Empowering business continuity from the edge

Schneider Electric - Around the world, businesses are changing the way they operate and conduct their operations to meet evolving customer demands and purchasing behaviours.

They now understand that digital transformation (DX) is not so much a destination than a continual refinement of their digital capabilities to meet the changing needs of customers in a perpetually changing landscape.

Business resilience even more important 

Regardless of where organisations are currently along the adoption curve, the focus on digital capabilities means that moving their organisation forward calls for greater resilience and continuity.

Indeed, the true value of resilient systems is underscored over much of 2020 with the prevalence of remote work and economic disruptions around the world.

Establishing resilience is easier said than done, however. As noted by Peter Herweck of Schneider Electric, we believe that digitisation is one way forward, due to how it enables capabilities stemming from remote monitoring, predictive and preventive maintenance, to timely alerts that ensure that systems are kept smoothly running and efficiently.

One aspect that is not often mentioned is the role of edge deployments. Having systems nearer to the action nearby translates to lower latency and reduces the risk of untimely communication issues.

Edge systems also make it easier for industrial and commercial companies to better integrate their IT (Information Technology) with OT, or operational technology systems, for better efficiency and uptime.

A focus on the edge 

Below are some reasons why the role of the edge is growing increasingly important:

• Managing the data explosion: Enterprises are spending more than ever on artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) technologies than ever. It is predicted that the adoption of AI and IoT will result in an explosion of data, with 80 billion connected devices projected in 2025. With 180 trillion GB of new data created in 2025 alone, edge deployments are sorely needed to manage the data explosion. 
•  Seamless integration between OT and IT: Despite the proliferation of connected devices in the form of sensors, robots, and real-time data, IT and OT devices are often managed in silos. Edge computing will make it easier to combine these disparate pools of data and processes to streamline and optimise them.
• Greater visibility over data: To bring maximum value to operations, the torrent of data generated from machines within an industrial or manufacturing factory should be quickly and efficiently collected and processed. This is best done by edge systems that can quickly access and process the data fed into OT systems.

Modern systems produce streams of data in the millions of records that can be collected, aggregated, and analysed to benefit the organisation.

According to Gartner, 75 per cent of all data will be processed at the edge by 2025, increasing the urgency of organisations to leverage the low latency, high bandwidth, and trusted environment that only an industrial edge deployment can offer.

As forward-thinking businesses embrace digitalisation and smart technologies, expect an always-on ecosystem of connected systems to emerge. Equipped with streamlined processes, optimised supply chains, and ready access to data, adopters of the edge will gain an advantage over their competitors.