Edge Computing for Better Industrial Performance

By Embedded Advisor | Thursday, November 29, 2018

Edge computing provides right device data in near real-time. The data drives the organization to make better decisions and maybe even control industrial processes. The edge device, edge servers, its embedded software, and the cloud infrastructure, must work continually to provide said data.

The Industrial Network Edge

Edge computing is extending to industrial devices, controllers, machines, and sensors. Due to increased digitization of industrial systems, analysis, decision-making, and control are rapidly being physically allocated among edge devices, edge servers, the cloud, the network, and connected systems. Edge computing supports IT/OT convergence by bridging both the areas of the architecture. Edge devices evolve beyond their conventional role of serving field data to upper-level networks and be a part of industrial internet architecture. Nowadays, IT organizations own more of this architecture and standards associated with the industrial internet consisting both networks and clouds.

In edge computing, data is processed near the source, controllers, in sensors, machines, and gateways. The edge systems decide the placement and the amount of data being sent. Edge computing is laying the groundwork for the future of smart connected devices and digital enterprises.

Utilizing edge computing will provide asset monitoring, real-time business decision support, data analytics, process control, and process alarming to the end users. The computational capabilities from both edge and cloud computing are shifting into the gateways and edge devices for Industrial Internet of Things networks. If the industry wishes to change to ecosystems of smart connected machines and production systems, then the first step is to build a digital environment which connects plants and factories using intelligent devices that are smart enough to capture, aggregate and interpret data at the production method.

Edge devices must be secure and reliable to use. End users will be bound to deploy edge computing because of operational, asset management, and reliability issues. For the machines and the equipment to continuously multiply, the cybersecurity issue must be addressed. Even though edge devices can connect factory ecosystems, products, and also manufacturing supply chain; the tools must be made secure and reliable.

Edge computing and smart manufacturing has infinite potential to improve business performance. Companies will be able to use the stranded data in machines to quickly identify inefficiencies.