Edge Computing buzzword or reality?

Edge Computing – is this the latest buzzword or is it the future of high speed applications?

Edge computing is the latest industry buzzword but what is it?

Given the increasing adoption of Cloud services, along with the explosion in ‘smart’ devices that connect to the internet via Wi-Fi and 5G, data traffic between centralised Data Centres and the sources of data and consumers of services has been growing, pushing network bandwidth to its limits and reducing processing speeds due to increased latency. One solution to these connectivity challenges is to bring the points from which data originates, is processed, stored, or consumed closer together – Edge Computing.

Bringing data closer to the Edge of the network enables efficiencies in how data is transferred and the speed at which it transfers, both of which positively impact on users’ experience whether they be businesses, public sector or retail consumers. In order for more localised computing to succeed the right infrastructure needs to be available at the edge. Locations where smaller edge processing capacity may be required include offices, warehouses, factories, stadiums etc., all areas which might not necessarily have the space or infrastructure for an in-house Data Centre. There are also other issues to consider such as employees being exposed to noise and heat from IT equipment, along with the equipment itself not being correctly cooled or exposed to environmental contaminants such as dust.

EDP Europe, a leading expert in providing Data Centre solutions, offers a range of all-in-one micro data centre solutions that can be easily deployed to enable Edge Computing.

What is a Micro Data Centre?

A Micro Data Centre provides the storage space for IT equipment, power and the means to cool the equipment effectively. EDP Europe offers Micro Data Centre solutions that use different cooling technologies including DX air conditioning and rear door coolers (RDCs).

So which solution should you go with?
The answer to that depends mainly on the required processing capacity and its associated heat load, and the location where the rack is to be placed.

For office environments there is also the consideration of noise. Servers generate heat which is dissipated by fans within the equipment and a major source of noise. Then there is the noise from hard disks and optical drives, this all adds up to a major level of distraction. For instances like this the EDGE 3 Soundproof Cabinet provides the ideal solution offering exceptional noise reduction and air-cooled thermal performance. The EDGE 3 will reduce equipment noise up to 28.5dBA (99.9%) of IT noise, which basically reduces it to a whisper. The EDGE 3 also provides a thermal load capacity of 11.5kW. An optional ducting kit is available that enables the heat that is normally expelled from the back of the rack to be directed into another room or to the outside. This provides the option to use this expelled hot air to heat other spaces or rooms.

For larger installation where racks generate more heat, then water cooled solutions like the ColdLogik water cooled racks provide the solution.

ColdLogik is a proven water cooled system that uses either in-row coolers for use in aisle containment systems or via rear heat exchanger doors. Either solution  is plumbed into an external chiller. The Rear Door Coolers (RDC) cool hot exhaust air directly at source and supply the room with cooled air to cool the IT equipment. Four models of RDC are available enabling cooling of loads from 29kW to up to 200kW.