Think you know what edge computing is and where it happens? Think again. Increasingly digitalized, simpler and more mobile technologies are blurring the definitions of what it is, which is shifting the boundaries between where it is and isn’t.
Of course, edge computing has always been largely a matter of perspective, just as everyone is someone else’s original equipment manufacturer (OEM). Control-room staff think the edge in on the plant-floor or in the field, production staff place it down at the sensor and device levels, and corporate managers believe entire fleets of geographically distributed plants are all on the edge. (Spoiler alert: there is no “edge,” just ever-more ridiculous and distracting buzzwords for software, computing and networking.)
Now, however, the flexibility enabled by digitalization and its continuing transition from rigid hardware to fluid software is allowing simpler, easier and faster programming. It’s also letting software run in even more remote and widely distributed locations, as well as grant many edge and wireless devices greater mobility, and permit them to establish closer networking ties with cloud-computing services and their analytics.
Day 1: System integrator CSE Icon helps Goodnight Midstream upgrade its SCADA network for transporting saltwater from shale oil and gas sites. Read more.
