Key Criteria for Evaluating Edge Colocationv1.0

1. Summary

The edge market has been growing by leaps and bounds, despite the fact that many people remain uncertain about what the edge is, and which technology components enable edge applications. With the rollout of 5G wireless technology and the explosion of Internet of Things (IoT) devices, the market for edge enablement technology is projected to expand exponentially. Industries and municipalities have taken notice of the potential use cases of edge applications, and are starting to explore possible deployment models. Edge applications need a place to run, and that place will be some iteration of the infrastructure edge.

Understanding the opportunity and building an edge computing strategy today will help technology leaders to improve processes and increase competitiveness. Edge computing is a fundamental component for modern infrastructures because it allows data to be directly processed and consumed where it is created, while sending only the necessary information to the network core and cloud. Edge infrastructure has specific characteristics that enable it to respond to unique requirements while creating an improved experience for customers. Power consumption, space utilization, ease of use, reliability, and more are all crucial aspects that determine the success or failure of the overall strategy.

Thinking about edge infrastructure as an extension of the existing infrastructure, rather than as a separate entity, will increase the speed of new application development while improving day-to-day operation. Total cost of ownership (TCO) and overall simplicity should always remain among the top priorities for edge computing deployments.

In this report we will focus on one aspect of an edge deployment: the physical infrastructure that hosts the hardware and software running an edge application. We will consider the table stakes, key criteria, and evaluation metrics for judging whether a physical infrastructure solution is a suitable match for your use case. Not all edge applications will have the same requirements when it comes to communication, scalability, security, and more. By judging edge colocation solutions against your edge application requirements, you can be confident that the solution meets your needs now and in the future.