Zero-touch, secure and highly automated edge computing platform

When considering industrial edge computing, look for a zero-touch, secure and automated platform, designed and built for edge environments. Seek self-protecting and self-monitoring features and built-in application virtualization with fault tolerance, according to a company with a Control Engineering Engineers’ Choice Award product.

By DoShik Wood February 20, 2022
Courtesy: Stratus

 

Learning Objectives

  • Understand value of edge computing with multi-site deployment, standards and cybersecurity.
  • See how edge computing platforms can enable Industry 4.0 opportunities.
  • Learn how edge computing enables digital transformation, cloud connections and additional capabilities.

For industrial edge applications, consider a zero-touch, secure and automated edge computing platform, purpose-built for edge environments. Operations teams across manufacturing, oil and gas, machine builders, life sciences, smart infrastructure and retail and other industries can deploy computing power close to critical equipment, eliminate application downtime and transform how they acquire and manage data at the edge.

Features such as self-protecting and self-monitoring capabilities can reduce unplanned downtime and ensure continuous availability of business-critical applications. Seek built-in application virtualization and fault tolerance in an easy-to-install, ruggedized design for the industrial edge. This makes an edge platform ideal for running critical applications and building smart machines for industries where data loss and downtime are unacceptable.

Edge computing with multi-site deployment, standards, cybersecurity

A design with an easy, plug-and-play installation enables rapid and multi-site deployment by operational technology (OT) or information technology (IT) teams to scale edge automation. A remote-management design around ISA/IEC 62443 standards keeps cybersecurity in mind. An edge platform is ideal for OT and IT convergence and automation in under-resourced locations. Edge computing should have a design to withstand OT environments and meet standard IT performance and safety requirements. Easy installation means the edge platform can be installed at one location or multiple locations without specialized IT skills.

An open edge platform can run any software. For industrial use cases, an edge platform offers up to 5,000 input/output (I/O) points and 10,000 tags. Using virtualization, an edge platform can support up to three virtual machines (VMs) to concurrently run multiple software applications backed by high availability or fault tolerance.

Edge platforms can enable Industry 4.0 opportunities

Across industries, business, operations and IT leaders want to harness Industry 4.0 opportunities to gain new insight, achieve operational excellence and operate more efficiently and safely. By increasing computing power at the edge, organizations establish the foundation needed to establish autonomous systems, enabling them to increase efficiency and productivity while giving personnel the ability to focus on higher-value activities within the operation. Edge computing also solves the inherent challenges of bandwidth, latency and security at edge locations to enable industrial IoT devices and data acquisition.

With an edge computing platform, users can manage complex processes and gather data from remote, often hazardous locations that were once unavailable due to the need to staff these sites with human workers. With remote capabilities, operations can expand beyond the plant or factory floor, which allows organizations to gather broader, deeper analytics to enable more accurate insights in a world where digital transformation is critical to survival. By automating many day-to-day tasks, staff can focus on optimization and efficiency, driving an improved customer and employee experience.

Stratus’ ztC Edge is a zero-touch, secure and highly automated- Edge computing platform, purpose built for edge environments. Recently released 2nd generation ztC Edge platform delivers twice the performance of the prior generation. Self-protecting and self-monitoring features drastically reduce unplanned downtime and ensure continuous availability of business-critical applications. The platform is the industry’s only solution offering built-in application virtualization and fault tolerance in an easy-to-install, ruggedized design for the industrial edge, Stratus said. Courtesy: Stratus

Stratus’ ztC Edge is a zero-touch, secure and highly automated- Edge computing platform, purpose built for edge environments. Recently released 2nd generation ztC Edge platform delivers twice the performance of the prior generation. Self-protecting and self-monitoring features drastically reduce unplanned downtime and ensure continuous availability of business-critical applications. The platform is the industry’s only solution offering built-in application virtualization and fault tolerance in an easy-to-install, ruggedized design for the industrial edge, Stratus said. Courtesy: Stratus

Digital transformation, edge computing, cloud connections, capabilities

As organizations continue to digitally transform, edge computing will be a critical component of the journey. While many organizations have adopted cloud-computing solutions, to realize the full transformation value, the infrastructure investment should combine cloud and edge. Edge computing works hand in hand with the cloud to provide a flexible solution based on data collection and analysis. Together, they provide real-time and longer-term insights into performance and power initiatives such as machine learning (ML) and asset performance management.

DoShik Wood is director, global product marketing and communications, Stratus. Edited by Mark T. Hoske, content manager, Control Engineering, CFE Media and Technology, mhoske@cfemedia.com.

KEYWORDS: Edge computing advice, Engineers’ Choice Awards

CONSIDER THIS

How are you using edge computing to improve operations?


Author Bio: DoShik Wood is director, global product marketing and communications, Stratus.