While attending the DCD Enterprise conference in NYC in May, I was amazed at the number of presentations and vendor booths highlighting edge computing, 5G, and digital transformation (although I am still wondering, was it all analog before 2018?). Of course, let me not overlook artificial intelligence, machine learning, DCIM, block chain, cloud, and hybrid cloud. So in light of the above, I thought I would take a metaphorical peek over the edge.
In the telecommunication world, communications equipment has always been designed and expected to operate over a much wider range of environmental conditions than standard IT equipment intended for a typical data center. From the Arizona deserts to the Alaskan tundra, the “Telecom Shack” is expected to operate reliably in hostile conditions with minimal support.