Edge computing is not just a buzzword. Companies often struggle with latency and connectivity when running operations in remote facilities. In fact, network latency is a top connectivity challenge for 30 percent of manufacturers, according to the IDC1. A leading cause of latency is high volume and resource-intensive processes running in parallel, resulting in reduced productivity.
Edge computing, is a means go changing where processing happens. The edge is the end of your organization’s network, the end of your reach. Edge computing put Internet of Things (IoT) devices closer to the locations they serve. The big benefits of edge computing is bandwidth savings and reduced latency, or the time it takes data to travel. Sending all data captured to a remote, central location requires a lot of bandwidth. When you put devices at the edge of your network, they can process the data before transferring only the output to your central server, which will reduce the amount of data and thus the bandwidth needed to send the information across the internet.
Data centers, typically run in cool dry atmospheres with little variability in temperature, edge computing devices are meant to operate in real-world conditions. They are usually more robust against heat and humidity and require less power, because they’re not located in big data centers that consume large amounts of electricity.
Operations without interruptions
The new Cloud and Edge Scale Unit add-ins for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management, coming to preview in October, brings the power of the intelligent cloud to the edge. It allows organizations to run critical warehousing and manufacturing workloads on the edge in a distributed model using Azure stack devices. This improves resilience and ensures operations without interruptions even when temporarily disconnected from the cloud.
Scaling production and distribution with agility
Customers can make data-driven decisions before making any investment by easily simulating various factors that impact resilience of their critical manufacturing and warehouse processes, such as network latency, traffic volume, time-outs, or intermittent connectivity. They can then deploy the scale units—edge or cloud—to best overcome these challenges.
Microsoft Azure compute technologies make the deployment of edge scale units seamless with a plug-and-play experience and allows customers to easily scale during usage spikes to ensure high throughput.
In the past, edge deployments have been associated with use cases related to asset management due to the biggest concern associated with latency issues. With the new scale units for Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management, however, the use cases have expanded to other critical manufacturing and warehouse execution scenarios.
Many manufacturers and distributors are heavily regulated and have strict policy requirements. These customers have been conservative with their migration to the cloud, which has impeded their ability to overcome disruptions like the one caused by the current pandemic. With the ability to run distributed workloads on the edge, these companies can feel more confident running the manufacturing and warehousing workloads on their premises while migrating the rest of their operations to the cloud; thereby digitally transforming their organizations and reducing costs to become more resilient.
What is the downside?
Edge computing requires a lot of hardware. For example, a large distributor or manufacturer who wanted to use IoT security cameras would need to have those edge devices at all of their hubs or warehouses. Decentralizing your equipment can present logistical challenges when it comes to management and maintenance
Edge computing has an increased attack vector because these multiple internet-facing devices are not behind well-secured corporate networks with giant firewalls, and therefore are more vulnerable to being hacked. A malicious user might try to steal your data or just commandeer your devices.
In the consumer space, a lack of security updates is a problem for products like smart lightbulbs, doorbells, and home sensors. As vulnerabilities are found, these devices need to be patched, to ensure a cybercriminal does not get unwarranted access onto your home network or take over the operation of your lightbulbs or doorbell.
To learn join us for two Webinars with Microsoft and Reddington on 21 October 2020 covering Dynamics 365 Finance, Dynamics 365 SCM Dynamics 365 Fraud protection, and how the cloud and Dynamics 365 is supporting digital transformation and new business paradigms.
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