Choosing Industrial Edge Hardware Qualified to Work with AWS
Cloud computing isn’t new. In fact, Flexera reports that even small and medium-sized businesses are moving quickly to the cloud, with 63% of their workloads and 62% of their data already residing there. And Gartner predicts that IT spending on public cloud computing will overtake traditional IT spending by 2025.
While cloud computing may not be new to business, the way it’s being deployed within enterprises is shifting. In industrial environments, the edge is reaching up to the cloud to leverage its resources and capabilities.
What AWS Qualification Means for Industrial Edge Hardware
When you think of cloud providers, Amazon Web Services (AWS) is likely at the top of the list—and for good reason. It’s the biggest cloud vendor in the world.
Among the many services and capabilities AWS offers is AWS IoT Greengrass: a managed service and edge software runtime that extends cloud capabilities to local edge devices. It allows devices to collect and analyze data at the edge where the source of the data resides and can be used to accomplish feats like bringing intelligence to edge devices, controlling fleets and processing data locally.
Belden’s Hirschmann OpEdge-8D device is one of 63 industrial edge hardware devices to complete AWS IoT Greengrass qualification as part of the AWS Device Qualification Program—which means it works with AWS IoT Greengrass.
To achieve this qualification, we have successfully completed the technical validation requirements to run IoT Greengrass on the OpEdge-8D. Now, from the cloud, you can use OpEdge-8D to take advantage of AWS services and manage elements of the device over your AWS IoT Greengrass installation. Device data can be used in AWS services that reside in the cloud and to manage workloads deployed on the device.\
With this stamp of approval, you can be confident that our industrial edge hardware allows you to take advantage of IoT Greengrass and corresponding AWS services as you leverage the capabilities of cloud computing via your industrial edge infrastructure.
What Is OpEdge-8D?
As a robust industrial edge gateway, the Hirschmann OpEdge-8D brings edge computing capabilities to automation infrastructure to help you process the large volumes of operational data found in today’s connected industrial environments.
With this reliable computing infrastructure in place, you can run applications at the network edge to transform local data into useful insights. When integrated with the Belden Horizon™ console, you can unlock cloud-hosted device management, application orchestration and secure remote access functionality.
In addition to the OpEdge-8D qualification to work with AWS IoT Greengrass, we also certified industrial edge compliance with IEC 61850-3 and IEEE 1613 standards for substation automation applications.
How Is OpEdge-8D Different from Other Gateways?
As an infrastructure provider that creates solutions to complement OT spaces, Belden designed OpEdge-8D to be different.
1. It’s easy to use.
The operating system we developed to run on the device is not only secure, but also easy to use. It’s simple for an operator to install, deploy and run applications. In other words, you don’t have to be a Linux expert to install workloads.
2. It offers deployment choices.
The device can deploy applications in a few ways:
- Through a native operating system that allows you to install applications as containers or virtual machines
- Remotely through the Belden Horizon Console
By residing on the network and performing as a managed switch, OpEdge-8D offers security through not only its ability to operate as a firewall, but also its secure, built-in operating system.
It also acts as a node to establish secure VPN tunnels for secure remote access and other remote connectivity applications.
3. It’s agnostic and interoperable.
Because it can be used with many systems, there are no limitations on which applications the OpEdge-8D device can deploy. As long as the application’s computing requirements don’t exceed the limits of the device, you can install it on the industrial edge hardware.
Building Reliable Computing Infrastructure
With the increase in connected devices and the rise of IIoT, plenty of plant data is available—but do you have a way to manage and analyze it to create actionable insights?
The OpEdge-8D provides reliable computing infrastructure to run applications at the network edge so you can transform local data into useful insights. Integration with the Belden Horizon™ console provides cloud-hosted device management, application orchestration and secure remote access functionality.
Learn more about OpEdge-8D and its AWS qualification.