Tag: #edgecomputing

Here’s How Edge Computing Helps Businesses Thrive

One of our clients said it best when they told us, “Each signal matters.” This client used this phrase to describe the importance and the function of edge computing in a health monitoring edge computing application we helped them construct to support their operations in caring for the elderly. In bypassing the cloud and processing data from wearable devices at the edge, local devices can respond immediately to any change in vital signs and immediately make a call to alert the relevant care professionals. Each signal matters and no signal gets missed.

Unlike cloud computing, edge computing technology handles the data where it is generated. Rather than centralizing in the cloud, it is decentralized. This decentralization allows much less latency and rapid responses to new events. This is why edge computing is particularly appealing to Industries with significant risks, such as healthcare, mining, and extractive industries. If you can’t always count on a stable connection to the cloud, or if you can’t wait for your data to make a round trip into the cloud and back, then edge computing is a perfect solution.

Read on for just some of the benefits that IoT and edge computing can unlock for your business:

  • Monitoring, insights, and intelligent decision-making can all take place in real-time
  • Lightning-fast response to malfunctions, customer requests, or accidents
  • Lower spending for cloud computing and web traffic servicing

Now, we’ll look at several edge computing real-life examples from several industries.

Retail

Traditional retailers can stay relevant and compete against online newcomers by using edge computing to improve their customers’ experience. However, this doesn’t mean that a brick-and-mortar retailer needs to buy and install numerous connected devices in their store instead of a carefully curated stock display. In the world of conventional, real-world retail, real estate is the biggest limiting factor, and space is money. For these reasons, modern iot development services and edge computing solutions combine multiple functions into a single device.

The California-based IT company, Cohesity, prides itself on its data management solutions. It counts a range of high-profile global companies among its clients, with some retailers among them. Cohesity’s devices replace multiple alternative pieces of hardware, enabling retailers to reduce space utilization and free up more room for displaying the products they aim to sell. The data management solution runs on a Point of Sale (PoS) machine with relatively modest computing power and electricity demands. This solution integrates scanner data and weighing equipment data with surveillance footage from the checkout area to improve returns and reduce losses.

Mining

Mining continues to be one of the world’s most hazardous jobs, where inadequate controls or bad data can lead to extremely serious incidents. But setting up Wi-Fi and digital connectivity in underground tunnels and shafts is difficult and expensive. These dangerous and logistically difficult environments mean that cloud solutions simply aren’t the best choice. At the same time, the industry continues to view safe working conditions as a critical goal to work toward, and this goal just isn’t reachable without continued process automation. In many of these remote and hazardous environments, efforts toward automation necessarily imply that devices must collect and process data at the edge and not in the cloud.

Bolodine is a giant among global mining companies. Bolodine recently partnered with Ericsson to digitalize Aitik, a Swedish underground mine. Bolodine’s objective was to begin by automating the most dangerous processes, such as drilling blast holes. Starting by automating the most dangerous processes promised to rapidly and significantly improve safety in a “low-hanging fruit” situation.

Bolodine retrofitted sensors and cameras onto drilling rigs to achieve this objective to facilitate remote control. Edge computing applications now enable these machines to continue their work remotely and autonomously, keeping human workers out of harm’s way.

When it becomes necessary for an operator to modify a work process, they can make the required changes without going into harm’s way, often without even being on site. Edge computing takes human workers out of the physical loop while still keeping them connected through data and controls.

Healthcare

We’ve already briefly mentioned one example of edge computing applications in caring for seniors, but the market for edge computing within healthcare goes far beyond this. In 2021, the American Hospital Association conducted a survey of bedside devices which yielded a staggering total of close to 14 million such devices already deployed. Collecting medical data safely and reliably from all of these wearables and medical sensors is no mean feat. And making effective use of this growing mountain of data while complying with evolving expectations and rules on data security can be even more complicated. Fortunately, edge computing offers an optimal solution for real-time analysis of continuous data flows, even when these take the shape of large files. Plus, it’s a perfect solution for a post-COVID world of virtual visits to the doctor and increasingly sophisticated consumer wearables. Edge computing and IoT allow clinicians to receive accurate and appropriate alerts outside hospital walls and exam rooms.

