Just got comfortable with the concept of cloud computing? Well, that is now in past. Cloud computing has now been overtaken by a new concept called fog computing which is certainly much better and bigger than the cloud.
Fog computing is quite similar to cloud and just like cloud computing it also provides its users with data, storage, compute and application services. The thing that distinguishes fog from cloud is its support for mobility, its proximity to its end-users and its dense geographical distribution. Its services are hosted at the network edge or even on devices such as set-top-boxes or access points. By doing this, fog computing helps in reducing service latency and even improves QoS, which further results in a superior user experience.
Fog computing even supports emerging Internet of Things (IoT) applications that require real time or predictable latency. A thing in Internet of Things is referred to as any natural or manmade object that can be assigned an Internet Protocol (IP) address and provided with an ability to transfer data over a network. Some of these can end up creating a lot of data. Cisco here provides us with an example of a jet engine, which is capable of creating 10 terabytes of data about its condition and performance that too in half-hour. Transmitting all this data to the cloud and then transmitting response data back ends up creating a huge demand on bandwidth. This process further requires a considerable amount of time to take place and can suffer from latency.
In fog computing, much of the processing takes place in a router. This type of computing creates a virtual platform that provides networking, compute and storage services between traditional cloud computing data centres and end devices. These services are central to both fog and cloud computing. They are also important for supporting the emerging Internet deployments.
Fog computing also has the capability of enabling a new breed of aggregated services and applications, such as the smart energy distribution. In smart energy distribution, all the energy load balancing apps will run on network edge devices that will automatically switch to alternative energies like wind and solar etc., based on availability, demand and lowest price.
The usage of fog computing can accelerate the innovation process in ways that has never been seen before. This includes self-healing, self-organising and self-learning apps for industrial networks.
Advertisements