The worldwide shift towards digitization has placed immense pressure on connectivity. Over 20 billion  Internet of Things ( IoT ) connected devices have already been installed, and the number is estimated to grow to 75.44 billion by 2025. IoT devices benefit all industry sectors, promoting higher levels of convenience, productivity, and communication. However, the massive amount of data IoT devices generate could cripple IT infrastructure.
As connected technologies such as road sensors and navigation systems communicate with each other, they generate data that needs to be quickly processed and executed. Usually, the data needs to pass through a mediator before it can reach its destination. Cloud databases act rather like a post office for technologies—accepting, sorting, and sending messages. When the Cloud database  is based in a remote location, it can take a while before the data even reaches the cloud for sorting.
Just like people benefited from the development of faster and improved modes of communication, so do technologies. If up until now the focus was on improving communication between people, now the focus is on improving communication between technologies. That’s what Edge computing aims to do.
What Is Intelligent Edge
Edge computing is a new paradigm that brings decentralized computing power as close as possible to the origin point of the data. In edge computing, the networking architecture is built in a way that helps close the distance between connected devices and the cloud.
Intelligent cloud refers to cloud and network resources powered by Artificial Intelligence  (AI) technology. The purpose of the intelligent cloud is to create a ubiquitous computing environment located closely to the intelligent edge devices.
Intelligent edge refers to edge devices that collect, communicate, generate, and analyze data in near real-time. For example, sensors, UAVs, autonomous cars, GPS receivers, navigation systems, streamers, etc.
For the term intelligent edge to apply, the following components need to exist in the device:
Connectivity—intelligent edge devices need to be able to connect to networks that enable data exchange and generation such as the Internet or an internal decentralized network.
Computing—intelligent edge devices need to be equipped with internal computing resources such as processing chips. Computing enables the system to process and analyze data in a real-time database .
Controllability—intelligent edge devices are capable of using the database to implement intelligent decisions such as controlling the device, making changes as needed, and instigating actions across the network.
Autonomy—intelligent edge devices and nodes have autonomous computing processes capabilities enabled by edge databases  and don’t require assistance for monitoring, managing, and transferring data.
Key Benefits of Intelligent Edge
Edge computing provides micro-interaction between connected technologies. In that sense, edge computing offers an advancement of machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, rather like a jump from snail mail to telephones.
Here’s how the intelligent edge, enabled by a DBMS, can help advance technology:
Reduce dependency on network performance—edge computing provides an alternative to the long-distance transfer of data between connected devices and remote cloud servers.
