By Dr. Keith Alan Rothschild, Ph.D., Cox Communications
The rapid evolution of cloud computing has brought about a significant transformation in the way businesses deploy and manage their IT infrastructure. Traditional cloud computing, primarily centralized, is now complemented by a growing trend towards "cloud-at-the-edge" or edge-computing1. This shift involves extending cloud capabilities closer to the end-users and devices, enhancing responsiveness and reducing latency. Edge computing as envisioned in this paper typically exists near the interface between the core network and the access network.
By leveraging edge computing, organizations can process data locally, leading to faster decision-making and improved user experiences (Mouradian et al, 2017). This approach is particularly beneficial for applications requiring real-time processing, such as managing the operational configuration of network elements, as well as aspirational applications to support third-party use-cases such as autonomous vehicles, smart cities, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices (Moustafa & Wu, 2021; Satyanarayanan et al, 2020).
As companies adopt cloud-at-the-edge solutions, they face new challenges related to integration, testing, and release management (Shi et al, 2020). Effective practices in these areas are crucial to ensure that these systems function seamlessly together, maintaining high performance and reliability. However, if not carefully managed, the associated costs can escalate quickly, impacting the overall budget and efficiency of the project. Proper management involves meticulous planning, coordination, and execution of integration and testing processes to minimize disruptions and ensure smooth deployment.
This paper explores various facets of deploying virtualized infrastructure and related automation systems for real-time edge processing using shared resources. It delves into modern development practices, automation, and centralized management techniques to enhance operational efficiency. Furthermore, the paper highlights the critical role of security, real-time monitoring, and resource access facilitation in this context. By examining underpinning technologies such as the Telco Cloud and the Critical Network Services Platform, the paper will demonstrate how these solutions provide carrier-grade reliability and scalability. The goal is to showcase how the Engineering Common Platform can drive innovation, efficiency, and reliability in telecommunications infrastructure.