We’ve got another excellent use case from Barcelona, Spain. In a connected ambulance, onboard medical devices collect and analyze patients’ biometric data and then compare it with their Electronic Health Records (EHR). This data and insights let paramedics determine the best treatment with minimal consideration before reaching the hospital. Personnel within the emergency room also receive alerts about the best preparation for the patient’s care needs.

Construction

Construction companies spend millions of dollars annually on various pieces of capital equipment. However, no matter how much you spend, things can still go wrong, and unnoticed wear and tear can lead to unexpected breakdowns. Because of the size and expense of these pieces of equipment, a single failure can lead to justified panic, extended downtime, and significant cost increases or even overruns.

All these factors help explain why so many construction businesses find predictive maintenance solutions so irresistible and why edge computing is such a critical part of successful implementation in so many cases. These technologies continuously monitor valuable assets, such as mission-critical capital equipment, and then use this data to detect signs of unexpected wear and tear and predict equipment failures. This allows companies to be proactive in their maintenance and to schedule repairs before the failures become catastrophic. This precautionary approach to the health of mission-critical construction equipment helps to extend these valuable assets’ life and dramatically reduce equipment repair costs.

The industrial giant General Electric (GE) is one of the largest and oldest US industrial names. Among its other fields, GE is active in energy production, manufacturing engines, steam turbines, gas turbines, generators, and high-voltage equipment. However, a major problem within its production cycle was equipment health. Due to insufficient controls and data, General Electric couldn’t detect issues in a timely fashion. The result: manufacturing yields fell, and expenses increased in the form of multi-million-dollar scrap costs.

Everything changed when General Electric empowered its winding machines with IoT and edge computing technologies. Now, the deployed edge computing equipment analyzes raw sensor data to rapidly and proactively identify failing machinery. This proactive, efficient, and distributed approach protects the entire manufacturing floor from unnecessary disruptions and production delays. 

To Sum Up

Every business wants the best data. Every business wishes it could act and respond to problems in real-time, even when telecommunications equipment is unstable or offline. However, most businesses now rely on cloud-based autonomous systems to perform the analysis and quick decision-making these objectives demand. Can you afford the bandwidth for such significant data throughputs from systems continuously sending raw data over your network? Even more, is this the most efficient way to address this problem, and can this approach remain compatible with evolving rules and expectations on data privacy and security?

Edge computing addresses all these concerns by using real-time data cost-effectively, without transporting it offsite or into the cloud. In edge computing, you can bypass the cloud and do the data processing locally, sometimes on the same device that harvests a piece of data. This approach saves you time and money, helps reduce the risk and compliance cost from possible data breaches, and lets your business move forward with autonomous, lightning-fast, insight-driving autonomous actions. Schedule a consultation with one of our experts today to see how IoT and edge computing can help your business.

Unlocking the Value of Data at the Edge,Jason Ward, Vice-President and Managing Director, Dell Technologies Ireland

From the rapid growth in connected devices to the shift to ecommerce, organisations are struggling to manage the explosion in the growth of data. Edge computing is the answer to managing this data deluge and gaining business benefits from it. Many technology leaders in Ireland know it is no longer a nice to have, it is essential for businesses looking to innovate with real-time insights in a digital-first era. What’s more, as 5G connectivity comes on stream, those who embrace data at the Edge will reap the rewards on the road to recovery.

There is no doubt that the powerful convergence of cloud, AI and edge technologies will help organisations across Ireland to transform at speed. Paving the way for intelligent cities, homes and real-time services, turbocharged data management and processing power at the edge will drive businesses’ ability to consume more data. There is much to be gained for society as a whole, as well as the businesses that serve them when it comes to ramping up infrastructure at the edge – to seize today’s opportunities and prepare for tomorrow’s world.

As our lives become increasingly connected there is more data to be processed than ever. We’re no longer talking about gigabytes or even terabytes–the new unit of scale is the Zettabyte, equivalent to a billion terabytes. Our growing reliance on this data makes the evolution of core cloud technologies so important. Keeping up and staying ahead of the curve as these demands increase is already business critical – and requires an infrastructural step-up.

