Edge computing is a distributed computing framework that moves enterprise applications closer to data sources. These sources include local edge servers and Internet of Things (IoT) devices.
Some of the biggest drivers for edge computing include the demand for better performance by customers as well as the need for shorter transaction times. As such, having these enterprise applications close to data has advantages, such as reduced latency and quicker insights.
What Do Edge Computing Companies Do?
Edge computing companies continually offer solutions that seek to satisfy the need for edge computing, which is triggered by factors like latency, bandwidth, privacy, and autonomy. The need for real-time data for applications like augmented and virtual reality (AR and VR) and autonomous vehicles, among others, provides an area of focus for edge computing providers.
These companies also provide solutions to increased bandwidth usage caused by the ubiquity of IoT devices by tailoring solutions that enhance bandwidth usage and availability. They also create solutions for use cases in networks where autonomous operation is expected between sensors and actuators, even if the connection to the cloud is lost.
Aside from VR and AR, edge computing companies enable use cases such as smart homes, cloud gaming, virtualized radio area networks (vRAN) and 5G, smart grids, predictive maintenance, and remote monitoring.
Also read: Micro Data Centers are Evolving the Edge
Top Edge Computing Companies
Amazon Web Services
Amazon Web Services (AWS) for the edge moves data analysis, processing, and storage closer to endpoints to enable users to deploy tools and API environments beyond AWS data centers.
With AWS edge services, users can create high-performance applications capable of processing data close to where it is generated. This results in intelligence, real-time responsiveness, and exceptionally low latency.
Key Differentiators
- AWS allows users to build applications once and deploy them on both the edge and the cloud. AWS extends cloud services, infrastructure, and tools to any on-premises data center or co-location area as a fully managed service, offering end users consistency all through the edge to the cloud.
- AWS for the edge enables users to unlock deep and vast edge use capabilities. Users can implement capabilities created for particular use cases such as hybrid cloud, internet of things, 5G, and industrial machine learning. More than 200 integrated device services provide users with a wide range of options to rapidly deploy edge applications and effectively scale to billions of devices.
- AWS infrastructure helps customers maintain high standards of security and compliance from the cloud to the edge. This allows users to reliably store and process data that needs to either be at the edge or remain on-premises.
Pricing: You can use the AWS pricing calculator to generate an estimate or contact AWS for more pricing information.
Microsoft Azure
Through Azure Stack Edge, Microsoft provides a managed service that takes Azure’s compute, intelligence, and storage to the edge. As such, Azure Stack Edge is suitable for machine learning at the edge, edge to cloud network data transfer, as well as edge and IoT solutions.
Azure Stack Edge allows users to run edge computing workloads and offers quick insights through the use of compute and hardware-accelerated machine learning at edge environments for artificial intelligence (AI) and IoT workloads.
Key Differentiators
- A hardware-as-a-service model makes it easy for users to get started as they can order their appliances from the Azure portal and pay monthly through their Azure subscriptions. Users can also manage, update, and configure their Azure Stack Edge through a seamless cloud-to-edge experience presented as an intuitive management portal and effective development tools.
- Azure Stack Edge subscribers can analyze their data for rapid actionable insights through hardware-accelerated AI and ML. They can create and train machine learning models either in Azure or through Azure Cognitive service and use the NVIDIA TP4 GPU or Intel VPU to locally accelerate results. Users can also upload data subsets to full datasets to the cloud for model retention, thus making their edge devices smarter.
- Azure Stack Edge enables optimized data transfers to Azure while maintaining local access to files.
Pricing: Azure Stack Edge pricing starts from $402 USD (excluding shipping cost) for the Azure Stack Edge Pro 2, with Azure Stack Edge Pro, Pro R, and Mini R all priced higher than the Pro 2. Visit the Azure Stack Edge pricing page for custom pricing information.
ClearBlade
ClearBlade is an edge computing company that empowers enterprises to speedily engineer and run scalable and robust IoT applications in real time.
ClearBlade runs securely whether on-premises, in the cloud, or at the edge. It helps enterprises to consume, analyze, adapt, and make decisions on data in real time and on a large scale.
In addition, users can maximize the impact of their data at the edge through leveraging local compute, AI, and actionable visualizations from a single platform that is integratable with any enterprise system.
Key Differentiators
- Built for security, ClearBlade offers its customers authentication, authorization, and encryption of API access. This extends to tokens and certificates.
- ClearBlade offers connectivity to its users through MQTT, Sockets, and REST. It also leverages prebuilt patterns for Zigbee, BLE, and Thread among others.
