AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A broad group of edge computing stakeholders, including Vapor IO, Packet, Ericsson UDN, Arm and Rafay Systems, have joined forces to bring clarity and research to the field of edge computing. Produced with help from Structure Research and Edge Research Group, the State of the Edge 2018 report documents contemporary knowledge in the field of edge computing and is freely available at StateoftheEdge.com.
The group also announced two related initiatives: the Open Glossary of Edge Computing and an Edge Computing Landscape. The State of the Edge projects are ongoing efforts and the collaborators are inviting the community at large to contribute to these resources, creating a participatory platform for ongoing research.
“As the industry shifts towards IoT, self-driving vehicles, augmented reality, smart cities and numerous real-time applications, we see high-performance compute, storage and network resources rapidly moving as close to the end user and devices as possible—to the edge of the last mile network,” said Philbert Shih, Managing Director at Structure Research. “The edge ecosystem is large and fast-moving, and the State of the Edge collaboration provides a critical forum for stakeholders to openly work together on terminology and shared research, thereby pushing the industry forward.”
State of the Edge Report 2018
The inaugural State of the Edge report chronicles the emergence of edge computing and documents the impact on developers, technology providers, telecom operators, ISPs, and end users, among others. The report assesses the state of edge computing today, illustrates practical architectures for its deployment, and provides guidance on where this innovative collection of technologies is heading in the near future. The report also endeavors to explain the role edge computing plays in the future of cloud computing, casting it in the context of complementary approaches such as fog computing and public cloud.
Industry analysts Jim Davis (Edge Research Group) and Philbert Shih (Structure Research) produced the report with help from Packet, Vapor IO, Rafay Systems, Ericsson UDN, and Arm. The State of the Edge 2018 report can be viewed and downloaded here. For more information, please visit stateoftheedge.com.
Glossary and Landscape
Also announced today is the Open Glossary of Edge Computing, a community-driven lexicon of essential terms in the edge computing ecosystem. The Open Glossary of Edge Computing presents a framework for organizing shared language to assist in more precise discussions around edge computing. Readers can view a formatted version of the Glossary here as well as contribute to the project via a GitHub repository. For more information, see the Open Glossary of Edge Computing press release.
The State of the Edge collaborators have also published the first edition of the Edge Computing Landscape, an open source database and interactive landscape visualization of vendors, open source projects, foundations and standards groups that intersect or influence the edge computing market. Readers can view the Edge Computing Landscape on the State of the Edge website, as well as visit the GitHub repository to submit pull requests for edits and additions.
Supporting Resources
- State of the Edge Website and Report
- Open Glossary of Edge Computing
- Edge Computing Landscape
- @StateOfTheEdge Twitter Account
- Public Slack Channel
About Vapor IO
Vapor IO is building the cloud of the future by delivering a suite of hardware and software for edge computing and operating the fastest-growing edge colocation business known as Project Volutus. The company’s technology enables highly-distributed micro data centers to be embedded in the wireless and wireline infrastructure, colocated with the last mile or Radio Access Network (RAN), and meshed together with software and high-speed fiber as part of the company’s Kinetic Edge™, a technical architecture for city-scale edge computing. For additional information, please visit vapor.io and follow the company on Twitter @vaporio.
About Packet
Packet is the leading bare metal cloud for developers. Its proprietary technology automates physical servers and networks without the use of virtualization or multi-tenancy - powering over 60k deployments each month across four “core” and 16 “edge” data centers. Committed to automating infrastructure no matter what it is or where it lives, Packet also provides its infrastructure automation solution via on-premise and private deployment models. Learn more at www.packet.net.
About Arm
Arm technology is at the heart of a computing and connectivity revolution that is transforming the way people live and businesses operate. Our advanced, energy-efficient processor designs have enabled intelligent computing in more than 125 billion chips. Over 70% of the world’s population are using Arm technology, which is securely powering products from the sensor to the smartphone to the supercomputer. This technology combined with our IoT software and device management platform enables customers to derive real business value from their connected devices. Together with our 1,000+ technology partners we are at the forefront of designing, securing and managing all areas of compute from the chip to the cloud.