Jason Ward, Vice-President and Managing Director, Dell Technologies Ireland

The “5G Future SME Report”, by Amárach Research, highlights that the failure to invest in Ireland’s 5G network over the rest of the decade could see a significant loss of €12.6 billion in GDP by 2030. With 64% of Irish SMEs also believing effective 5G investment will be critical to Ireland’s economic recovery, it is clear that setting the groundwork now will serve businesses well as they look to grow over the coming months.

To feel the benefits of connected devices that provide real-time AI-powered insights, whether it’s in our factories, cars or shops, we need to embrace high performance computing. Then we can truly benefit from 5G speeds. This means firing-up the edge – and putting automation in the hotseat.       The recent launch of our PowerEdge Server provides a window into the future, revealing how the Zettabyte era will be managed – with automation, security and sustainability at its core. Only with turbocharged compute can the edge meet today and tomorrow’s challenges.

Overcoming data challenges with Automated Edge computing

In 2019, 53% of global data and analytics technology decision makers say they have implemented some form of AI or are in the process of doing so. By harnessing data for key insights, it enables them to respond rapidly to business opportunities, while maximising productivity. As these workloads grow there will be more demand on compute, speed and agility.

Today’s increasingly complex data landscape means many Irish organisations struggle to manage these workloads, applications, and data securely from edge to hybrid cloud. According to Gartner, 75 % of enterprise data will be processed outside a traditional centralised data center or cloud by 2025. So it’s imperative that these issues are addressed swiftly with modernised platforms that support their data-driven goals.

Ultimately, businesses must grow and evolve IT infrastructure to meet these challenges while keeping the lights on. In Ireland, our teams are at the forefront of these challenges. Thanks to their expertise and the work being undertaken in the 5G Edge Labs of Cork and Limerick, we are using the power of 5G and Edge Computing to bring next generation products and services to life .

However, the pandemic threw additional challenges into the mix, fast-tracking our hybrid working futures. It accelerated our reliance on hybrid cloud technologies, while spotlighting the need for greater efficiencies and security.

Cyber risks are obviously something front of mind for everyone right now and over the past year we’ve been reminding customers to increase their cyber security as workforces operated in a remote environment. Our latest Global Data Protection Index has shown that 82% of organisations globally have suffered from a disruptive event. Building proactive resilience and embedding trust into their digital transformation plans with security by design is key. This will help secure interactions, providing the ability to anticipate potential threats.

These challenges can be met with edge solutions that combine the compute power, to combat intense workloads at speed, with inbuilt automation to enhance productivity and seamless management. Apart from keeping businesses in Ireland competitive, getting to grips with the Edge will crucially enhance the sustainability of their data management too.

Edge tech

Sustainability is key to a future-proof edge

When we process data at the Edge, we are actually reducing a lot of power consumption, which is ultimately kinder to the environment – it also requires a smaller cooling footprint. The more we evolve edge computing to meet the needs of businesses and generate better outcomes, the more we accelerate inevitable adoption. The quicker businesses embrace the Edge, the quicker we can minimise resource heavy data transfers between devices and data centers. Dell is committed to, reducing the energy intensity of its entire product portfolio by 80% come 2030 – and by 2020 had already achieved a 69.9% reduction. Edge solutions are core part of this commitment.

What’s more, as Edge Computing lays the groundwork for 5G connectivity, it forms the backbone of a core technology set to help bridge digital divides – connecting those in more remote areas. Paving the way for 5G means preparing for a world in which everyone has access to remote learning, ehealthcare and digital public services. Understanding the bigger picture and human impact from today’s infrastructural decisions should empower businesses as they embark on their digital transformation journey.

Seizing future opportunities from the edge

As we look to the future, Edge technology can help to shape our digital future, driving innovation for business and helping to address societal challenges we face. It is imperative that amid today’s many challenges and opportunities, businesses and organisations in Ireland build their foundations with a long-term view, taking advantage of the immense compute power. There really is no other way to stay on top of the complexities of data-driven future

Realising the Potential of Edge for Irish Businesses. #Dell #EdgeComputing

By John O’Donoghue, Dell Technologies Ireland

Edge computing is quickly emerging as the next “big thing” in technology. From mobile devices and cell towers to refrigerators and industrial control systems, the data being generated at the edge by these platforms has enormous value for businesses across Ireland.

