What is an Edge Network?
An edge network is decentralised, placing data infrastructure nearer to users and devices, enabling faster data processing and reduced latency.
This concept is part of edge computing, a distributed framework that minimises latency and improves network speed, bandwidth, and reliability. By processing data closer to its source, businesses can achieve faster analysis, deeper insights, quicker responses, and better user experiences. These benefits are essential components to a number of use cases where security, performance or reliability are paramount.
The demand for Edge solutions
Data from mobile devices, such as IoT sensors and enterprise assets, often takes a long and convoluted path to get to its destination. This affects speed, reliability, and security – and brings increasing regulatory challenges in terms of data sovereignty and local regulations. As a result, edge networks are in high demand providing a powerful solution to these critical challenges.
An overview of Stacuity Edge-as-a-Service
Stacuity Edge is a globally distributed network of packet gateways (P-GWs) provided as a service, enabling local breakout for latency and regulatory requirements. Our unique solution provides control and intelligent routing of user-plane data, enabling providers to ensure data remains within specified geographies for localised breakout.
Simple integration into existing third-party core
- Eliminates the need for costly investment in dedicated P-GWs that requires complex integration with OCS, AAA.
Monthly Opex consumption-based fee
- SLA backed managed service model removes any resource overhead requirements for service providers.
Stacuity’s managed Edge solution is however more than just a regional data breakout solution, it provides innovative data management, security and self-serve capabilities helping operators and connectivity providers to differentiate services and better support customers.
3 Use Cases Benefiting from Stacuity’s Edge Network
Edge Networks and Autonomous Vehicles
50% of new cars sold today are connected, and McKinsey predicts 90% will be by 2030. Connected cars generate and consume large amounts of data. Sending all this data to a distant cloud for processing introduces significant limitations that edge computing addresses directly.
The key benefit edge brings is the ability for real-time decision making, critical for autonomous and semi-autonomous features that require instantaneous analysis of sensor data and immediate reactions. Even a few milliseconds of delay (latency) can mean the difference between avoiding an accident and a catastrophic collision.
The Benefits Stacuity Edge brings to Autonomous Vehicles
| Benefit | Description |
|---|---|
| Lower Latency | Achieved through our globally distributed edge network, enabling instantaneous processing of sensor data. This ultimately improves safety, navigation and performance. |
| Data Sovereignty | Ensures sensitive operational data adheres to local laws. For autonomous vehicles operating internationally or across regions with varying data regulations, keeping data within selected geographies is crucial for compliance and data sovereignty. |
| Increased Security (Secure traffic routing) | VSlice, in conjunction with Stacuity’s routing policies, allows for fine-grained control over how specific types of traffic are routed and secured. Different data streams (e.g., critical control signals vs. infotainment updates) can be isolated into separate private networks and have different security policies applied. For example mirroring and extending an enterprise’s existing security policies to individual vehicles or groups of vehicles at the edge. |
| Sustainability and Efficiency | Stacuity’s unique secure remote access and real-time packet capture capabilities remove the need for ‘truck rolls’. Troubleshooting, maintenance and upgrades can all be conducted remotely, significantly reducing operational costs and improving the efficiency of fleet management. |
| Improved Performance/Reliability | Provides resilient connectivity with the option of multi IMSI and multi-network coverage. This includes the ability to select your preferred operator and network based on coverage or cost, via our platform operator policies. |
| Network Monitoring and Rapid Fault Resolution | Real-time, self-serve packet capture enables rapid diagnosis of network or communication issues without requiring physical access. This minimises downtime and ensures reliable data flow essential for autonomous operations. |
3 Use Cases Benefiting from Stacuity’s Edge Network
Edge Networks and Autonomous Vehicles
50% of new cars sold today are connected, and McKinsey predicts 90% will be by 2030. Connected cars generate and consume large amounts of data. Sending all this data to a distant cloud for processing introduces significant limitations that edge computing addresses directly.
The key benefit edge brings is the ability for real-time decision making, critical for autonomous and semi-autonomous features that require instantaneous analysis of sensor data and immediate reactions. Even a few milliseconds of delay (latency) can mean the difference between avoiding an accident and a catastrophic collision.
