Siemens brings IT to the manufacturing environment

Having bridged the gap between IT and OT systems in the enterprise: now it's easier to collect and analyze data collected by machines, robots/cobots, AGVs, vision systems...

Maurizio Cacciamani

Recently unveiled by Siemens, Industrial Edge is an open, out-of-the-box edge computing IT platform that includes Edge devices, Edge applications and connectivity, and a central management system.

The new solution allows users to choose which data is managed locally and which can be used with a cloud solution, depending on their needs.

With Industrial Edge, users can remotely monitor the status of each connected device and remotely install edge apps and software functions on deployed edge devices.

Combined with existing hardware and software products (including third-party or open source), it provides an out-of-the-box solution for processing production-level data with integrated device and app lifecycle management.

Centralized app management dramatically reduces maintenance activities and app updates across devices, which can then be centrally monitored, diagnosed and managed by IT administrators and production engineers quickly, with little effort and minimal risk.

The solution is not only available for new installations, but also in so-called brownfield situations: existing software, for example, can be placed inside a "container" thanks to Docker's open technology and then applied with Industrial Edge.

Users have the opportunity to develop their own apps. Functional and security updates are provided by Siemens via the Edge management system and can then be scheduled for roll-out to connected devices to meet the security requirements of an industrial IoT solution.

Industrial Edge simplifies the collection and analysis of machine data and brings IT standards such as container-based apps (Docker), data analysis and processing with high-level languages, and central management of software and devices directly into production.

Industrial Edge apps are available, free of charge or for a fee, on the new Marketplace that collects not only apps prepared by Siemens but also by app developers and end users allowing the reuse of projects already done in the field of production automation, quality control, predictive maintenance, anomaly detection.