How small businesses win with edge devices

By Brian W. Kelly

More small businesses are using edge devices to expand the capabilities of their network platforms. From heightened threat detection to secure remote access to expanded performance to cost savings, edge devices help SMB leaders realize success.

Industry analysts have identified the small and midsized market as a key driver for future edge service uptake, enjoying a compound annual growth rate of 14% through 2031. More entrepreneurs know how edge devices allow networks to work faster, smoother and closer to the customer. Edge technology also offers more holistic protection from cyberattacks.

What specific goals should SMB leaders be eyeing when taking up edge technology? Four key areas are worth examining in detail.

Lower latency: Whether it’s a retail operation or a healthcare center, no business can afford connectivity slowdowns. With migration to cloud services happening across all major industries, the quest for low latency connectivity increasingly defines IT strategy.

Edge devices process data closer to where the network meets the internet, minimizing delays and reducing the distance data must travel. This in turn promotes faster decision making and saves money.

IoT expansion: For many types of small businesses, such as those in healthcare, manufacturing and retail, edge devices enable IoT technology by routing data to and from the hub. Sensors, cameras and other features can be connected to a business network to enhance productivity and extend client service.

Edge devices also centralize control of a business’s IoT needs while monitoring autonomous operations against dangerous breaches or breakdowns. As automation becomes more central to growth, fluid IoT services increasingly define how small businesses win out.

Remote workforce enablement: Small businesses need flexibility, whether channeling an increasingly mobile workforce, allowing employees to work from home or growing their service region. The ability to network seamlessly across a large geographic area helps businesses better compete in a crowded marketplace.

Using edge technology, small entrepreneurs can transform laptops into tools that deepen client interactions. Edge devices also help businesses scale up quickly in satellite locations as growth opportunities arise.

Stronger network security: Edge technology makes networks stronger and smarter from their hub all the way out to their most distant endpoints by intelligently monitoring traffic and detecting suspicious activity. As more enterprises rely on data centers, they reduce vulnerability by decentralizing how data is stored and exchanged.

Edge devices can engage a number of useful protections, including multifactor authentication (MFA) and zero-trust access (ZTA).

While more SMBs migrate to edge devices, cyberattackers have been busy identifying their vulnerabilities. Edge devices are much more effective when combined with managed services that aggressively monitor networks for any weaknesses and then collaborate with businesses to remedy them. We will examine this challenge closely in an upcoming post.

Your goals are our priority. Let’s talk.

Is your business seeking to boost network speed, unlock the full potential of AI or proactively guard against intrusion where the network meets the internet? Edge configurations can produce positive, holistic improvements around your unique business needs.

Consulting with a managed services partner will help identify the right edge strategy for your business. Spectrum Business consultants and engineers design and manage many types of edge services to meet unique network expectations.