Small businesses left in the dark over edge computing

Jon Arnold of Volta Data Centres

Small businesses in the UK are falling behind their larger counterparts when it comes to the adoption of new technologies according to a new report, with just 38% of smaller companies making use of Edge computing systems compared to 60% of bigger businesses.

In total, 90% of small business owners said their company is not utilising edge data centres, according to the independent commissioned by Volta Data Centres, with just 17% saying they were likely to deploy the technology in the next five years compared to 51% of larger companies.

The ‘Data Loss and Downtime are putting Hybrid and Edge Computing Strategies at Risk’ report, produced by Sapio Research, highlights the growing technology gap between SMBs and large enterprises.

Although 45% of firms overall said they are using Edge data centres, just 25% of companies with less than 100 employees are utilising the technology – this rises to 68% of 100-199 sized companies, 59% of 200-499 and 57% of 500+.

The report also highlights the reasons for edge data centre adoption, with security (68%) being the primary factor ahead of faster delivery (57%) and cost efficiency (56%).

Underlining the issue, Jon Arnold, managing director at Volta Data Centres said“Companies investing in edge computing are seeing huge benefits from the collection of operational information from IoT devices at the edge. But this report highlights the growing gulf between small and large companies, revealing the need for an improved understanding of the IT infrastructure available to small businesses.

“An ‘industry inequality’ is emerging that threatens to profit the biggest companies while leaving the rest far behind. In the long-term, these small businesses might lose employees frustrated with what they perceive as inadequate data centre and IT resources, as well as customers equally frustrated with slow, unreliable access to information. Education on and the witnessing of benefits around Edge computing will be essential to help plug this gap, helped by the smaller businesses that plan on adopting the technology in the future.”

This survey was conducted among 200 IT decision makers. The interviews were conducted online by Sapio Research in August 2018 using an email invitation and an online survey. To see the entire findings from the ‘Data Loss and Downtime are putting Hybrid and Edge Computing Strategies at Risk’, click here.

Comment on this article below or via Twitter: @IoTNow_OR @jcIoTnow

RECENT ARTICLES

Surrey leads new £8 million FORT centre for advancing secure networks

Posted on: March 18, 2024

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) announced that Surrey’s 5G/6G Innovation Centre will lead a new £8 million Centre for Doctoral Training in Future Open Secure Networks (FORT). 

Read more

Protecting assets with LTE, NTN & 5G LPWA

Posted on: March 15, 2024

In this compelling piece, part of the Key Industry Insights Series, Analyst Robin Duke-Woolley of Beecham Research and Kevin Guan of Fibocom, explain how LTE Cat 4/1/1bis/M, NTN and 5G LPWA are working to change the game for protecting goods and supply chains with total, global coverage asset tracking for reduced losses and improved operations

Read more
FEATURED IoT STORIES

What is IoT? A Beginner’s Guide

Posted on: April 5, 2023

What is IoT? IoT, or the Internet of Things, refers to the connection of everyday objects, or “things,” to the internet, allowing them to collect, transmit, and share data. This interconnected network of devices transforms previously “dumb” objects, such as toasters or security cameras, into smart devices that can interact with each other and their

Read more

The IoT Adoption Boom – Everything You Need to Know

Posted on: September 28, 2022

In an age when we seem to go through technology boom after technology boom, it’s hard to imagine one sticking out. However, IoT adoption, or the Internet of Things adoption, is leading the charge to dominate the next decade’s discussion around business IT. Below, we’ll discuss the current boom, what’s driving it, where it’s going,

Read more

9 IoT applications that will change everything

Posted on: September 1, 2021

Whether you are a future-minded CEO, tech-driven CEO or IT leader, you’ve come across the term IoT before. It’s often used alongside superlatives regarding how it will revolutionize the way you work, play, and live. But is it just another buzzword, or is it the as-promised technological holy grail? The truth is that Internet of

Read more

Which IoT Platform 2021? IoT Now Enterprise Buyers’ Guide

Posted on: August 30, 2021

There are several different parts in a complete IoT solution, all of which must work together to get the result needed, write IoT Now Enterprise Buyers’ Guide – Which IoT Platform 2021? authors Robin Duke-Woolley, the CEO and Bill Ingle, a senior analyst, at Beecham Research. Figure 1 shows these parts and, although not all

Read more

CAT-M1 vs NB-IoT – examining the real differences

Posted on: June 21, 2021

As industry players look to provide the next generation of IoT connectivity, two different standards have emerged under release 13 of 3GPP – CAT-M1 and NB-IoT.

Read more

IoT and home automation: What does the future hold?

Posted on: June 10, 2020

Once a dream, home automation using iot is slowly but steadily becoming a part of daily lives around the world. In fact, it is believed that the global market for smart home automation will reach $40 billion by 2020.

Read more

5 challenges still facing the Internet of Things

Posted on: June 3, 2020

The Internet of Things (IoT) has quickly become a huge part of how people live, communicate and do business. All around the world, web-enabled devices are turning our world into a more switched-on place to live.

Read more