With the cloud computing becoming so mainstream, the time is now ripe for the emergence of new associated disruptive technologies like fog computing. It was a Cisco Fellow who coined the term ‘fog computing’ in January 2014 to define the extension of cloud computing capabilities to the edge of the network.
Fog computing brings enablement to IoT, 5G, and embedded AI, with its bleeding edge nature allowing apps, things and devices to connect quickly. It also allows huge volumes of data to be processed at a faster rate.
Cisco recently inaugurated the Fog World Congress (FWC) 2017 conference to bring the global researchers and leaders together to learn about the impacts of fog computing and networking. The company demonstrated how it has been utilizing fog for IoT Applications, Blockchain, Kinetic Innovation and at the Cisco Innovation Centers.
Cisco said that Fog, as the name suggests, brings the cloud closer to the ground, being a channel between cloud computing and edge. It enhances the operations and services of multi-cloud, which results in solving business problems easily, and save money.
“We can define how the game is going to be made,” said Hilton Romanski, Chief Strategy Officer, Cisco. “We can be pioneers in fog computing. In the final analysis, fog will be every bit as important as cloud is. There will be hundreds of billions of things connected on the ground level. Fog is important now and into the future.”
It can bring innovation to different industries, including oil and gas, retail, manufacturing, etc. by enabling them to move and analyze terabytes of data at a rapid pace.
Cisco has been working with global startups at its Innovation Centers to create the solutions related to Fog computing. It’s working with Barcelona’s Innovation Center for sensors, with IdeaLondon for retail solutions, with Cisco’s own Innovation Center in Toronto for lighting transformations.
At its booth, Cisco demonstrated that its IOx can help easily develop and deploy Fog applications. IOx is a combination of IoT and Cisco IoS technology, that allows application developers to work in the Linux application environment. It offers highly secure connectivity and powerful services for rapid, reliable integration with IoT sensors and cloud.
Cisco also collected data via its Kinetic Innovation section. Kinetic Innovation is a management platform to deliver tools and guidelines for creating digital things like a smart city framework. Cisco also discussed about Blockchain technology in Fog computing, and said that it can safely register devices on a Blockchain network.
Cisco is optimistic about the future of Fog computing, and said that it can help enterprises with benefits including better business agility, security, deeper insights into privacy, device connection, and automation, etc.
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