Towards Edge Computing as a Service: Dynamic Formation of the Micro Data-Centers

Edge computing brings cloud services closer to the edge of the network, where data originates, and dramatically reduces the network latency of the cloud. It is a bridge linking clouds and users making the foundation for novel interconnected applications. However, edge computing still faces many challenges like remote configuration, well-defined native applications model, and limited node capacity. It lacks geo-organization and a clear separation of concerns. As such edge computing is hard to be offered as a service for future real-time user-centric applications. This paper presents the dynamic organization of geo-distributed edge nodes into micro data-centers to cover any arbitrary area and expand capacity, availability, and reliability. A cloud organization is used as an influence with adaptations for a different environment, and a model for edge applications utilizing these adaptations is presented. It is argued that the presented model can be integrated into existing solutions or used as a base for the development of future systems. Furthermore, a clear separation of concerns is given for the proposed model. With the separation of concerns setup, edge-native applications model, and a unified node organization, we are moving towards the idea of edge computing as a service, like any other utility in cloud computing.

Automated summary

Edge computing brings cloud services closer to data sources, reducing network latency and linking clouds and users for interconnected applications. However, challenges such as remote configuration, limited node capacity, lack of geo-organization, and separation of concerns still exist. The paper proposes dynamic organization of edge nodes into micro data-centers to expand capacity and reliability, with the goal of offering edge computing as a service.