IoT Edge is the area of compute within a solution that lies on the edge of the network right before communication is sent up to the cloud. This area of compute is also known as Edge Computing or may be referred to as Fog Computing to keep with the Cloud metaphor. In an IoT solution, the Edge is where you bring down cloud capabilities in compute, storage, and processing to run on the local network closer to the IoT devices.
Running cloud compute, storage, and processing capabilities closer to IoT devices enables several enhancements to IoT solutions:
Lower latency communication from IoT devices to compute, storage, and processing capabilities
Ability to offer Offline mode where the solution runs in a disconnected state where the Cloud services are unreachable
Increased security by keeping data on the local network and only sending data to the Cloud where necessary; if at all
Integrate more advanced compute and processing capabilities (Machine Learning and Analytics) into the IoT solution that runs within the local network
There are many scenarios where IoT Edge or Edge Compute capabilities enable IoT innovations to be possible where they really weren’t possible or feasible before.
