The Transformative Power of Microsoft’s End-to-End Edge Computing Solutions for the Mid-Market

Staying ahead of the curve in today’s evolving technology landscape is an absolute imperative, particularly for mid-market organizations, where technological upgrades fuel efficiency, security and scalability. However, it’s equally important to keep costs down. Edge computing is a paradigm shift set to redefine data processing and resource allocation for organizations.

In traditional cloud computing networks, data processing is centralized in remote data centers, a structure that can introduce latency — the Achilles' heel of real-time decision making. Edge computing turns this model on its head by bringing computation and data storage closer to the location where it's needed. This proximity to the source of data input not only slashes response times but also alleviates bandwidth strain, enabling real-time data processing, reducing latency, and improving performance.

But what’s the best way to get started with edge computing? We’ll explore the exciting benefits of edge computing for mid-market enterprises and explain how BDO Digital can help you leverage Microsoft’s end-to-end solution to leverage edge computing moving forward to accelerate your growth and success.

Why Edge Computing?

The adoption of edge computing is being driven by several key trends. Exponential growth of IoT devices — which is projected to reach 75 billion by 2025 — generates massive amounts of data requiring real-time processing. Additionally, the demand for real-time data processing in industries such as healthcare and manufacturing necessitates low-latency solutions. Considering the increased focus on data privacy and security, and the need for reliable operations in remote or network-challenged environments, edge computing provides an attractive option.

For mid-market organizations competing with giant enterprises that have deeper pockets, edge computing levels the playing field. It allows them to optimize resources intelligently, minimize latency that inhibits innovation and agility, and localize critical aspects of data management. What’s more, it delivers data processing speeds that traditional cloud infrastructures can seldom match, enabling swift, data-driven decision making.

Due to its distributed nature, edge computing can process and analyze sensitive data locally, bypassing the need for back-and-forth transit over the network and minimizing the chance of a data breach while strengthening the security perimeter. At the same time, since edge computing requires less bandwidth than traditional architectures, companies can save money. Edge computing also helps generate more reliable data processing and services, especially in areas with unstable network connections, for continuous operations, even when connectivity to a central server is compromised. And edge computing can scale to accommodate growth, helping mid-market companies avoid the cost and hassle of expanding their data centers.

Finally, edge computing empowers IoT devices with on-site data handling capabilities, reducing the latency and enhancing the integrity of the IoT infrastructure.

Learn how a BDO Digital customer in the oil and gas industry is leveraging the power of edge computing to help maximize its use of sensor data.

With the agility and bandwidth to innovate, mid-market organizations can explore new applications without infrastructure-induced constraints. The global market for edge computing is projected to nearly double to reach $32.19 billion, growing at a 15.60% CAGR between 2024 and 2029.

Microsoft’s at the Edge: An End-to-End Solution

Microsoft provides several edge computing solutions that can help mid-market organizations take advantage of the benefits of edge computing.

• Azure Edge Zones: Azure Edge Zones are small-scale, edge-optimized Azure data centers that provide low-latency access to cloud services and reduce the need for data transfer over the internet. With Azure Edge Zones, mid-market organizations can run their applications and services closer to their customers and devices, providing faster response times and improved performance.
• Azure Stack: Azure Stack is a hybrid cloud platform that enables organizations to run Azure services on-premises or at the edge. This allows mid-market organizations to extend their existing Azure investment to remote locations and edge devices, providing fast and reliable access to cloud services even when internet connectivity is limited.
• Azure IoT: Azure IoT provides a complete end-to-end solution for IoT devices, including device management, data processing, and cloud integration. With Azure IoT, mid-market organizations can leverage edge computing to process IoT data and take advantage of the scalability, security, and cost-effectiveness of cloud computing.

With these solutions from Microsoft, mid-market organizations can improve their performance, reduce latency, and help provide their customers and devices with faster, more reliable access to cloud services.

Innovate at the Edge

Embarking on the edge computing journey is a strategic move — and an investment that will help mid-market companies build a dynamic, secure, and future-ready IT ecosystem. If you lead a mid-market organization and are eager to leverage the transformative might of edge computing, reach out to BDO Digital today. We can help you seamlessly integrate Microsoft’s edge computing solutions into your enterprise and harness their full potential.