Experts agree: the future of data analysis will not only take place in central data centres such as clouds, but directly at the data-generating product. So-called edge computing devices already enable local data processing today and their share of the market is growing strongly. Read this article to find out what this technology is all about.

Up to now, data processing has often taken place in central data centres. Measuring devices of various kinds record data and send it to a cloud for analysis and further processing, for example. With this data transfer, there is always the danger that information will be intercepted and stolen by hackers. Attempts are made to eliminate this danger by means of encryption protocols such as TLS/SSL, but 100% protection can never be guaranteed due to the sophistication and constant development of the hackers' methods. In addition, the process of data collection - data transfer - data processing has potential for optimisation. With the ever-increasing flood of data due to technologies such as the Internet of Things or Smart Cities (Big Data), a transfer from the measuring devices to a cloud is simply inefficient. Local processing of the measured data would therefore be faster and generally more efficient.

Against this background and in combination with technological progress, new technologies are slowly establishing themselves that master the handling of big data. We are talking about edge computing devices. These devices are located at the outer end of the electrical network (edge) and function as an extension of the existing central data centres. Energy experts from Gartner predict a rosy future for this technology. While currently only 10% of the data generated by companies is processed using edge computing technology, this share would increase to 75% by 2025. If you trust this statement, the trend is clear: edge computing devices like the CLEMAP sensors are the future of energy data analysis.