Living on the edge

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February 17, 2021

The edge, or edge computing, is moving beyond a talking point or a hypothetical.

Edge computing/IoT has joined with hybrid cloud and microservices-based software to accelerate the transformation of industries and open up new possibilities that seemed impossible just a few years ago. How has this become the case?

The tech industry has recognized in order to successfully implement highly distributed edge to cloud solutions, things need to change. Technologies and strategies that worked a few years ago can’t compete with what’s offered today, and it’s important to stay up-to-date with the latest trends.

For example, legacy architectures founded on centralized data centers are now considered inadequate. The SASE model and Microsoft Edge Zones are two examples of these new architectures.

One model to consider is the Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) model of networking and security.

Gartner introduced a SASE as a new network security model and predicted that by 2024, at least 40 percent of enterprises will have explicit strategies to adopt SASE. Gartner cited that less than 1 percent adopted it at the end of 2018.

The SASE model is designed to support current digital business needs for implementing secure access to services and distributed data in the cloud and at the edge with a global network fabric and integrated security capabilities. 

Security is always at the forefront in SASE -- implementing a Zero Trust network access model -- based on converging network and security. The security isn’t implemented simply on an IP address or physical location, rather it’s based on the identity and context of users, applications and devices. 

Its overall goal is to create one software-defined secure cloud orchestrated network -- rather than having to rely on multiple resources for different aspects, such as data centers or cloud services.

Microsoft Azure Edge Zones is another great resource for providing and processing data. Edge Zones utilize virtual machines, containers, and other services to address the low latency and high throughput requirements of applications running at the edge, operating through Microsoft.

Azure Private Edge Zones, which is implemented with cloud-native orchestration, work as an extension of Azure placed on-premises. They support virtualized network functions such as mobile packet cores, routers, and firewalls, with virtual machines and containers.

Enterprises can leverage a consistent developer, management, and inherent application security experience in Azure Edge zones to build and deploy applications and deploy to Azure Edge Zones or Private Edge Zones depending on their requirements. 

Embracing SASE architecture could help drive the future with a simple, current structure. Working as a single service, SASE can cut costs and decrease the number of vendors and hardware requirements needed to function.

SASE is just one of the many exciting options in the emerging technology world. If you want to stay up to date on the latest trends -- or what’s waiting around the corner -- schedule a time with one of our experts at Atlas7.