The data center industry is no stranger to esoteric arguments. I think we can all remember the days of pitched debate over things like “What is retail versus wholesale colocation?” and “What is modular, really?”
For the past five years or so, the latest topic constituting our penchant for navel-gazing is trying to determine a standard definition of the the edge. While the pitched battles played out across the pages, a host of trade journals have given all of us the opportunity to gather PR points. Exercises in determining the data center equivalent of “How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?” have left customers in a state of confusion and has probably hindered sales more than helped. Let’s face it folks, what the market is really looking for is the ability to add small increments of capacity wherever it’s required. There, was that so hard?