What is edge computing?
Edge computing consists of processing data as close as possible to the data source "at the edge of the network" in order to avoid the transmission of large amounts of data to data centres, to provide fluidity and speed of reaction, and to minimise bandwidth requirements.
Edge computing is widely used in telecom networks and industrial sensor networks. It is still very much in the minority in everyday technologies, particularly on the web.
How does edge computing apply to the web?
Applied to the processing of Internet users' behavioural data, edge computing means that storage and analysis are carried out only on the terminals (computers, mobile phones, tablets, etc.), rather than in the cloud or on the servers of websites.
How is this different from current methods?
Today, the analysis of behavioural data (i.e. the pages viwebsited on a website, the time spent on them, the number of visits, clicks, traffic sources, etc.) is 99% carried out in servers, on centralised data. The actions of Internet users are recorded thanks to cookies (identifiers), in huge databases that trace their path. Thanks to this information, websites or their suppliers try to improve the browsing experience.
This model is very well suited to CRM (Customer Relationship Management), marketing analysis, statistical monitoring of website performance, etc. But for all personalisation or optimisation projects that require responsiveness, it can be complex (need to manage and optimise huge databases), slow (hundreds of server requests each time a visitor connects to a website) and even costly compared to the benefits generated. This cost implies making choices, which limit the potential for optimisation: we cannot record 100% of the behaviour, at the risk of exploding the costs and processing times.
Taken to the extreme, this model is also costly for the planet, given the billions of data to be stored on servers that need to be cooled; and risky for the privacy of Internet users: their browsing data is extracted from servers that they do not control, and is (potentially) put at risk, despite the efforts made by companies to protect it (which generate yet more costs).
The emergence of edge computing for the web solves some of these problems. It is a unique opportunity to engage in an ethical and responsible dynamic for the web, but also more efficient!
Thanks to edge computing, which relies on browser databases, data is stored, enriched, analysed and called up locally and without cookies.
This makes their operation simpler (no server development required), faster (no server calls, real-time updating of each terminal), less costly (much less setup and maintenance of databases), and more respectful of privacy and the environment.
All the features developed by Adequa work on this fundamental principle: THE SHORT CIRCUIT OF DATA.
What concrete applications for websites?
Individualisation and maximum fluidity of paths, optimisation of acquisition campaigns and conversion rates, log-in stability, display of coupons, management of personal data... everything becomes easier to implement, and more effective.
In concrete terms, this allows you to do everything that website managers have always dreamed of doing in terms of improving the pathways or conversion on your website, based on the browsing data of Internet users... without spying on them!
Want to learn more or try Edge Computing on your website? Contact us for a demo.
