The increased edge computing rate is simplifying industrial processes in new ways but the data sets edge devices capture sometimes require larger repositories for more insight into industrial automation processes. This is where a juxtaposition of edge and cloud computing is required to collect, process, and visualize entire facilities and industrial processes. Although edge computing is expected to enable industrial growth, a symbiotic relationship with cloud computing is needed for effective management through industrial automation platforms.
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Edge computing provides decentralized, low processing latency which brings computing to data-producing sources. On the other hand, cloud computing provides a centralized, scalable platform for data-processing. To understand the relationship between both computing concepts, the example of an edge device with data capture as its primary duty helps.
In this scenario, the edge device is a radar detection and ranging device. Its duty is to scan a shop floor for obstacles to avoid collision between autonomous items. The device captures different types of data sets as it moves through the shop floor. These data sets could include geographical layouts, pictures of the interior, and shop floor traffic. The device will make use of only shop floor traffic data to ensure obstacles are avoided while discarding other data sets not important to its primary duties.
The radar detection and ranging device discards these other data sets because it has limited storage space which must be used for capturing and processing shop floor traffic data. To ensure that the other data sets, which could be quite useful in planning and visualizing operations, are not discarded, they must be transferred to a platform with infinite computing capacity. Enter cloud computing.
Edge devices with the capacity to transfer data rely on communication networks to transfer data to cloud platforms or other data centers. For industrial automation, controlling processes, or managing production-based industries, an industrial cloud platform provides the best foundation for analyzing edge computing data.
The lights-out factory refers to industrialization without humans being at the center of it. This means automating traditional production processes through the use of technology. Although edge computing plays an important role in the lights-out factory, it is not the only technology used. Other technological concepts include control systems, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. These all have important roles to play.
Industrial automation platforms provide a centralized ecosystem for developing applications or algorithms and providing the computing resources needed to manage all these technologies. There are different types of industrial automation platforms that are currently in use, and the combination of edge and cloud computing rely on a few of them. These platforms include:
Note that an industrial cloud platform can also double as an IoT platform. All that is required is to dedicate the industrial cloud platform to managing only IoT or IIoT devices and processing the data they produce when used within shop floors. The digital twin is more of a monitoring, planning, scheduling, and simulation tool which support industrial automation processes.
Industrial automation platforms are centralized solutions just like cloud computing but with a focus on supporting production-based industries. So, the benefits already highlighted apply but other additional benefits of industrial automation include:
Industrial automation platforms also provide a means of simplifying the confusion about who addresses cybersecurity challenges for operational technologies. Although experts recommend creating a dedicated security division, inbuilt security features within industrial automation platforms provide excellent security for SMEs which do not have the financial capacity to create new departments.
The need to combine edge computing with cloud computing to ensure all data sets are put to use in understanding industrial processes led to the development of industrial automation platforms. In turn, these platforms provide scalable and flexible ecosystems anyone can leverage to pursue an automation strategy. The affordability of industrial automation platforms also represents another paradigm shift which drastically cuts the cost of implementing an Industrie 4.0 strategy, deploying IoT applications, and developing on-premise automation systems to serve particular industrial needs.