Fog computing: what role for the IoT?

Definition of fog computing

Fog computing, also called "computing in the fog", defines an infrastructure responsible for storing and processing data from connected objects . Direct competitor, alternative or complementary solution to cloud computing, fog computing has the particularity of storing and processing data through the use of equipment located at the edge of the network. It therefore makes it possible to carry out these two actions locally, without having to request a datacenter located several hundred kilometers away or a cloud. In this area of ​​storage and processing of data and IoT, fog computing creates an additional interface that can be situated between Edge Computing and Cloud Computing.

Fog VS edge computing

Fog computing and edge computing are two quite similar infrastructures. Both are based on the processing of data produced directly by objects connected at the edge of the network. This proximity to the point of origin leads to a significant reduction in latency (more travel between the connected object and the cloud). The difference between fog and edge computing is the IT equipment involved: according to the OpenFog Consortium, edge refers to processing terminals while fog computing refers to IT architecture. In addition, we speak of edge computing when the computing resources are in the connected object, and fog computing when they are in a separate network node, such as an IoT gateway. 

Fog computing actively participates in decongesting network traffic (only the most important information is transmitted to the company's servers) and in increasing its performance (notably by reducing bandwidth consumption). Finally, it should be noted that fog computing is also intended to strengthen data security. By storing them securely locally, it limits possible intrusion attempts and prevents cyber attacks against the cloud or data centers.

Cisco voice engineer jobs

It is now accepted to say that we owe the concept of fog computing to an engineer at Cisco Systems, an American computer company specializing in servers. Since 2015, there has also been the OpenFog consortium (which brings together companies such as Cisco, Dell, Microsoft and even ARM) responsible for defining network protocols and technological standards useful for market standardization. The objective: to succeed in giving a definition of distributed architecture that can be able to adapt to the very strong development of the IoT. On the technical level, the fog computing infrastructure is made up of several layers, respecting the stacking logic that is already found in the cloud, into which its own elements are then integrated,