The Benefits Stacuity Edge brings to Autonomous Vehicles
Achieved through our globally distributed edge network, enabling instantaneous processing of sensor data. This ultimately improves safety, navigation and performance.
Ensures sensitive operational data adheres to local laws. For autonomous vehicles operating internationally or across regions with varying data regulations, keeping data within selected geographies is crucial for compliance and data sovereignty.
VSlice, in conjunction with Stacuity’s routing policies, allows for fine-grained control over how specific types of traffic are routed and secured. Different data streams (e.g., critical control signals vs. infotainment updates) can be isolated into separate private networks and have different security policies applied. For example mirroring and extending an enterprise’s existing security policies to individual vehicles or groups of vehicles at the edge.
Stacuity’s unique secure remote access and real-time packet capture capabilities remove the need for ‘truck rolls’. Troubleshooting, maintenance and upgrades can all be conducted remotely, significantly reducing operational costs and improving the efficiency of fleet management.
Provides resilient connectivity with the option of multi IMSI and multi-network coverage. This includes the ability to select your preferred operator and network based on coverage or cost, via our platform operator policies.
Real-time, self-serve packet capture enables rapid diagnosis of network or communication issues without requiring physical access. This minimises downtime and ensures reliable data flow essential for autonomous operations.
Edge Networks and Smart Meters
Edge networks significantly enhance smart meters, shifting them from IoT data collectors to intelligent components of the smart grid. They can now process and analyse consumption data right at the source, rather than always relying on a central cloud. This minimises latency, which is vital for real-time applications like demand response, grid monitoring, and timely alerts based on meter readings. Quicker data transfer means faster reaction times.
The Benefits Stacuity Edge brings to Smart Meters
| Benefit | Description |
|---|---|
| Lower Latency | Real-time grid monitoring and control, allowing utilities to instantly manage demand, detect faults, and optimise power flow for enhanced stability. Low latency also supports dynamic pricing and efficient energy management. |
| Data Sovereignty | Data can remain within selected geographies, helping energy firms comply with data sovereignty and regulatory requirements in different regions. |
| Increased Security | By routing smart meter data directly to the utility’s backend systems via private networks (using our VSlice functionality), Stacuity creates a secure and reliable communication channel that bypasses the public Internet, a security weak spot. |
| Secure Remote Access | Instead of costly and time-consuming physical site visits, utility engineers can remotely access and monitor the entire network of meters from a central location. This significantly streamlines maintenance, diagnostics, and troubleshooting. |
| Network Event Notifications | Gain granular network visibility of 50+ network event alerts. By monitoring key network events in real-time, utilities can identify potential problems before they escalate into service-affecting outages. |
| Secure Data Storage | Stacuity’s secure edge key-value store allows smart meters to locally store sensitive data without transmitting it over the internet immediately. In addition if there’s a temporary network disruption, critical data can be securely stored locally until connectivity is restored. |
Edge Networks and Smart Meters
Edge networks significantly enhance smart meters, shifting them from IoT data collectors to intelligent components of the smart grid. They can now process and analyse consumption data right at the source, rather than always relying on a central cloud. This minimises latency, which is vital for real-time applications like demand response, grid monitoring, and timely alerts based on meter readings. Quicker data transfer means faster reaction times.
The Benefits Stacuity Edge brings to Smart Meters
Real-time grid monitoring and control, allowing utilities to instantly manage demand, detect faults, and optimise power flow for enhanced stability. Low latency also supports dynamic pricing and efficient energy management.
Data can remain within selected geographies, helping energy firms comply with data sovereignty and regulatory requirements in different regions.
By routing smart meter data directly to the utility’s backend systems via private networks (using our VSlice functionality), Stacuity creates a secure and reliable communication channel that bypasses the public Internet, a security weak spot.
Instead of costly and time-consuming physical site visits, utility engineers can remotely access and monitor the entire network of meters from a central location. This significantly streamlines maintenance, diagnostics, and troubleshooting.
Gain granular network visibility of 50+ network event alerts. By monitoring key network events in real-time, utilities can identify potential problems before they escalate into service-affecting outages.
