The Edge isn’t just the Cloud in a different location

The Edge isn’t just the Cloud in a different location

Cloud-native approaches to applications will inevitably fall short when it comes to security and manageability at the Edge.

Make no mistake, cloud computing will remain an integral component of most technology stacks for the foreseeable future. But for all the virtues of the cloud — abundant high-powered computing and storage, scalability, relative ease of application development and others — it is fundamentally inadequate for delivering secure and high-performing services in Edge environments. Business leaders need to understand the “why” given the tremendous security and TCO ramifications.

This is also why Intel is collaborating with companies like Spectro Cloud, to support initiatives such as Secure Edge-Native Architecture (SENA), that will pave the way for more secure and easily manageable edge services.

Going from Cloud Native to Edge Native

The edge is a young, fractured market. Solutions are being offered by a small cohort of diverse vendors, ranging from cloud and communications service providers, silicon manufacturers, and OEMs, to start-ups—all without unified standards. One clear difference emerging in the market is the architectural approach to the edge, whether solution design is cloud native (i.e., ‘cloud- out’ to the edge) or edge native (i.e., ‘edge-in’ to the cloud).

While the industry is driving toward a “cloud native” experience for the edge, the cloud computing model by itself cannot unlock the promise of the edge. 

The cloud was born from technology companies renting out the unused server capacity to host third-party data and applications. The tools and technologies that have arisen along with the maturing cloud computing infrastructure model, no doubt, has ushered an innovation revolution driven by developers. The centrality of storage and compute, along with tools that abstracted away hardware complexities—has allowed developers to focus on solving business problems, and scale solutions, without much concern for , lifecycle management or physical security.

The cloud model has fundamentally reshaped software development and service monetization. But the maturation of cloud computing has exposed critical limitations of centralized computing:

1. Speed—it is too slow to send every piece of data to the cloud to see if it has value. Data is getting bigger while the window to make critical, actionable decisions is shrinking.
2. Cost—It is too costly to send all data to the cloud or run many applications at scale in public cloud, especially for data-intensive workloads.
3. Data Control—either organizations can’t, or don’t want to, move data for sovereignty, security, or regulatory requirements that demand strict, local data control and insight.

These limitations make it imperative to build and optimize edge platforms and solutions that are “edge-in” to the cloud or edge-native.

Edge devices (e.g., smart phones, smart cameras, and others) generate enormous amounts of data—that could be turned into value business insights and unlock process automation, except for the cost and time associated with backhauling data for processing in the data center.  Bringing compute out from the data center and closer to the point of data generation at the Edge is one solution for reducing cost and latency. However, the move to decentralize compute creates a host of new challenges foreign to cloud environments.

Instead of homogeneous high-powered servers secured behind the secure walls of a data center, an edge node will likely operate in a constrained environment, such as hanging from a lamppost of a major city, baking in the sun at a vineyard, deployed in emergency responses scenarios with degraded infrastructure, or even off-planet. All these leading to complex Day2 operations needs with expensive truck rolls potentially required for solution life cycle management. Nodes may differ in architecture given variable workload needs across the solution stack and power budget, with data flowing across edge nodes to private networks and public clouds. Data also flows among edge nodes, creating a very different operational workflow at the edge.  In addition, Kubernetes and navigating the open-source ecosystem dramatically increases the complexity for IT, platform engineering and DevOps teams, with multiple software layers consisting of heterogeneous components that need to be maintained up to date. And the number of edge nodes can vary from a few to the tens of thousands, often requiring administration responsibilities to be shared by less technical or non-technical personnel.

Put another way, a single edge solution can represent thousands of opportunities for failure, unauthorized access, and unending maintenance—potentially threatening operational continuity, brand reputation and bottom lines.

Why Edge Native Matters

Success at the Edge requires a completely different approach to hardware, software, and management. The table below outlines how significant this different is:  

The Secure Edge-Native Architecture (SENA)

At Intel, we understand the Edge requires an entirely new paradigm for developing and administering applications on distributed networks. That’s why we’re eager to collaborate with innovative companies like Spectro Cloud who are working to solve some of the most complex challenges of the distributed edge.

Spectro Cloud announced the Secure Edge Native Architecture (SENA), a comprehensive solution architecture that outlines the tools and practices for a secure modern edge infrastructure. SENA combines Intel hardware and edge software, with Spectro Cloud’s Kubernetes management platform Palette, its sponsored open-source project Kairos, and other technology to address edge security as well as overall lifecycle management i.e., deployment, provisioning and operating the platform.

SENA draws on Intel deep root security features—such as Intel® Active Management Technology (AMT) and Intel® Software Guard Extensions (SGX)—and the zero-trust management features of Intel edge software (Intel® Smart Edge), enabling true edge native capabilities for deployment, provisioning and managing a solution at scale.

This includes:

• Zero-touch provisioning of the entire edge stack at scale
• Support for scaling to thousands of locations without performance degradation based on a decentralized architecture with local policy enforcement
• Enhanced hardware encryption to statically measure boot and seal the user data while dynamically assessing device runtime state
• Zero-trust access model across management plane and locations, with granular Role Based Access Control (RBAC)

“As we talk with organizations every day representing a variety of industries and geographies, we continue to be impressed with the consistent interest in delivering and managing new Kubernetes-based applications at the edge", said Tenry Fu, Spectro Cloud CEO and co-founder. "At the same time, a new set of deployment and management challenges is surfacing which requires us to rethink security and the need to tightly couple and coordinate security capabilities that span hardware and software, from the silicon to the app".

You can learn more about SENA with this whitepaper  and webinar.  

Building the Distributed Edge with Intel

Enterprises are racing to adopt AI automation in the face of hypercompetitive markets, merging IT and OT technologies often on legacy infrastructure, to deploy business-critical solutions. Understanding the limitations of the cloud computing model, and optimizing edge platforms and solutions for the edge using “edge-in” or edge-native technologies can make the difference between hitting business goals and cost overruns for early adopters.

Intel, along with our ecosystem partners, is focused on developing the software defined infrastructure, tools, and standards needed for cloud-like agility at the edge.  

[1] Table adapted from the blog Cloud-Native Isn’t Edge-Native (Gartner 2020)