Servers & Systems: The Right Compute
1823258 Members
3083 Online
109648 Solutions
New Article
Sandy_Ono

Small businesses are getting an “edge” by building the edge

How do you make better, faster decisions? By putting your data to work where it’s generated—at the edge. Learn why edge computing is a must for small business and how to make it work for yours.  

Edge-Computing_SMB.pngData is on the move. By 20251, 75% of all data will be generated and/or processed at the edge. It means that even now, your organization’s data footprint is heading from the data center to the cloud to the edge. If it’s not, you need to lace up your sneakers and give it a push.

What’s edge computing and why it matters to business

Edge computing is the practice of processing data near the edge of the network where the data is being generated. It means you can make faster, more informed decisions—because you’re making sense of the data right where it’s captured. 

Right now, edge computing is being accelerated by the 50+ billion devices gathering, transmitting, and analyzing an ever-expanding mass of data. Industries from retail to healthcare to smart manufacturing are being fed an endless supply of information from edge devices like small temperature and pressure sensors and high-resolution/high frame-rate cameras. 

It’s a priceless trove of insight that can translate into big benefits. But taking advantage of those benefits requires unwinding data complexities and applying AI at the edge. Take these use cases as an example:

  • Retail. Retailers delivering personalized customer experiences requires real-time data processing in stores with security and PCI compliance.
  • Healthcare. Detecting abnormal changes sooner for better medical diagnosis and treatment requires using the power of IoT and sensors to collect data and then processing that data on site.
  • Manufacturing. Detecting abnormalities and avoiding costly manufacturing shutdowns requires performing near-real time analysis on the manufacturing floor.

Think ahead to stay ahead at the edge

Companies who have invested in edge-centric digital strategies have seen the benefits, e.g., 2X quality control, 50% resources required, better/faster customer experiences. But history shows that 83% of digital transformation projects failed2.

To meet today’s rate of change, you need that success rate to be much higher.  And as we reinvent the way we work, the use cases only grow.  Organizations will need to automate, screen, and track health of employees and customers at all locations to ensure safety. IT support will need to monitor key assets regardless of where they are. And automation will require intelligence at the edge to make sense of all data that will begenerated/processed3.

How to build an “edge” at the edge

How do you win at the edge? We’ll show you exactly how. Follow these steps to put the right structure in place:

1. Connect with intelligence.

Networking at the intelligent edge allows you to manage multiple sites, automate digital services, and make complex decisions in real-time at the edge.

  • Tailorable infrastructure. Integrate your cloud and data center estate as best fit with Aruba connectivity customized for your apps, data, and preferred partners  
  • Control and speed: get reliable, secure, and easy-to-setup networking solutions with Aruba Instant On. Try this cloud-based and app-managed ecosystem at an affordable price.

2. Innovate with confidence.

Multi-access edge computing fuels business growth and ensures security at the edge.  

  • Protect business data. Use a mix of on-premises and cloud features to easily adopt hybrid cloud and protect your business against downtime and data loss. For example, HPE Small Business Solutions for Hybrid File and Backup saves you time and money.  
  • Zero Trust model. Keep pace with new cyber threats and close the IT security gap with automation. New GDPR standards demand that organizations fortify cybersecurity and risk management portfolios. Architect, design, integrate and transform with HPE so you have intelligent data protection to compete in the digital economy.

3. Communicate with speed.

Adopting management software at the edge is critical to thriving at the edge.

  • Container adoption. Enhance portability and predictability of performance of your applications and databases with HPE container solutions. Rely on virtualization to consolidate workloads to reduce risks and gain greater flexibility
  • Predictive analytics via InfoSight. HPE InfoSight for Servers combines the machine learning and predictive analytics of HPE InfoSight with the health and performance monitoring of Active Health System and HPE Integrated Lights Out (iLO) to optimize performance and predict and prevent problems.

The equation is simple. The more data you have, the better decisions you can make. But you have to put the data to work with the right tools. Learn more about Edge Computing and then engage HPE experts to help you untangle data where it’s created—and start winning at the edge. 


Sandy Ono
VP of Marketing Strategy, eCommerce, and SMB Marketing
Hewlett Packard Enterprise

twitter.com/HPE_SMBs
linkedin.com/showcase/hpe-it-solutions-for-smb/
facebook.com/HPESMB/
hpe.com/servers


1) Per Gartner
2) 2018: Everest Group
3) Per Gartner

0 Kudos
About the Author

Sandy_Ono

I lead Marketing Strategy, eCommerce, and SMB Marketing worldwide at HPE. I drive SMB customer analytics and insights efforts to formulate our go-to-market strategies and define our marketing and communications campaigns to engage with small and midsize business audiences across the globe. In addition, I drive our eCommerce strategy and run global operations to serve both Enterprise and SMB customers with our B2B solutions.