The innovative applications and business-redefining technology use cases cropping up across the world are highly diverse — but they all are, at their core, in pursuit of one thing: consistent, reliable and highly gratifying user experiences. 

Whether it’s IoT capabilities delivering new insights for factory floors in manufacturing, AI-driven enhancements for patient data and treatments in healthcare, or Virtual Reality entertainment in the home, the new digital world is being architected to deliver ease, proficiency — even delight. These optimized user experiences, however, can only be built on the back of robust infrastructure foundations. 

When the landscape of technology has become so user-centric, IT infrastructure must follow that lead. The edge is where low latency resides, and this is what IoT, 5G, AI and all the rest require to deliver next-gen experiences. This is why edge data centers have continued to see rising demand. Still, when we talk about enabling applications and technologies that thrive at the edge of the network, we’re not just talking about the data center. Instead, we’re talking about dynamic flows of data that are guided by a fabric of networks and data centers — all of which must be built and grown with connectivity top of mind. 

This may still beg the question: What makes a good IT ecosystem? What should this edge connectivity fabric look like? Colocation within edge data centers is the necessary first step, but here’s the secret: Peering is quickly becoming the enterprise’s most valuable asset. 

To learn more about cultivating a connectivity strategy that suits the future of business and technology, check out this article ‘What it Takes to Build an Interconnected Edge and Beyond,’ featured in The Fast Mode, written by our President Todd Cushing.