- Customers do not need to worry about the impact of interruption to their internet connection, as devices carry on with their real-time operation, maintaining 100% uptime.
- Whether users choose to develop independent edge applications for their customers or to develop on the cloud and push to the edge, ClearBlade ensures their code is available where they need it to be.
Pricing: Although ClearBlade offers a demo, you would need to contact them for custom pricing information.
Dell Technologies
Dell Technologies leverages a range of compute, storage, and networking capabilities to bridge almost any edge deployment.
Dell offers Dell Edge gateways, VxRail hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI), and Dell EMC PowerEdge servers that are powered by Intel Xeon processors. The company also has edge-computing management and orchestration features.
Dell has edge solutions in numerous industries including manufacturing, digital cities, retail, healthcare, utilities, and transportation among others.
Key Differentiators
- Dell Technologies looks to simplify the edge for its customers by securing the operational environment at the edge. The company also consolidates and streamlines data management and operations when its users expand as the trade-off of expansion is often efficiency and simplicity. Dell also helps users tame environmental latency constraints.
- Dell enables customers to approach their edge policies strategically and to assess their environments to create effective plans that help them generate actionable insights.
- Dell provides solutions that simplify and consolidate information and operational technology to help users easily scale their capabilities.
Pricing: Contact Dell for a custom quote, as they haven’t publicly listed their prices.
EdgeConneX
EdgeConneX is a global data center provider that creates and operates effective, highly proximate, purpose-built data centers. These data centers are customized to the optimal power, size, and locational needs in any deployment, anywhere in the world.
In addition, EdgeConneX operates at least 40 data centers in more than 30 markets, serving hyperlocal to hyperscale markets that are vital to their customers.
Key Differentiators
- Offers solutions that reduce latency and help customers stay close to consumers, cloud services, networks, IoT devices, or enterprises.
- Offers high levels of capacity and efficiency for servers and applications through its high-density power offering of up to 30kW per rack.
- With EdgeOS, users can enjoy visibility into all data center operation aspects through a single distinct self-management app.
- Optimizes the delivery and distribution of digital content to ensure effective audience experiences to better audience retention and customer adoption rates. This ultimately helps monetize high-value digital content.
- EdgeConneX is actively engaged with players, ranging from augmented and virtual reality and autonomous vehicles to 5G and IoT, to offer ultra-low latency solutions.
Pricing: Contact EdgeConneX for accurate pricing information.
Section
Section upholds modern DevOps principles to offer engineers the flexibility and control to run any workload, anywhere. The platform takes a container-based approach to HTTP traffic delivery and has a vast library of edge compute modules, high in performance and availability, that are deployable anywhere along the edge continuum.
Users can build or use their own edge containers, as Section helps them to deploy their existing containerized applications to the edge with no downtime.
Key Differentiators
- With Section, users can deploy to multiple edge locations as simply as they would to a single Kubernetes cluster. The Kubernetes Edge Interface helps to manage and deploy workloads to the Section Global Edge Cloud by offering a Kubernetes-consistent interface.
- Section’s Adaptive Edge Engine delivers low resource consumption and high performance through its automatic and optimized scaling and placement of distributed edge applications. Users have control over the costs, performance, placement, and scaling at the edge.
- Section leverages a Composable Edge Cloud that includes a vendor-agnostic network of infrastructure providers. This offers users immense scale, reach, reliability, and flexibility.
Pricing: The provider has explained their pricing model on their pricing page, but you would need to contact Section for a quote suitable to your potential use case.
How Edge Computing Companies Compare
| Company | IoT, ML, and AI at the edge | Security | Free Trial | Demo |
| AWS |  |
AWS cloud security |
|
? |
| Azure | |
Activation keys, passwords, certificates, double encryption, and restricted access |
|
? |
| ClearBlade | |
API access encryption, authentication, and authorization |
|
30-minute demo |
| Dell | |
|
? | ? |
| EdgeConneX | |
|
? | ? |
| Section | |
Web application firewall (WAF), bot management, certificates, and IP restrictions and blocking |
? | Demo upon request |
Choosing an Edge Computing Company
To determine the edge computing provider that is best for you, it is vital that you consider your business goals and requirements. These should be addressed by the right edge solution. However, it is possible to have multiple edge solutions in a single enterprise’s portfolio.
As such, where multiple solutions are involved, you should ensure they complement rather than overlap each other. You should also consider the reliability and availability of your prospective solution, as downtime is costly.
Other considerations to make note of include how a provider handles latency plus the quality of customer service and support as well as how your budget compares to your shortlisted solutions.
Read next: Best Practices for Securing Edge Networks
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