As IoT devices and applications continue to grow in volume and variety, the centralized, cloud-based model used by many enterprises is taking a back seat in favor of moving data and processes closer to the edge to increase their flexibility, agility, and accessibility.
With more and more organizations adopting real-time capabilities and 5G networks on the rise, 2020 is poised to be a banner year for digital transformation opportunities across industries.
At the same time, challenges remain, from the well-tread issues of speed and scalability, to data security and governance.
DBTA recently held a webinar featuring Priya Rajagopal, principal product manager, mobile and IoT, Couchbase; Samuel Chance, principal consultant, IoT, Cambridge Semantics; and Lewis Carr, senior director, data management product marketing, Actian Corporation, who discussed the latest technologies and strategies surrounding the future of IoT.
The use cases for edge intelligence are everywhere and in every industry, Carr said. This includes:
- Chronic disease management
- Predictive maintenance
- Machine vision
- Asset management and tracking
- AR/VR training and gaming
- Smart metering
- Digital twinning
- Autonomous vehicles
- Smart homes
- Autonomous retail check out
- Telemedicine
- Sensor grid management
There are eight requirements for modern edge data management solutions, according to Carr. The requirements are:
- Capable of managing large sets of Persistent Data
- Run on multiple operating environments from Android/iOS to Windows/Linux
- Multiple access methods including CLI, programming and scripting languages
- Support varied types of data: JSON, BLOB, traditional structured, etc.
- Single platform for Client, Peer-to-Peer, Client-Server, Internet/Intranet architectures
- Stateful and stateless sharing and stand-alone during periods of dis-connectivity
- Handle high-speed, multi-channel data collection
- Plug-in-play with advanced analytics, reporting and visualization tools and platforms
Actian Zen is purpose-built for Edge distributed data, Carr said. The platform offers business-critical performance with flexible development and deployment options, extreme reliability designed for ZERO management user environments delivers low support costs, and is IoT ready – new OS platforms and small footprint.
According to Rajagopal, edge architecture includes benefits such as maximized business uptime, bandwidth savings, data privacy, and is guaranteed fast.
Edge strategy is cornerstone of business critical workflows, she explained. Couchbase mobile is an ideal fit for those companies. Couchbase Mobile is well suited for Cloud-to-Edge applications, she said.
The platform offers flexible deployment options, robust local storage and query support, and real time sync with built-in resiliency to network disruptions.
At Cambridge Semantics, Chance explained, the company applies semantics and graph to a data fabric – so anyone can find, understand, blend, and use enterprise data.
An archived on-demand replay of this webinar is available here.