Why should businesses care about edge computing?
How should businesses that are interested in leveraging the edge get started?
Why is the edge ecosystem important?
Edge computing is still in the early adoption stage. Yet, the potential of what it can deliver through real-time insights is quickly gaining mainstream attention across multiple industries as more “things” become connected – from autonomous vehicles to remote monitoring of the oil and gas industry to predictive maintenance in manufacturing and smart grids. But, with the complexity of the edge’s ecosystem, how can an organization get started and be successful?
Industry luminaries Marty Sprinzen, CEO, Vantiq, and Rob High, CTO, IBM Edge Computing, recently shared their insights into the business value of edge computing, how to be successful on the edge, and how to get started in solution development and deployment to the edge during our webinar Winning the Competitive-Edge: How to be Successful with Edge-Native Applications. As many of us are seeing across industries, the promise of edge computing is no longer hypothetical. It’s here now, and the business value that companies can realize will continue to evolve as the edge delivers new levels of safety, security, and sustainability. As stated by Marty, “The business need is the movement to real-time. We are about to be monitoring the world in ways that we’ve never seen before.”
Getting Started on the Edge
As shared by Marty and Rob, the success and growth of the edge are dependent on the edge’s ecosystem. There is a composition of technologies, experiences, skills, and business knowledge that need to come together, and the reality is that there is no one vendor capable of solving all the challenges and unknowns. The future of the edge is dependent on fostering a synergistic relationship amongst key players, and for those companies looking to get started in the edge, the first step is understanding the problems that need to be solved. Is a business trying to generate revenue, going through a digital transformation, or enhancing the customer experience?
For instance, Vantiq works with one of the largest management systems for car batteries. Key information that the company needed to know included data on how quickly a battery charged, was it overheating or on the verge of catching on fire, and how to extend a battery’s lifespan. By turning every car into an edge device, the company was able to optimize battery consumption with real-time data.
Improving the Customer Experience
Want to improve the customer experience? Edge computing can also enable companies to process and respond to a customer’s events in real-time. Case in point, Vantiq works with a retail company, creating smart shopping carts to provide customers with a personalized shopping experience. The shopping cart system provides customers with a recommended shopping route through the store, tracks the customer’s location using cameras, and detects objects when they are placed into the cart. Adding to the customer experience, shoppers receive personalized ads and item suggestions related to their location in the store, and payments are processed when an item goes from shelf to cart. As a result, the company quickly realized the business benefits and value of edge-native, as spending grew by 25% per customer.
Without question, the edge is unlocking the business potential for innovation and new customer services. Looking ahead, the edge will continue to develop rapidly, and for those looking to get started, they should start quickly and be open to experimenting. In that process, they might be surprised by what they discover.
Want to know more about how Vantiq and IBM are helping industries bring edge solutions to life? Register here to view the webinar.