Understanding the Network Edge

Do you know exactly where the edge of the network is residing?  In the Industrial Internet of Things ( IIoT) the more recent development of strategies around Internet-enabled business improvement plans has forced manufacturing organizations to take a closer look at the industrial network edge and all the collective machines and devices housed there.  In the world of manufacturing the idea of the utilization of smart machines and smart manufacturing to reduce machine downtime; as well as having remote access and greater production flexibility is not a new concept.  Enterprise initiatives such as big data analytics, cloud-based applications and remote machine monitoring and service are the drivers behind the increased focus and the vision for the role of the industrial network edge.

Where assets are going to be optimized and the associated data analyzed most efficiently results in continual demand on machines and edge devices to “feed the beast.”  In addition to this, an increased emphasis on communication between the enterprise and high level applications is at least partially responsible for the term “network edge” itself and where the production machines to support operations appear in the architecture of the outer edge of the network.  Read the full article here.

Posted in edge Mission Critical Systems, Industry News, Internet of Things.