is to establish a decentralized and potentially hierarchical computational paradigm to support the development and operations of distributed systems. This practice can break down a centralized computing problem — usually one where you move all of your data to a central server for processing — into a much more efficient, distributed solution by doing some of the processing on devices connected to your network. This means instead of needing a large investment in the form of a data center or cloud infrastructure you can use those same devices you use to gather the data to perform some or all of your processing for you, saving you from having to send all of your data back to a central server or data center and reducing overall costs to boot!

1.1   What is this “edge” you speak of?

1.2   What makes edge computing different?

1.2.1   Client-server and cloud models

1.2.2   How can edge computing help

1.3   The components of edge computing

1.3.1   Distributed data and infrastructure

1.3.2   Data transport and integration service bus

1.3.3   Semantic data layer

1.3.4   Application layer

1.4   The edge is inevitable

1.4.1   The three laws of IoT

1.5   Example uses of edge computing

1.5.1   Gunshot detection in a smarter city

1.5.2   Managing patient alerts in a hospital

1.5.3   Hobbyist app: Personal fitness coach

1.6   Summary