Trenton Systems Blog Edge Computing vs. Fog Computing: Is There a Real Difference?

Graphic: Edge computing is here to stay. Are you prepared for the changes it will bring? Table of Contents Background: the Internet of Things (IoT) & cloud computing are driving the edge The benefits of edge computing/fog computing Edge computing vs. fog computing: Is there an actual difference? Equipping your program or application with a reliable edge/fog server Businesses and organizations are generating more raw data than ever before - so much, in fact, that sending it to the cloud for processing and storage has become a costly and inefficient endeavor. The more data they send to the cloud for analysis and storage, the more money they spend on transferring said data. This newfound surge in throughput also creates a rise in latency, which translates to a delay in response times for a given business’s or organization’s human and physical capital - that is, the employees and autonomous machines using the insights derived from the raw data to do real work and make real decisions. When businesses and organizations need to elicit insights from this raw data nearly instantaneously to remain competitive in an ever-technologically-demanding global market, such an inefficient architecture can become a cumbersome responsibility that wastes both time and money. And you know the old saying: time is money. Enter edge computing/fog computing. In this blog post, we'll provide a brief background on how the Internet of Things (IoT) and cloud computing are driving edge computing/fog computing, discuss the benefits of edge computing/fog computing, and talk about whether there's an actual difference between the two. Stick around.