About Ericsson UDN
Launched in 2017, the Ericsson UDN is a live global network built in partnership with Service Providers around the world. The UDN is architected to help service providers create a global network that is made available to content providers and application providers who need more capacity and better performance for their consumer applications. We are working on the next set of edge compute applications with our customers and service provider partners to build additional value and unlock to power of edge networks. Please visit us at www.ericssonudn.com
About Rafay Systems
Rafay Systems enables next generation performance improvements for SaaS applications delivered over the Internet. Rafay's Programmable Edge™ platform equips developers with a disruptive set of tools to automatically deploy performance and geography sensitive applications, or micro-services, closer to endpoints. With presence at the infrastructure edge, Rafay’s platform enables organizations to deliver a new set of experiences to their end customers. For more information, visit www.rafay.co and join the conversation on Twitter @RafaySystemsInc.
About Structure Research
Structure Research is an independent research firm focused on the cloud and data centre infrastructure service provider markets. Based out of Toronto, Structure Research is squarely focused on the mid-tier to enterprise segments with an emphasis on international markets, particularly the Asia-pacific region. The firm provides publication of syndicated and customized research and analysis, strategic consulting, advisory services and public speaking. Clients include service providers, technology vendors supplying service providers and investors. Learn more at www.structureresearch.net.
About Jim Davis/Edge Research Group
Jim Davis is the founder and principal analyst of Edge Research Group, as well as a contributing analyst for Structure Research. He has a track record of providing insights into the technologies and companies that are influencing markets. Prior to founding the Edge Research Group, Jim was a Principal Analyst with 451 Research for 17 years, covering cloud networking and security services, including content delivery networks, interconnection, peering, and cloud exchange services. Learn more at www.edgeresearch.group.
Supporting Quotes
Vapor IO
“Just as we need shared infrastructure to deploy new capabilities at the edge, we also need shared platforms to organize the ecosystems making it happen. The State of the Edge collaboration provides crisp, relevant research and an open model of collaboration for ongoing work. As a founding member, Vapor IO is committed to innovation and fostering an open dialog in the field of edge computing. We see this as an exciting time to come together as an industry to meet the needs of network operators, cloud providers, developers and end users as edge computing unleashes the next generation internet.” — Cole Crawford, co-founder & CEO, Vapor IO
Packet
“With infrastructure starting to move at software speed, it’s critical that we work together to accelerate the evolution of a robust ecosystem that can meet the complex challenges associated with the massive opportunities of distributed computing.” - Zac Smith, CEO of Packet.”
Ericsson UDN
“Ericsson is an established leader in nearly all layers of the network ecosystem. Our direct investments in technology and the UDN Network speak firmly to our belief in our service provider partners and our confidence in the future capabilities of this new vertical we’re helping to create; the edge cloud. This report is a collective approach of like-minded companies and individuals that will be critical in helping to shape and scale the edge for content providers and applications developers alike.” — Yves Boudreau, Vice President of Ecosystem Strategy, Ericsson UDN
Arm
“Arm believes in a future powered by a trillion intelligent devices, and we also believe in the strength of a diverse ecosystem to enable those devices. The State of the Edge report is an opportunity for us to activate the deep knowledge of our partners, and to encourage the kind of collaborative innovation that has driven Arm technology into billions of devices over the last 30 years.” — Drew Henry, Vice President and General Manager, Infrastructure Line of Business, Arm.
Rafay Systems
“Application owners intuitively understand the Edge's potential to greatly improve and enhance their applications’ performance," said Haseeb Budhani, co-founder, and CEO of Rafay Systems. "Creating an easily consumable set of developer-facing solutions that leverage the Edge to improve application performance requires a technology village, and Rafay Systems is excited to be working with Vapor IO, Packet, Ericsson and Arm Holdings to make this vision a reality."
Cloud Native Computing Foundation
“The CNCF community sees edge computing as a natural extension of cloud native practices, both on the infrastructure side and device side. We’re thrilled to participate in cross-community collaborations, such as the Open Source Glossary of Edge Computing. Together, we will define the key terminology involved with edge computing, as well as the Kubernetes Edge/IoT Working Group, and welcome all to join us.” — Chris Aniszczyk, CTO and COO of The Cloud Native Computing Foundation.
