“So Just What Difference Does This Edge Stuff Make?”

Posted on January 27, 2020January 27, 2020 by Nicholas

Yesterday, as I stood looking at a production line turning out precision metal parts for medical microscopes I was asked why Edge Computing was such a big deal for this factory

At its basic level, edge computing brings computation and data storage closer to the devices where it’s being gathered, rather than relying on a central location that can be thousands of miles away. This is done so that data, especially real-time data, does not suffer latency issues that can affect an application’s performance. In a production situation just two to four seconds delay in machines reacting due to latency can wreck hours of production (and regularly does!).

In addition, companies can save money by having the processing done locally, reducing the amount of data that needs to be processed in a centralized or cloud-based location. It also offers a degree service continuity should a network service or comms become unavailable. The advent of 5G does of course reduce latency, but it does not eliminate it. An essential component for support of URLLC apps, edge-computing infrastructure facilitates optimization of 5G network resources by focusing computational capacity where it is needed the most. Without edge computing, 5G would continue to rely on back-haul to centralized cloud resources for storage and processing thus diminishing much of the otherwise positive impact of latency reduction enabled by 5G.

From a security standpoint, data at the edge can be problematic, especially when it’s being handled by different devices that might not be as secure as a centralized or cloud-based system. As the number of IIoT/IoT devices grow, it’s important that we understand the potential security issues around these devices, and to make sure those systems can be secured. This includes making sure that data is encrypted, both at rest and in transit, access control is tightly defined, Edge gateways used.

Organizations will increasingly rely on edge computing technology in the years to come. One study put just 10% of enterprise data as being created and processed outside of a centralized data centre/cloud in 2018. The same report speculated that the number will climb to 75% by 2025. However, this is an evolving arena with a great many aspects influencing that evolution, one of which is Carrier vs. Enterprise Edge Compute Deployment pro/cons. Companies are experimenting with mny new business models such as the business on site model, in which business customers may pay carriers for infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) or Multi-Edge Computing (MEC) platform-as-a-service (PaaS). With either IaaS or PaaS, business customers may be responsible for their own apps and related management or rely on carriers to handle their applications entirely as a managed service.

As you can see from just my few words EDGE matters. 5G and Edge will compliment each other, the former will not negate the latter. Business models will drive further evolution. Virtualization will be a critical component of all communications networks, including both core 5G infrastructure as well as MEC platforms.

IIoT: One of THOSE Moments.

Posted on January 15, 2020January 15, 2020 by Nicholas

IIoT: One of THOSE Moments.

An MBA told me today that “MES s going to die under Industry40“.

I told him to ask for the cost of his MBA back!

MES provides orchestration to ensure that the IIoT local edge intelligence optimizes rather than sub-optimizes business performance. I told him I could list 10 other reasons why MES matters in facilitating and maintaining Industry 4.0 but as he was paid more than me to know more than me I was sure he knew them already. IIoT is not equipped to drive toward the business objective. The objective is responsiveness, and that means the equipment or product to change its behaviour to optimise business outcomes.

This is what MES does, it ensures that IIoT data is in a context that allows people to make good operational and business decisions. I was going to ask for his opinion on PLC or SCADA’s future under IIoT, but thought better of it. Consultants need to spend time in factories actually working the entire product life cycle from CRM – ERP – MES – SCADA – HMI/PLC – WMS -Shipping.

The Future is BREADTH Not Specialisation!

Posted on January 12, 2020January 12, 2020 by Nicholas

As experts silo themselves further while As computers with and without AI, master more of the skills once reserved for highly focused humans how do wage earner ensure that they stay ahead and remain employable assets?

Breadth of experience coupled with creativity is how people who think broadly and embrace diverse experiences and perspectives will increasingly thrive despite the Industry revolution. It will become increasingly crucial for us to spread our knowledge across multiple domains in order to have the breath of knowledge to fuel our creative thinking and prevent our workplace extinction.

So how do we equip ourselves? Sample life widely, gain a breadth of experiences, take detours, expose yourself to society by volunteering, experiment relentlessly and develop many creative interests. Read about the lives of the most successful scientists, artists, musicians, athletes and inventors. Those who are the most innovative and complex are the ones who got to where they are not by specialisation but by generalisation. They experimented, they dipped toes in water unfamiliar to them, they took time to become what they are today because they developed breadth.

Forget the nonsense of “the 10,000 hour rule”, forget “hot housing” because they are merely routes to high specialisation via repetition and that is the path to extinction.

Recruiters and human resource providers need to change their game and stop looking to specialists to gain their commissions. They need to expand their own narrow and specialised world view and seek out those who THINK and think differently. They need to pay attention to the person with an eclectic work history, the storm of interests because they are going to be the future movers.