The Essentials of Storage At The Edge: Flash Storage

The last decade has been marked by the rapid and widespread adoption of Internet of Things (IoT) devices. According to Statista, as of 2021, there are more than 10 billion IoT devices currently active around the world. While this number is certainly impressive, it is one that we can anticipate to see keep on growing as years go by. Forecasts point out that by 2025 we can expect to have more than 75 billion connected devices in an industry with the “potential to generate $4-11 trillion in economic value” (McKinsey’s Global Institute).

The ever-growing reliance on IoT devices has brought to light the intrinsic problems with the current data handling and processing models. As the number of connected devices keeps growing, so is the flux of information generated by their sensors. It won’t be long before centralized cloud computing platforms find themselves flooded with information. Meanwhile, high latency issues, a product of having to send data back and forth across central servers, bandwidth limitations, and the costly infrastructure required to set up these models, will end up putting a cap on the scalability of IoT systems.

With remote work on the rise and businesses leveraging digital platforms and services more than ever before, it is clear that a paradigm shift is needed. This is where Edge Computing comes in. Edge Computing offers the opportunity to transform the way data is handled, processed, and delivered across IoT devices. Unlike traditional cloud-based systems, Edge Computing doesn’t rely on centralized computing arrangements. Instead, it proposes moving data processing tasks closer to where the data is generated – the edge.

The shift from centralized towards localized data processing has direct implications in terms of latency, bandwidth requirements, and thereby costs. Processing data at a local level diminishes the amount of data that needs to be sent through the network, incurring less bandwidth usage and thereby increasing savings down the line. Latency is also benefited. Not only does routing smaller data packets through the network increase response times, but in some instances edge devices might be able to execute tasks in real-time based on the data processed at the edge.

Although localizing data processing puts less strain on computing networks, it also adds an extra level of responsibility and complexity to decisions related to components and hardware selection. Among those key decisions lies the appropriate selection of storage for a determined edge application. Edge Computing requires fast and durable storage devices capable of coping with the need for real-time analysis and the relentless write operations resulting from sensors generating their data logs.

(Image source: Silicon Power)

Silicon Power Industrial offers full coverage of flash storage. mSATA and M.2 2240 form factors are the best choices of compact storage to fit into edge computing devices. Silicon Power Industrial also provides the SMART Embedded and SMART IoT Sphere service platforms to integrate with cloud-based systems to provide real-time health monitoring of flash storage inside edge computing devices.