While data centers and cloud deployments command IT management’s attention, the biggest changes in technology are happening at the edge. By the early 2030s, 74% of the world’s data is predicted to be processed at the edge, and by 2027, 25% of servers will be deployed there. A strong edge strategy is no longer an option but rather a business mandate—as are the servers needed to make edge operations operate reliably and at scale.
But the edge doesn’t play by the same rules as the data center. Edge environments can be as varied and unforgiving as a busy retail store or production line in a factory, or on the battlefield remote telecommunications tower. The technology needed to excel in these diverse environments must be purpose-built with their respective realities in mind, not retrofitted for them after the fact. And that’s exactly what the HPE ProLiant Compute portfolio is designed to do.
The immense challenge of working at the edge
Edge environments present unique challenges. A global fast-food burger shop operates in crowded workspaces, processing hundreds of transactions an hour. A car manufacturer must ensure uptime, utilizing data from numerous devices on the production line. These two businesses have vastly different needs and expectations.
As with nearly all edge implementations they have four key requirements in common:
- Low latency: Organizations need to process data and act on it where it is generated, rather than sending it to the cloud or a data center. Processing data at the edge supports decisions made by the millisecond.
- Remote manageability and simplicity: Organizations need the ability to deploy and manage edge servers, often with no on-site IT staff. Equipment must be easy to deploy and manage even if no technical help is available.