Historically, new digital business systems and products have focused on efficiencies, improving workplace productivity by simplifying and automating time-consuming, manual tasks. Edge computing is changing that game by enabling companies to monitor people, places, and devices – at any moment in time and distributed across diverse physical-digital environments. This fundamentally changes how organizations operate, delivering entirely new levels of awareness, efficiencies, safety, and sustainability.
In our previous blog, we discussed why companies should care about edge computing. However, understanding the potential of real-time data and decision making, as well as the business applications they can enable, is just the beginning of a company’s journey to the edge.
The edge is a dynamic environment, consisting of a network of sensors, devices, and legacy enterprise systems, integrated to power next-generation business applications. As this network grows, it can naturally become overwhelmingly complex and difficult to manage. The challenge for companies is how to navigate this digital-physical complexity, and create event-driven applications that harness the power of real-time data to transform their business.
In his recent Edge Computing World keynote presentation, Vantiq CEO Marty Sprinzen explained that the key to success is for companies to leverage an application development platform that is optimized for the edge and can manage the entire software development lifecycle from design and development, to testing and deployment at scale, to operation and maintenance. Each phase of the development lifecycle should be visual, utilizing pre-built components and workflows that enable applications to be developed and deployed quickly and efficiently. In addition, the platform should be infrastructure-agnostic, working in any environment from the edge to the cloud, and be able to scale to support any number of edge devices and network locations to be able to handle data from hundreds of thousands of devices. This is the power of Vantiq.
An example is Softbank, which has harnessed the power of edge computing and event-driven applications using Vantiq’s low-code edge-native platform to turn their headquarters into the smartest building in the world. By partnering with Vantiq, Softbank has created an interconnected Smart City that features secure lobbies with access management, smart retail with cashierless checkout, smart cleaning, 24/7 security, touch-less elevators, real-time notifications, and more.
Edge computing is powering the future, introducing a level of real-time intelligence that has never before existed. If you’re ready to learn how edge computing and event-driven applications can help transform your business operations, download our white paper: Distribution and Federation in Real-Time, Event-Driven Business Applications.
