Today's Cloud Isn't Right for Everything
With 4K/Ultra-HD video poised for growth and the use of IoT devices on the rise, service providers are realizing that the current method of hosting services in the cloud may not be the most economical or efficient way to facilitate service delivery. For example, streaming 4K content over existing data links will present issues with caching that have OTT providers investigating how to bring caching closer to the edge of the network. In the coming year, we'll start to see early innovation around the development of the "cloudlet" – a mobility enhanced, small-scale data center that lives on the edge of the network. This will give rise to a "gas station" model of moving compute and store functionality closer to the end user. This cloudlet could live in a literal gas station, a central office (much like a cable head-end), the base of a mobile cell tower, or in the home or office.