Telecommunications carriers, to take one example, are building innovative “micro towers” to drive a broad range of innovative 5G networking services. Similar to small data centres, these micro towers house hyperconverged computing platforms that can deliver experiences such as augmented and virtual reality to every end user accessing a 5G network.

Another example is SK Telecom, which has partnered with Dell Technologies to accelerate its 5G wireless network rollout using a multi-access edge computing (MEC) architecture. This partnership has enabled SK Telecom to decrease application latency on its network services to under 10 milliseconds.

Edge computing technology concept. Blue integrated circuit with icons. Futuristic tech of data processing.

In fact, edge computing platforms will be employed to further automate every business process imaginable using machine and deep learning algorithms deployed at the very edge of the network. Instead of waiting for data to be analysed by an application residing in the cloud or local data centre, algorithms will optimise business processes in real time based on events as they occur.

The shift towards edge computing is also driving a sea change in application development. The emergence of Edge Native Applications allows for applications to be built and deployed on edge devices for processing data at low latency.

Everything from connected cars to augmented and virtual reality applications will depend on the ability to process and analyse data in real time at the network edge. In fact, just about every instance of digital business transformation, both in Ireland and farther afield, will soon be driven by edge computing platforms capable of processing data in real time. Gartner estimates that by 2025, 75% of enterprise-generated data will be created and processed outside the traditional, centralized data center or cloud.

This will result in significant change for firms of all sizes in Ireland who have adopted new technologies at pace over the past year. However, business leaders who fail to recognise the opportunities in edge computing are at risk of finding themselves lagging behind their more innovative rivals as digital transformation accelerates even further. As a means of establishing a competitive advantage, edge computing can increase efficiency, generate new revenue streams, improve customer experiences, and build businesses and organisations to rebuild and recover.

The technology is not without its challenges. The total cost of ownership for all these platforms is staggering. Furthermore, finding the IT expertise required to manage edge computing platforms at scale requires access to IT automation frameworks that most businesses in Ireland are not in a position to build and support on their own. The level of expertise required first to define and maintain edge computing platform standards and then to make those platforms part of the extended enterprise requires a strategic partner dedicated not only to achieving a specific business outcome but also to minimising possible risks.

At Dell Technologies, we’ve already invested in edge computing platforms with a number of long-time global partners ranging from AT&T to SAP. It has been our privilege to provide IT platforms that millions of businesses across the world rely on every day.

As edge computing evolves, Dell Technologies will continue to be there every step of the way. Some examples of the innovative business outcomes we’re already enabling include:

  • McLaren Racing, a division of McLaren Group, is taking advantage of edge computing platforms from Dell Technologies to analyse nearly 100GB of data in real time that is captured by more than 200 sensors embedded in its race cars. More than 100,000 data points per second are streaming from each McLaren car per second to determine when to make a tire change, evaluate track safety, and even when to make gear changes during the race.
  • Manufacturing giant Emerson uses Internet of Things (IoT) technologies to help its customers gather data insights from sensors embedded in their digital valve controllers. Emerson and Dell Technologies have developed a wireless valve monitoring solution that collects information from digital valve controllers and sends it through a Dell Edge Gateway to the cloud. The Dell Edge Gateway aggregates, analyses, secures, processes and shares sensor data at the edge and also sends it to a Microsoft Azure-based cloud platform.
  • Olivetti provides small and medium-sized manufacturers with an IoT-based plug-and-play solution to make their machines and plants smarter, and their operations more efficient. Together, Olivetti, Dell Technologies and Alleantia have developed a turnkey solution that enables the digital transformation of production processes into Industry 4.0 logic. The solution takes data from the production line or machines and makes it immediately available through multiple interfaces. The processor performs near real-time data and event processing before distributing information to the customer’s applications either directly or via a secure Olivetti cloud-based infrastructure.

Edge computing isn’t simply the latest example of an overly hyped IT trend, but rather represents a profound transformation of how companies do business in Ireland that may soon eclipse the cloud in terms of strategic importance.