Open Networking & Edge Summit 2020

IT/Ops have historically managed a limited set of data centers (e.g., their own, cloud providers’, etc.), and they have managed a large number of end-user devices (mobile phones, etc.). Edge computing combines these requirements into a uniquely new problem — managing the scale of many (dozens, hundreds, many thousands) of strange pseudo-data centers that need to be managed with low or no touch (usually with no staff and little access).

Given the large scale, traditional data center management processes won’t apply; especially given that these edge sites may have limited technical staff or skills. This means that the simplicity of operations and automation will be critical.

To add to this, the rise of containers means that edge management involves managing not only virtual machines; but also containers.

In this talk, we present the operational challenges of traditional data-center management architectures and propose a new approach for edge compute management: SaaS management.