Experts agree: the future of data analysis will not only take place in central data centers such as clouds, but directly at the product generating the data. So-called edge computing devices already enable local data processing today, and their market share is growing rapidly. Read this article to find out what this technology is all about.
Data processing has often taken place in central data centers up to now. A wide variety of measuring devices record data and send it to a cloud, for example, for analysis and further processing. This data transfer always carries the risk of information being intercepted and stolen by hackers. Encryption protocols such as TLS/SSL are used to try to eliminate this risk, but 100% protection can never be guaranteed due to the sophistication and constant development of hackers' methods. In addition, the process of data collection, data transfer, and data processing has potential for optimization. With the ever-increasing flood of data due to technologies such as the Internet of Things or smart cities (big data), transferring data from measuring devices to a cloud is simply inefficient. Local processing of the measured data would therefore be faster and generally more efficient.
Against this backdrop and in combination with technological progress, new technologies that can handle big data are slowly establishing themselves. We are talking about edge computing devices. These devices are located at the outer edge of the electrical network (edge) and function as an extension of existing central data centers. Energy experts at Gartner predict a bright future for this technology. Although only 10% of the data generated by companies is currently processed using edge computing technology, this share is expected to increase to 75% by 2025. If we trust this statement, the trend is clear: edge computing devices such as CLEMAP sensors are the future of energy data analysis.