Industry Application Guide

When Micro Data Center Meets

Edge Computing Revolution
What‘s Edge Computing?

For many years the trend for data centers has been to consolidate multiple sites into one or
a few centralized, larger facilities. Much of that consolidation has shifted from the enterprise-
owned and operated data center to the multi-tenant or colocation environment.

While it makes sense for many organizations to take this approach, the exponential growth
of data and the Internet of Things (IoT) drives a need for local processing and storage IT in
environments such as IDF closets, branch locations and remote sites.

While cloud computing has traditionally served as a reliable and cost effective means for
connecting many of these devices to the internet, the continuous rise of IoT and mobile
computing has put a strain on networking bandwidth.

Wireless devices and sensors, lack the necessary compute capacity to process large
streams of complex data directly. As a result, smaller, modular data centers are being
deployed to provide hyper-local storage and processing capacity at the edge. They are
typically the size of a self contained racks or shipping container and are placed at the base
of cell towers, or close to industrial facilities.

Edge computing technology is

now emerging to offer an
alternative solution to place
computing resources closer to
where data originates (i.e.
motors, pumps, generators, or
other sensors) — or the
“edge.” This reduces the need
to transfer data back and forth
between centralized
computing locations, such as
the cloud.
What‘s the Benefits of Edge Computing?
Edge computing describes a data center topology in which information processing and content
collection and delivery are placed closer to the sources of this information. The goals are to
reduce latency, reduce unnecessary traffic and establish a hub for interconnection
between interested peers and for data thinning of complex media types or computational
loads.

These modular edge data centers are being used in industries such as manufacturing,
agriculture, transportation and healthcare, as well as energy & utilities. They are also helping
mobile network operators (MNOs) deliver content faster to mobile subscribers. And many tech
companies leverage these systems to store (or cache) content closer to their end users.
Why Edge Computing Needs Micro Data Center?

For many services, however, placing micro data centers on the edge is not just a matter of
convenience, but necessity. Self-driving cars, smart industrial IoT, medical devices, traffic
management tools, and a host of other applications depend on real-time access to both
information and analytics results. Without direct access to nearby compute and storage
resources, these functions will see their performance degrade by multiple orders of magnitude,
sometimes even with life-threatening consequences.

A micro data center is modular or containerized and smaller than a computer room — typically
multiple racks or less. All required IT functionalities are contained in the micro data center,
designed to handle your specific needs at distributed locations and typically managed from a
larger data center.

Micro Data Center which is capable of being deployed as close as possible to the edge of
the network, in comparison to traditional centralized data centers. Capable of performing
the same functions as centralized data centers although at smaller scale individually.
Because of the unique constraints created by highly-distributed physical locations, edge
data centers often adopt autonomic operation, multi-tenancy, distributed and local resiliency
and open standards. For some companies, having a data center just feet away rather than
miles away can actually reduce latency. When milliseconds matter in applications that
depend on critically low latency, an Micro Data Center can be the answer.
The Benefits of Micro Data Center

An Micro Data Center at first glance looks like most any other equipment cabinet. It is typically a
pre-fabricated unit equipped with climate controls, power protection and distribution,
network connectivity, physical security features, fire suppression, interference
protection, and shock-resistant design.

The Micro Data Centers are much more highly engineered than your usual equipment
closet or server room, which makes sense given the higher level of performance that is
expected of them. Because they are pre-built, and because the vendor typically does all
the component integration and testing, an Micro Data Center can be deployed quickly,
with a minimum of site work needed. For some companies, that’s a big plus, since they
can be assured that their data center has been tested and locked down in a factory
environment, then safely shipped to a site and deployed. That helps to reduce the
possibility of security risks or other potential hazards.

Micro Data Centers are eminently scalable for the needs of their nearby users. A single
cabinet unit that provides file caching might serve the branch office of an enterprise, while
an engineering organization could opt for a multi-rack system in order to provide a high
performance computing cluster. The modular design of these units lends itself to
scalability and a custom fit for any specific enterprise need.
The Industries Adopting Micro Data Centers

More and more companies are moving to Micro Data Center solution as they decentralize
their IT strategy and find that their existing distributed capacity just won’t meet their needs.

In some environments, such as manufacturing, companies want local storage and processing
power to help them take full advantage of the smart systems they have installed.

For companies in the content business, an Micro Data Center can provide an edge computing
solution that is located close to the source of the demand.

Enterprises of IoT, artificial intelligence, machine learning and other applications all have the
potential to drive sizable demand for Micro Data Centers as a means of bringing more
processing and storage power to the network’s edge.

Service providers are also likely to embrace them enthusiastically as part of the move to 5G,
where the need for more network functionality and an enhanced ability to manage networks at
the edges will get increasingly critical.

The huge upside potential of the Micro Data Center, not because it creates something
completely new, but because it will help address challenges and it will meet demand for highly
distributed capacity.
 Attom Micro Data Center Solution

Attom Technology is dedicated to design and deliver the Micro Modular Data Center Product Platform, with
the No.1 Flexible and Versatile options, to simplify Edge Data Centers deployment and management.

 Cloudlet/On-premise infrastructure
Indoor  Remote/Branch office environments
Cabinet
Type  Smart Retail
 Finance & banking sector
 Warehouse/Logistics Hubs
Indoor
Row  Oil/Gas/Mining
Type
 National and Local Government
 Small and medium enterprises
Outdoor  Network rooms
Cabinet
Type  Office communication rooms
 Smart manufacturing
 Process automation in harsh environments
Outdoor  Military
Container
Type  Government/Education
 IAAS (Infrastructure as a service) component

Attom Technology
Address: No. 06 Yangchong Road, Baoan District, Shenzhen, China
Telephone: +86 755 2320 7291
Web: http://www.attom.com.cn

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