Our View of Edge Computing

One of the first challenges when discussing edge computing between IT professionals is establishing a shared vernacular. In the authors’ experience, professionals in this space differ in how they describe the goals, methods, available tools, and deployment targets/operating environments. We’ve also found that, due to experiences and even generational distinctions, some fundamental assumptions may be at play. By agreeing on a definition of terms at the outset, we avoid misunderstandings and talking past each other.

In this chapter, we will start by describing various edge computing scenarios from an infrastructure point of view, moving from cloud to far edge based on our experiences, research, and available de facto standards. Along the way, we compare and contrast different points of view that will affect architectural choices you can make, such as edge computing versus distributed computing and the network edge versus the enterprise edge...