Edge computing is being used by both military and civilian organisations to facilitate remote work and bring resources closer to their employees.
Personnel from the Department of Defence and the intelligence community require immediate access to data but frequently are unable to do so while on the ground. In order to purchase devices that can connect to sensitive areas across public networks, the National Security Agency established the Commercial Solutions for Classified (CSfC) programme.
Everything outside of data centres and the cloud is referred to as the edge. Devices may process data in real time without connecting to a public cloud thanks to edge computing. According to CDW, by 2025, 80 percent of all data will be processed locally, in part because of the COVID-19 epidemic and the rise in remote work that followed.
Additionally, processing data in data centres or the cloud typically takes longer and costs more money. The development of edge computing becomes even more logical in light of this.
Pentagon’s Edge Computing Benefits and Challenges
The DOD and the IC have boosted remote work since the introduction of CSfC. Personnel from both organisations benefit from edge resources by staying away from connecting to the public cloud and perhaps exposing themselves to cyberattacks. However, they can use a trusted gateway to switch from a classified to an unclassified network when a cloud connection is required.
The Department of Defense’s $9 billion Joint Warfighting Cloud Capability deal will authorise the sale of Amazon Web Services’ Modular Data Centre, which will enable the DOD to deploy secure edge computing and storage in outlying environments. This announcement was made in February.
Under that deal, the Pentagon is not restricted to utilise exclusively AWS; by employing CSfC, agencies can get ruggedized, secure servers for far-flung outposts.
The DOD will have to remove some components or keep outdated, classified ones in order to comply with its own security standards and procedures when using any vendor’s solution. As a result, the Pentagon takes longer than business to implement and evaluate edge computing technology.
How Civilian Organisations Should Handle the Edge
In times of crisis response, edge infrastructure has been discovered by civil organisations to be more adaptable and movable.
Data analytics in cameras that can recognise objects, persons, and dangers in real time at the edge are being used by national security authorities.
Federal engineers and data scientists working remotely don’t need to access massive programmes from a centralised data centre since edge computing enables low-latency applications to perform properly.
Organisations interested in implementing edge computing should conduct their due diligence and look for industry partners that can offer precise cost estimates. For computation, storage, and networking, some companies provide reasonably priced methods and equipment that will cut the cost of edge computing.
Agencies must also choose an issue to solve with edge computing, focusing on less important services to test edge computing solutions and make a methodical shift. They won’t move too rapidly and take on more than they can handle, which is a common mistake.
