Edge computing and 5G: What's next for enterprise IT?

The distributed, granular nature of edge computing – where an "edge device" could mean anything from an iPhone to a hyper-specialized IoT sensor on an oil rig in the middle of an ocean – is reflected in the variety of its enterprise use cases. There are some visible common denominators powering edge implementations: Containers and other cloud-native technologies come to mind, as does machine learning. But the specific applications of edge built on top of those foundations quickly diversify. "Telco applications often have little in common with industrial IoT use cases, which in turn differ from those in the automotive industry," says Gordon Haff, technology evangelist, Red Hat. This reflects the diversity of broader edge computing trends he sees expanding in 2022.