At the recent Rockwell Automation Fair, Dave Vasko, Director of Advanced Technology at Rockwell Automation, Inc. spoke with Barry Dellecese, Director of Product Management and Marketing at Stratus about the “bleeding edge” of edge computing technology. Their conversation is now available as part of Rockwell’s State of the Industry podcast.
The first part of the discussion is around how to define the edge, how is it being implemented, and what are applications where edge computing technology makes the most impact? While increased integration of automation and other emerging technology has been a recurring theme in a number of industries over the past decade, industrial industries are historically more reserved to adopt the latest technologies. Through a solid IT and OT plan and related infrastructure that meets the needs of both audiences, industrial operators can confidently integrate new and emerging edge technology that will help them optimize efficiency and differentiate themselves from competitors.
The conversation then moves on to talk about today’s economy, where IT skills are in high demand, and not always available where companies need it, and how organizations can use technology to keep remote or unstaffed locations up and running. Some of the challenges include:
- The need for routine maintenance and active monitoring for equipment failure and part replacement.
- Scaling innovation throughout an entire production environment.
- Building a modern manufacturing team with a blended OT and IT team that keeps operations up and running.
- Taking successfully piloted technology and integrating it seamlessly throughout the edge network at scale.
The conversation finishes with Barry talking about what Stratus sees as the top 3 must-have features for edge computing technology:
- simplicity
- connectivity
- autonomy
He also talks about the importance of security, and how to simplify what can be a really complex issue.
For more, you can listen to the discussion on Rockwell Automation’s website, or you can subscribe to the State of the Industry podcast on iTunes.
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