Stacuity’s secure edge key-value store allows smart meters to locally store sensitive data without transmitting it over the internet immediately. In addition if there’s a temporary network disruption, critical data can be securely stored locally until connectivity is restored.
Edge Networks and Smart Cities
Smart cities are rapidly deploying billions of interconnected devices, from smart streetlights to traffic sensors, all generating immense volumes of data. Routing all this data to a distant cloud creates significant limitations, including high latency, network congestion, and privacy concerns.
Edge networks directly address these issues by enabling real-time decision-making and localised intelligence. This is crucial for applications like optimising traffic flow, responding to public safety incidents, or dynamically managing energy grids, where even milliseconds of delay can impact efficiency and safety.
The Benefits Stacuity Edge brings to Smart Cities
| Benefit | Description |
|---|---|
| Lower Latency | Enabling real-time decision-making essential for dynamic traffic management, instant emergency response, and proactive public safety. |
| Data Sovereignty | Ensures that sensitive data collected by smart city infrastructure adheres to local data sovereignty laws and regulations, enabling deployment across various jurisdictions. |
| Increased Security | VSlice allows customers to segregate different IoT device types into isolated, logical networks. For example, temperature data can be exposed to third parties, while sensitive energy consumption data is routed via a VPN to a Building Management System. |
| Key Store Value for Secure Data Storage | This feature decouples backend systems from field devices, enabling asynchronous data processing. For instance, waste bin sensors can store fill levels locally, with the edge system only sending a collection request to the backend once the bin is full, rather than frequent minor updates. |
| Network Event Notification | Stacuity’s event alerting features enables management teams to select from 50+ event types. For example, sensors deployed to control waste management can alert when defined thresholds are reached within real time and the data is sent securely to the central BMS to request intervention. |
| Secure Remote Access | Facilitates remote maintenance, configuration, and troubleshooting of smart streetlights, traffic cameras, environmental sensors, and other deployed city infrastructure, significantly reducing operational costs and response times. |
Edge Networks and Smart Cities
Smart cities are rapidly deploying billions of interconnected devices, from smart streetlights to traffic sensors, all generating immense volumes of data. Routing all this data to a distant cloud creates significant limitations, including high latency, network congestion, and privacy concerns.
Edge networks directly address these issues by enabling real-time decision-making and localised intelligence. This is crucial for applications like optimising traffic flow, responding to public safety incidents, or dynamically managing energy grids, where even milliseconds of delay can impact efficiency and safety.
The Benefits Stacuity Edge brings to Smart Cities
Enabling real-time decision-making essential for dynamic traffic management, instant emergency response, and proactive public safety.
Ensures that sensitive data collected by smart city infrastructure adheres to local data sovereignty laws and regulations, enabling deployment across various jurisdictions.
VSlice allows customers to segregate different IoT device types into isolated, logical networks. For example, temperature data can be exposed to third parties, while sensitive energy consumption data is routed via a VPN to a Building Management System.
This feature decouples backend systems from field devices, enabling asynchronous data processing. For instance, waste bin sensors can store fill levels locally, with the edge system only sending a collection request to the backend once the bin is full, rather than frequent minor updates.
Stacuity’s event alerting features enables management teams to select from 50+ event types. For example, sensors deployed to control waste management can alert when defined thresholds are reached within real time and the data is sent securely to the central BMS to request intervention.
Facilitates remote maintenance, configuration, and troubleshooting of smart streetlights, traffic cameras, environmental sensors, and other deployed city infrastructure, significantly reducing operational costs and response times.
Edge networks are revolutionising the connected world. Stacuity’s Edge-as-a-Service provides the critical low latency, enhanced security, resilience and control these data-intensive applications demand.
By processing data closer to the edge and accessing advanced network features for unparalleled control, Stacuity Edge offers operators and connectivity providers a powerful solution for transformative innovation.
Edge networks are revolutionising the connected world. Stacuity’s Edge-as-a-Service provides the critical low latency, enhanced security, resilience and control these data-intensive applications demand. By processing data closer to the edge and accessing advanced network features for unparalleled control, Stacuity Edge offers operators and connectivity providers a powerful solution for transformative innovation.
Learn more
Contact our sales team, sales@stacuity.com to learn more about Stacuity Edge.
