Page 42 - EngineerIT January 2022

INDUSTRY, TECHNOLOGY, PRODUCTS AND INNOVATION

Edge computing – it’s all in the detail

By George Senzere, Solution Architect, Secure Power at Schneider Electric

ore than ever, the speed, reliability and resilience of edge computing
can unlock the benefits of the world’s current and quite rapid digital
Mtransformation. Together with the cloud, edge computing is a vital cog in
hybrid IT architecture that is enjoying considerable demand in key sectors such as
mining, petrochemical, healthcare and buildings.
Edge computing brings together the elements of compute, storage and
manageability for those critical applications that need to be close to the point of
processing. This supports new-generation applications, which are demanding reduced
network latency and the ability to rapidly process large volumes of data.
Edge Computing offers distinct benefits – super low latency between the system
and the user, absolute control of the environment, and uptime protection against
internet outages. However, these deployments need to be remotely manageable,
logically and physically secure, rapidly and repeatedly deployable, and most of all, run George Senzere
on reliable power sources.
In South Africa, we are not far behind our international counterparts with are. This will identify the current gaps
companies’ increasingly looking at harnessing the benefits of edge computing. and the steps necessary to get the
And locally, edge computing deployment cuts across various industries such as organisation to the desired state. This
manufacturing, retail, health and hospitality. step needs to clearly define what a
In the manufacturing industry, for example, the use of robotics is becoming more successful project will look like.
prevalent, improving productivity, which in turn relies on the computing power of the • Step three is implementing best
edge to offer reliable information as close as possible to processing points. practices to address step two. In other
Edge computing is undoubtedly providing an important competitive edge to words, the formulation of the strategy.
businesses, with their customers in turn benefiting from improved and advanced This typically involves involving other
services and products. organisational employees, partners,
and perhaps the Schneider Electric
Opportunities for the channel Partners to assist in this process. We
Edge computing requires a disciplined approach; as an architecture it has moved away know that no single company can
from centralised computing to a distributed methodology. It also supports companies’ provide all the solutions, hence the
efforts to obtain real-time data. importance of involvement of all key
Edge computing is made up of a number of important elements such as players at this stage.
security, which in turn requires an ecosystem of partners who are specialists in • Step four is fine-tuning the edge
their respective fields. As an equipment manufacturer we work very closely with computing deployment plan, ensuring
our channel partners to meet organisations’ business requirements. We have been that it is rolled out in a secure and
involved in a number of project that have given us intimate insights on the South manageable way with the requisite
African edge computing marketplace. team of experts supporting it. This
may involve working with Schneider
To this end, our recommendation to our partners is to work very closely with the end Electric to assess your current teams
user and follow proven methodologies to address edge computing challenges whilst and management systems, and define
following key steps when implementing these projects: a plan to ensure maximum availability
• Step one is a thorough strategy assessment of customer requirements which will and security. Considering that many
involve the input of several stakeholders. In this step, the business objective of solutions will require computing in
the project is clearly defined. All the key stakeholders are involved; for example, various locations, we will address
those who own the customer experience, IT owners, those who own manufacturing both physical and cyber security
operations and so forth. The idea here is to discuss around the market, objectives along the way.
and the challenges in a roundtable discussion.
• Step two is working together with the customer to realistically assess what is When the above is followed, it will go a
required to realise an edge computing environment and meet their business long way in realising a successful edge
requirements. In this step it is critical to understand what the anticipated results computing project.

EngineerIT | January 2022 | 40