13. Delineating Cloud-Native Edge Computing

There are many things happening concurrently these days in the information and communication technologies (ICT) space. With the faster maturity and stability of digitization and edge technologies (miniaturized yet multi-faceted sensors, actuators, RFID tags, barcodes, chips, stickers, microcontrollers, single-board computers (SBCs), beacons, LED lights, etc.), all kinds of physical, mechanical, electrical and electronics systems in our everyday environments like homes, educational campuses, retail stores, warehouses, manufacturing floors, eating joints, entertainment plazas, airports, defense zones, nuclear installations, etc. become digitized. Also, there is a widespread deployment of 5G communication networks across the globe. Besides the success of different network topologies, there are several short-range, energy-efficient, low-power and cost communication technologies emerging and evolving fast. Now with the ready availability of highly reliable and high-bandwidth communication capability, all sorts of digitized elements become connected artifacts. That is, these methodically empowered entities gain the power of finding and connecting with one another in the vicinity to accomplish bigger and better tasks through purpose-specific collaborations. Further on, they get linked up with cloud-based software modules and databases. Increasingly such networked embedded systems are being referred to as the Internet of Things (IoT) elements. Another prominent and pertinent term is none other than the paradigm of “cyber-physical systems (CPS).” That is, ground-level physical entities get integrated with remotely held or cloud-hosted cyber-resources such as software applications, databases. With such enablement, physical systems, which we can touch and feel, are to join in the mainstream computing.