There is one simple truth in computing—systems crash and so do hard drives. If not properly monitored, server rooms can overheat. The best hardware is not immune to failure. Keeping both the brain functioning and the blood flowing is crucial to keeping any system live and well. It’s critical to monitor the health of your hardware with the same vigor that you would protect software from viruses and malware. In process industries such as pharmaceuticals, food and beverage, chemical and water/wastewater, plants have to stay online to protect not just the processes, but to ensure the integrity of the finished products they produce.
System integrators (SI) designing processes for industrial automation face similar challenges, but they are armed with the latest technology to keep operations flowing. The right hardware configuration is just as important as the right software, and that integration is just as important to an SI as making the system work with the plant’s current operating platform.
As cloud computing has gained attention and grown in importance, the idea of edge computing also is gaining traction. The idea is that not every piece of data needs to be sent to the cloud, and that faster, more secure computing on the cloud edge can both improve performance and act as a kind of gatekeeper for data going to the cloud.
Edge computing provides an extra layer of both hardware redundancy and software security for these complex SCADA and DCS systems that drive process plants. By using virtualization—essentially an operational plant model housed on a server—system integrators can work through and troubleshoot problems faster and anticipate how problems could affect the overall operation. Combine that with data analytics, and an SI can design a network that will route the system around a potential problem or identify repairs faster with no downtime.
Plant operators hate downtime. As you’ll see in these videos from Stratus Technologies, a lot of thought goes into the intelligent design that ensures the system hardware keeps everything flowing smoothly.
Next Steps
Stratus helps System integrator projects by mitigating risk. We help simplify projects and protect your clients from hardware failure. To learn more, explore an SI video case study, and a 10-minute overview of our Solution Partner Program below. Interested in learning more? Sign up for an in-house lunch-n-learn. E-Merge Adds Additional Reliability, Ease of Maintenance and Simplicity for Customers
E-Merge Adds Additional Reliability, Ease of Maintenance and Simplicity for Customers
E-Merge needed a hardware solution for their customers that was “always-on, always up”. Watch their video case study outlining how they added value to their customers with higher levels of reliability and ease of maintenance.
Gain “Certified Solution Architect” Status with Stratus
Join Status’ Solution Partner Program and gain “Certified Solution Architect” status. After watching our straight-forward, 10-minute video you’ll have a better understanding of what’s included including training and benefits including referral bonuses.
