Electricity + Control March 2019

INDUSTRY 4.0 + INDUSTRIAL INTERNET OF THINGS (IIOT)

Dave Laurello CEO of Stratus Technologies.

Capitalising on the edge opportunity In order for any organisation to reap the maximum benefits that edge computing can deliver, a new technology approach and computing infrastructure are needed. New innovations, such as the Stratus ztC Edge, provide built-in virtualisation, automated protection, and managed services – all to provide versatile computing platforms for running busi- ness critical applications. Edge is still in early stage adoption, but one thing is clear: Edge devices are subject to large- scale investments from cloud suppliers to offload bandwidth and latency issues caused by an explo- sion of Internet of Things (IoT) data in both indus- trial and commercial applications. Edge soon will likely increase in adoption where users have ques- tions about how or if the cloud applies for the spe- cific use case. Cloud-level interfaces and apps will migrate to the edge. Industrial application hosting and analytics will become common at the edge, using virtual servers and simplified operational technology-friendly hardware and software. Benefits in network simplification, security and bandwidth accompany the IT simplification. Estab- lishing an operational architecture with the strate- gic flexibility to use distributed computing and vir- tualised servers creates a production environment to optimise people, process and technology in a scalable manner, without the need to lock into a specific vendor or solution construct. However, as many operations will rely on leg- acy systems to fit into an overall architecture, vir- tualised hosts, data management and open API tools will be needed for a future-proof production environment. Reference [1]Tech Insider, BI Intelligence, “Edge Computing in the IoT: Forecasts, Key Benefits, and Top Indus- tries Adopting an Analytics Model that Improves Processing and Cut Costs,” October 2016.

Depending on organisational viewpoint, edge infrastructure can be complementary to or inclu- sive of level 1 or 2 control and information layers of the production process. An organisation can de- fine industrial edge as an extension of cloud activ- ities or as an extension of control activities based on requirements of speed, data structure, volume and velocity. Organisational agreement on location, such as an unmanned pumping station, capabilities, use cases and desired outcomes is critical before conducting any pilots or scalable implementations. Improved security and compliance IT teams are sensitive to the risks involved when- ever data is transferred between devices and the cloud. Edge computing alleviates the risk in some environments by making much of that data trans- fer avoidable. With edge computing it is possible to filter sensitive information locally and only transfer data important to model-building information to the cloud.This means enterprises can build an adequate security and compliance framework that meets their needs and ensures compliance with audits. Closing modernisation gaps IoT and edge computing are driving the next wave of data centre modernisation and improvement. Virtualisation represents an affordable means of updating and innovating IT environments and ad- dressing immediate needs with cutting-edge tech- nology without breaking the bank. What’s more, edge computing enables enterprises to capitalise on modern devices without sacrificing existing legacy systems. This is because edge computing devices can be used as a communication bridge between legacy systems and modern machines. This allows legacy industrial environments to con- nect to modern devices or IoT solutions and pro- vide immediate benefits of capturing and integrat- ing real-time data from both legacy systems and modern devices for better decisions.

Edge computing enables enterprises to capitalise on modern devices without sacrificing existing legacy systems.

Stratus Technologies, based in Maynard, Massachusetts, is an Encompass TM Product Partner in the Rockwell Automation Partner- Network TM programme. The company provides high availability and fault tolerant solutions to keep applications up and running.

Electricity + Control

MARCH 2019

27