India, July 25 -- When Alex Honnold placed his first lithe foot on Taipei 101-without any harness or safety net-many onlookers watching from the street, and from couches far away, must have gasped and asked why. Those looking through boardroom windows may have said another why somewhere. Why climb along the edges of a 1,600-foot skyscraper? Would the centre not be easier to scale? Is there something about the ledges and corners that offers a better foothold or a longer-lasting strategy?

Some of the telcos, data centre operators and cloud movers-and-shakers may know the answer. Something must explain the shift unfolding across the industry towards the edge, especially as companies search for the next path forward while climbing the rough...