Edge computing research report 2018: Implementation and investment growing across industries

This special report from ZDNet and TechRepublic examines the current and future role of edge computing.

Companies are moving away from traditional bases of distributed computing instead opting for IoT (Internet of Things) sensors, cameras, remote devices, servers, and networks at the edges of their enterprises.

In 2018, TechRepublic Premium surveyed technology professionals to find out why they implemented or planned to implement these edge computing technologies, what areas delivered the greatest benefit from edge computing, and what were the greatest edge computing implementation challenges.

Survey respondents answered the following questions:

  • For what business purposes/applications are you using or do you plan to use edge computing?
  • In which area are you seeing the greatest business benefit/payback from edge computing?
  • What are your greatest challenges in implementing edge computing?
  • How is edge computing most affecting your central data center?
  • Are you using cloud services with your edge computing implementation?

Survey results show that 52% of respondents currently use edge computing technologies, and 51% of respondents plan to employ edge computing technologies within the next 12 months.

Edge solutions vary by the marketplace. According to survey respondents, 52% use edge computing for mobile devices and laptops, and 47% use it for remote servers and networks.

In the future, companies will expand their scope of edge computing by investing in IoT-based technologies that assist with enterprise physical security, monitoring, and automated equipment.

Facility management and security are two major focus areas for companies deploying or planning to deploy edge technology. The ability to monitor and maintain equipment located at remote sites without traveling to perform maintenance, as well as the capability to monitor and manage physical facilities in real-time, speaks to edge computing’s vast appeal.

Implementation of edge computing solutions is an area where vendors can offer value-added services to help corporate clients.

This report contains all the data, plus analysis, from the survey. For details on future TechRepublic Premium surveys, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn.

To read all the results from the survey, plus analysis, download the full report.

Every month, TechRepublic Premium releases an original research report on a different topic related to business technology. Here are some past reports:

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September 27, 2018
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