Edge computing platform gets containers and VMs

StackPath announced the launch of StackPath Edge Computing Containers and Virtual Machines (VMs). StackPath customers can now deploy and manage their own workloads in any StackPath edge node worldwide. This lets them put applications and services closer to their end users than ever by leveraging more geographically-diverse points of presence (PoPs) than centralized public clouds. The higher proximity makes StackPath Edge Computing ideal for workloads that require near-immediate response times, ranging from security technology to media delivery, IoT, ad tech, and finance. 
 
“The Internet has grown bigger and bigger but, from an end user or client perspective, it hasn’t grown closer and closer,” said Lance Crosby, StackPath co-founder and CEO. “The most secure and innovative applications today need to get data back and forth—and processed in between—faster. You don’t want security requests or urgent data hopping around the world. That’s what StackPath Edge Computing is all about. Process it faster, safer. Right at the edge.” 
 
StackPath Edge Computing lets customers simply upload an image of their workload to the StackPath platform, choose a size of containers or VMs, and then select in which advanced StackPath edge nodes the workload should be deployed. The workload is then deployed worldwide in as fast as 60 seconds. 
 
“As we collaborated with our customers during development, it’s been amazing to hear their ideas for using edge containers and VMs,” said Ben Gabler, StackPath Chief Product Officer. “Some will deploy at the edge virtual appliances that they can then sell to their own customer base. Others are creating new, even more dynamic ways to personalize the content that they deliver to their end users. A financial institution is even exploring how it can enhance their high-frequency practices. The use cases are endless.”  

StackPath Edge Computing features include: 

• Anycast IP: distribute traffic to the container or VM in the closest edge node to optimize cost and performance 
• Hardware offload: offload select processing tasks such as network datapath processing from CPU to server SmartNICs 
• Built-in CPU and RAM Monitoring: view and report up to 24 hours of performance data through API or customizable web UI 
• Security groups: set specific controls of network traffic before it reaches edge computing workloads 
• Seamless integration with StackPath edge services: leverage low latency access to other StackPath secure edge services including CDN, DNS, WAF, monitoring, and more  

Additionally, StackPath Edge Computing leverages all the advantages of the company’s high-performance global network, including: 

• 45 full-stack edge locations 
• 65+Tbps total network capacity 
• Platform-wide layer 3-5 DDoS protection 
• Private network backbone between all edge locations 
• 26+ tier 1 transit providers 
• 2,700+ peering partners 
• 55,000+ visible ASNs 

 “The edge is not a replacement of cloud. It’s the evolution. With 5G on the rise and IoT growing massively, leveraging the power of the edge is crucial for practically any internet-centric business,” said Mr. Crosby. “You don’t need to move all of your operations to the edge, but part of almost any application can be run at the edge to reduce overall traffic costs, increase visibility and control, and improve end-user experiences.”