Supporting the future of edge deployment

Schneider Electric – Around the world, a new wave of usage scenarios has emerged around edge computing, as businesses wake up to the benefits and advantages that it offers.

A growing number of organisations are deploying edge systems to drive business expansion and digital transformation initiatives.

Integration through API

To support them, a recent milestone was reached with the public availability of an API interface for Schneider Electric's EcoStruxure IT Expert, a new cloud-based monitoring service to support edge deployments.

With an API, it is hence possible to integrate the capabilities of EcoStruxure IT Expert with any system, delivering outsized benefits to edge deployments.

Partners can use the APIs to integrate the open ecosystem to their preferred management systems, writes Kevin Brown of Schneider Electric. This will eventually translate into more options and capabilities for end-users, and potential new revenue streams for partners.

The day is still young, though. "We still need to run hard to help the industry solve the challenges we see coming and there are still [more] mile markers to go. But we are super proud of this milestone," said Brown.

Continuous monitoring

It is imperative that edge systems are continuously monitored and support for on-site assets delivered as needed. On this front, Schneider Electric's Monitoring & Dispatch Services will do just that, helping monitor and maintain distributed IT systems.

And should repairs and replacement of parts be required, they will be quickly done so that downtime is kept to a bare minimum.

When necessary, employees can chat with expert engineers through Schneider Electric's Connected Services Hub, which consists of a dedicated team of experts to monitor, troubleshoot, and analyse critical connected assets remotely.

This is especially valuable for edge deployments, giving organisations the 24/7 remote monitoring and troubleshooting they need for a monthly fee that covers incident tracking, reporting, and notifications.

An eye on sustainability

The growing role of digital services means that reliability and resilience are more important than ever.

At the same time, awareness of sustainability is also increasing around the world. Indeed, Schneider Electric predicts that by 2040, 80 per cent of total data centre energy consumption will come from edge data centres.

Yet higher resiliency typically means lower efficiency due to the redundant systems required. Tackling this inherent paradox necessitates a rethink of how edge systems are designed and deployed.

According to Brown, this challenge can be addressed with a multi-pronged approach through a combination of better management, support, and standardisation.

Management is focused on the use of specialised software tools to enable large scale remote management, while support entails building the scalable services that can provide remote management support as an option.

Finally, standardisation revolves around creating repeatable solutions to take advantage of the latest technology to benefit enterprises.

For now, you can check out Schneider Electric's Secure EcoStruxure IT Expert here, or find out more about the Monitoring & Dispatch Services here.

Bhagwati Prasad, Vice President, Business Development, Secure Power Division, Schneider Electric