10 Hot Edge Computing Companies You Should Watch In 2022

From the startups that saw untapped market opportunity to the networking and telecom incumbents that have years of IT experience, here are 10 of the hottest edge computing companies and what they’ll be doing of 2022.

Living On The Edge

The distributed nature of edge computing has been just what the world needed over the last two years as trends like remote work, Internet of Things (IoT), and AR/VR took off. That’s because edge deployments are virtually everywhere, and businesses need the right technology in place to accommodate brand new use cases. In fact, research firm IDC predicts that spending on edge computing is expected to amount to $176 billion in 2022, an increase of 14.8 percent compared to 2021. Enterprise and service provider spending on hardware, software, and services for edge solutions is expected to sustain this pace of growth through 2025 when spending will reach nearly $274 billion.

Companies like longtime networking and telecom providers are coming to the market armed with wireless and connectivity solutions aimed at powering applications at the edge of the network. But there’s also plenty of room for newcomers. Many startups are also throwing their hats in the ring with solutions geared toward extending compute, storage, and data analytics to new places, helping end users make sense of data coming in from new points on the network, or automating networking services.

From upstarts that just hit the market this year to the networking and telecom incumbents that have years of IT experience, here are 10 of the hottest edge computing companies that solution providers should keep their eyes on this year.

Aarna Networks

Aarna Networks is a startup specializing in 5G and edge computing application automation software and is bringing its open source, vendor-agnostic solution to business users.

The market newcomer, based in India and San Jose, California, is offering its Multi Cluster Orchestration Platform (AMCOP) for orchestration, lifecycle management, and real-time policy driven control loop automation of 5G network services and edge computing applications, including enterprise network-as-a-service solutions. The company is channel-first and goes to market through VARs to connect to enterprise customers. Aarna at the start of 2022 announced plans to expand its engineering team in India by hiring technology professionals in cutting edge technologies.

Alef

Edge connectivity provider Alef is working to simplify the complexity of edge computing by helping enterprises and developers launch their own private networks and develop innovative mobile applications through its flagship Private Edge Platform. The company goes to market through a growing roster of channel partners and launched its Velocity channel program at the end of 2021.

Founded in 2013, New York-based Alef has raised a total of $25M in funding over 7 rounds, with the latest funding raised in 2020 from a Series B round. The company partners with the likes of CommScope, Dell, Equinix, and Intel.

Aruba Networks

Aruba Networks, an HPE company that is very well known for its wireless networking chops, has been prioritizing edge networking in recent years and has been busy in recent years helping businesses handle the influx of data at the edge.

Aruba, headquartered in Santa Clara, California, in December introduced EdgeConnect Microbranch, an offering that pushes SD-WAN and security services out to home workers, microbranch offices, and ad-hoc locations through one access point, no gateway, agent, or additional hardware needed. The company in 2020 introduced the AI-powered Aruba Edge Services Platform (ESP) that analyzing data across domains and identify any issues or abnormalities and self-optimize, all before users notice any impact.

Cato Networks

Standalone cloud networking provider Cato Networks offers software-defined WAN (SD-WAN) and security at the edge. Unlike many of its competitors which have been scooped up by networking and security incumbents, Cato remains a one of the largest, independent SASE provider.

Cato’s Edge SD-WAN device, Cato Socket, comes in two zero-touch models that can be up and running in minutes, while its Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) converges the function of network and security point solutions into a unified cloud-native service. The Israel-based provider in October raised $200 million in funding that brings the company’s total financing to $532 million. Cato Networks is currently valued at $2.5 billion, according to the company.

Seven-year-old Cato Networks does all of its business through channel partners.

Celona

Celona is an enterprise 5G market newcomer that wants to make LTE and 5G a reliable, and viable wireless option for enterprise connectivity for the first time. The Cupertino, Calif.-based startup emerged from stealth mode in 2020 with a platform that allows enterprises to create 5G/4G LTE private networks to power new applications. According to the company, this fills a major gap in the connectivity market.

Celona, which was founded by cloud software, Wi-Fi and cellular markets experts, is now doing 100 percent of its business through solution provider partners, the company told CRN last year.

Hivecell

Self-proclaimed edge-as-a-service company Hivecell comes to the market with a complete edge solution that puts compute power out that used to reside in the data center and places it at the edge. According to the company, its solution is small and energy-efficient compared to comparable solutions on the market, which lets ccompanies manage thousands of remote locations without a big IT team.

Hivecell in August announced a partnership with edge infrastructure company Sunlight to enable enterprise organizations to bring any cloud-native and legacy applications to the edge with an “as-a-service” solution. Hivecell, based in Beacon, N.Y., has raised a total of $9 million in the seed round and the company is funded by ICU Ventures, according to TechCrunch.

Infiot

Infiot, an edge networking startup, emerged from stealth mode in 2020 and was founded by networking and SD-WAN industry veterans, including the company’s current CEO Parag Thakore who was also part of the founding team for SD-WAN specialist VeloCloud, which was bought by Vmware in 2017.

The Menlo Park, Calif.-based startup came to market with a new approach to edge networking and connectivity and has spent the last two years building out its channel program, it’s primary route to market. In October, Infiot launched ZETO, a software client that integrates zero trust security and SD-WAN optimization. Customers now have a choice of a software client or a thin, wireless edge device, to give increasingly remote workforces secure, reliable access to enterprise and cloud resources, the company said.

MobiledgeX

MobiledgeX is working with global mobile operators to deliver full control over multi-cloud edge deployments. The company comes to the market with its software platform, MobiledgeX Edge-Cloud 3.0, which connects carriers, developers and cloud providers to edge resources, build their own edge infrastructures, and generate new revenue in the process.

The San Jose, Calif.-based startup, which was founded in 2017 when Deutsche Telekom staffed an internal study of the value of the edge to operators and developers. The study resulted in the creation and initial funding of MobiledgeX as an independent company. In addition to Deutsche Telekom, the company is partnering with the likes of T-Mobile, British Telecom, and Telefonica.

Sierra Wireless

Sierra Wireless is a multinational wireless communications equipment designer and manufacturer that not only serves SMBs with its routers and gateways, but it’s also offering next-generation and mobile computing services, including its edge to cloud offering.

Sierra’s edge to cloud offering, Octave, lets users extract, orchestrate, and act on data from their industrial assets. The Richmond, British Columbia-based company’s shift to IoT software and managed services is thanks to its purchase of M2M Group, a series of companies focused on IoT connectivity. The company in 2021 announced a new certification for its 5G embedded modules and routers to operate on T-Mobile’s 5G network in the United States.

Zayo Group/QOS Networks

Zayo Group Holdings has been a longtime communications infrastructure provider specializing in fiber and networking, but the company realized it needed to add on-net and near-net connectivity services. As such, the company in January bought SD-WAN-focused MSP QOS Networks in a move that will position the company as a provider of secure edge networking services and bring the edge to core, the two companies said.

The acquisition will couple Zayo’s fiber network, as well as its optical and packet capabilities, with QOS’ managed SD-WAN, security, edge analytics and network automation, all of which can be layered on top of Zayo’s extensive infrastructure, the companies said. Via the terms of the deal, the QOS brand will be retained and operate as a division of Zayo.