GigaOm Key Criteria for Evaluating Edge Orchestration Platformsv1.0

1. Executive Summary

Edge orchestration platforms represent a pivotal technology in the landscape of modern computing, orchestrating computing resources at the very brink of networks. This technology facilitates the streamlined deployment, coordination, and automation of tasks across a myriad of edge devices, significantly enhancing performance, reducing latency, and enabling real-time communication between software services and devices. It’s crucial for organizations that rely on distributed and decentralized computing environments to maintain efficiency and agility in their operations.

The importance of edge orchestration platforms to decentralized, distributed, and mobile networks cannot be overstated. In an era when data generation and consumption are increasingly occurring closer to the source of data, these platforms ensure that computing resources are utilized efficiently, making it possible to process and analyze data in near real time. This capability is vital for applications requiring immediate insights and responsive actions, such as autonomous vehicles, smart cities, industrial IoT, and healthcare monitoring systems.

This technology matters to a broad spectrum of stakeholders, including CTOs, CIOs, network architects, and IT managers across various sectors. These professionals seek to leverage edge computing to drive digital transformation, enhance customer experiences, and create competitive advantages.

Business Imperative
From the perspective of CxOs, edge orchestration platforms are not just a technological investment but a strategic business imperative. These platforms are key to enabling organizations to navigate the complexities of digital ecosystems, where latency, data sovereignty, and operational efficiency are critical concerns. By adopting edge orchestration, organizations can ensure their operations are resilient, agile, and capable of supporting innovative services and applications that meet evolving customer expectations.

Sector Adoption Score
To help executives and decision-makers assess the potential impact and value of an edge orchestration platform deployment to the business, this GigaOm Key Criteria report provides a structured assessment of the sector across five factors: benefit, maturity, urgency, impact, and effort. By scoring each factor based on how strongly it compels or deters adoption of an edge orchestration platform, we provide an overall Sector Adoption Score (Figure 1) of 3.4 out of 5, with 5 indicating the strongest possible recommendation to adopt. This indicates that an edge orchestration platform is a credible candidate for deployment and worthy of thoughtful consideration.

The factors contributing to the Sector Adoption Score for edge orchestration platforms are explained in more detail in the Sector Brief section that follows.

Figure 1. Sector Adoption Score for Edge Orchestration Platforms

As the digital landscape evolves, edge orchestration platforms are poised to enable organizations to harness the power of edge computing. They offer a pathway to transforming how data is processed and used, ensuring businesses can thrive in a distributed computing environment. For leaders looking to future-proof their operations and capitalize on the opportunities presented by digital transformation, investing in edge orchestration is a practical necessity.

This is the first year that GigaOm has reported on the edge orchestration platforms space in the context of our Key Criteria and Radar reports. This GigaOm Key Criteria report highlights the capabilities (table stakes, key features, and emerging features) and nonfunctional requirements (business criteria) for selecting an effective edge orchestration platform. The companion GigaOm Radar report identifies vendors and products that excel in those decision criteria. Together, these reports provide an overview of the market, identify leading edge orchestration platforms, and help decision-makers evaluate these solutions so they can make a more informed investment decision.