https://www.fedscoop.com/radio/why-agencies-see-edge-computing-on...

https://www.fedscoop.com/radio/why-agencies-see-edge-computing-on-the-it-horizon/?linkId=120747462

The increasing need for edge computing reflects the growing array of devices operating on government systems where connections to the cloud aren’t feasible or reliable enough, says John Garrett, senior director of federal civilian agency business for Dell Technologies.That includes things like medical imaging systems at health centers, earthquake sensors in remote areas and “kinetic platforms such as planes, rockets and automobiles.”

“As we get more and more of these embedded devices out there — and the possibilities of what AI is capable of expands — you have no choice but to do the compute at the edge,” he says. “It’s just the latency between the data center or the cloud back to the device to do real time analysis — [the response time] just isn’t there,” says Garrett.

That latency, and the need for greater on-site analytics, are among the reasons U.S. Customs and Border Protection has begun investing in edge computing capabilities beyond its traditional data centers, according to Ed Mays, executive director of CBP’s Enterprise Data Management and Engineering Directorate.

“We see edge computing as a new frontier being enabled by hyperconnectivity, which allows us incredible levels of improving our resiliency — making sure that we can meet the mission and push those capabilities needed by [CBP’s] officers and agents closer to them,” he says.