White Paper
Scaling up: How to overcome the challenges of managing edge locations Boosting uptime, operational efficiency and sustainability in distributed IT environments Mike Jackson Global director of product, data center software Eaton
Executive summary The shift to the edge is accelerating while using larger, more powerful computing capabilities. By processing and storing data closer to where it is created, edge applications are delivering on the promises of low latency, unlocking bandwidth and mitigating how much information needs to be moved around. Edge computing supports a far more agile and scalable approach to leveraging data, but these sites take more effort to manage. With computing power distributed across many facilities, thousands of devices need to be maintained and managed. How can you make everything work as planned when you lack skilled, on-site staff at your edge facilities and your team is focused on running the core data center? Managing and optimizing edge environments effectively and sustainably is a must, especially as companies make commitments to achieve net-zero or negative carbon emissions and regulatory pressures mount, like new mandates on power usage effectiveness (PUE) levels in data centers of all sizes— from small, remote server rooms to hyperscale environments. Digital strategies are enabling data center and IT managers to optimize power infrastructure, maximize equipment uptime, manage multiple energy sources and get new value from existing data center software. These advancements are making it possible to manage infrastructure at the edge far more effectively.
Distributed IT environments are proliferating, creating new opportunities It’s not surprising that analysts predict the amount of electricity required to manage data will continue to increase with the world’s ever-increasing demand for data. Because energy requirements are nowhere near those of core data centers, distributed IT environments are in a great position to take advantage of onsite renewable and energy storage systems to help offset this increase. Back in 2018, just 10% of enterprise-generated data was created and processed in non-traditional or cloud environments. Fast-forward a few years, and global spending on edge computing is expected to reach $317 billion by 2026 and is up 13.1% over last year. Many organizations have accommodated this transition to the edge and adjusted their business models accordingly. Getting there has typically required a lot of temporary fixes. But today, there’s a big opportunity to consider energy infrastructure holistically, especially as it interacts with IT systems, to develop more effective long-term strategies for managing distributed locations. There are also new tools and opportunities to sustainably power edge environments. Because energy requirements are nowhere near those of core data centers, distributed IT environments are in a great position to take advantage of onsite renewable and energy storage systems.
Eaton’s EnergyAware UPS can provide and receive energy from the grid to optimize utility bills and generate an additional revenue stream.