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Found the internet!1How to find the balance between cloud and edge computing 
Close1Posted by5 hours agoHow to find the balance between cloud and edge computing burraq.org/2 commentssharesavehidereport100% UpvotedLog in or sign up to leave a commentLog InSign UpSort by: q&a (suggested)View discussions in 3 other communities level 1Op · 2 hr. ago
How can the advantages of cloud computing be reconciled with real-time requirements on the shop floor? And what does that have to do with 5G and campus networks? A guide through the digitization jungle.
The digital factory is created from the combination of cloud and edge computing. - Image: Pixabay
Production in the industry is becoming more dynamic: batch sizes are smaller, material flows are more difficult to plan and decisions are made more quickly. Factory planners are countering this with more flexible, sometimes even intelligent production processes in which closed control loops based on modern sensor technology, computer vision and artificial intelligence work autonomously. Humans are only added in exceptional cases to monitor the system and when problems have to be solved or unforeseen decisions have to be made.
White paper: What are the advantages of edge computing?
With the increase in devices, machines and sensors, the amount of data is also growing. Even high-performance networks usually take too long to transfer the data to a data centre or the cloud for analysis. The solution is called Edge Computing.
Commissioning, maintenance and repair are also taken to a new level through video transmission, augmented reality and remote data access. But for all of these future technologies, you need two properties that seem contradictory at first glance: Decentralized, cloud-based data management and cross-regional networking on the one hand, and reliable real-time capability with minimal latencies and security on the other. To resolve this supposed contradiction, there is the Edge.
Cloud vs Edge Computing
Dirk Reinert works at T-Systems in the strategy area of the Digital Solutions portfolio unit. As program manager, he is responsible for the Campus Edge initiative. “The strengths of the classic cloud result from the fact that I abstract. I have a certain requirement for infrastructure, for services that I want to obtain on-demand," explains Reinert. “It can vary and depend on the day. I don't want to have to worry about the necessary computing power, which is why I use the cloud, whether it's a public or private cloud."
According to Reinert, things look different when it comes to Edge. "The topic of edge computing is inspired by the idea of bringing the computing, the compute power, as close as possible to where it's happening," emphasizes the specialist, who has already gained industrial experience at Siemens. “What characterizes modern production is that we have an incredible number of endpoints that are becoming intelligent. So they produce and exchange large amounts of data – and require real-time capability with low latencies. This is where the edge comes into play.” According to Reinert, edge brings IT and OT very close together, while the cloud is more strongly anchored in IT.
To put it simply, applications in which large amounts of data are not processed in a time- or security-critical manner or where further needs analysis is required can be perfectly controlled from a cloud. A high data transfer to the cloud also leads to costs due to data volume. This factor is increasing, which is why on-premises computing is becoming increasingly important in addition to the cloud. At the edge - powerful computing units close to the production process - the focus is on those applications that are time-critical, where large amounts of data are moved or where self-sufficiency and security play a role. This applies to the real-time control of machines by artificial intelligence as well as data transmission for augmented reality applications. At the same time, there may also be certain security requirements regarding the encapsulation and shielding of sensitive data in the area of an edge, which are easier to implement here than in cloud environments.
"However, the edge does not always have to be located directly on the machine," explains Dirk Reinert. “If you have the right connectivity, you can go further with low latency and more securely, while connecting large numbers of data producers and consumers. Ultimately, you can combine the advantages of both worlds with Edge Cloud concepts.”
Campus networks as the basic unit
In recent years, the term campus network has been heard more and more frequently in this context. "We use the campus as a term for a location where there are use cases for which edge computing is used," explains Reinert. "In the manufacturing area, this is usually a factory building or an entire location, but it can sometimes include several locations."
Typically, the campus is a locally limited network that is about optimal coverage with the right connectivity to operate edge computing. So low latency, secure communication, high data throughput, a high number of participants. This means that the office networks located on-site (and nowadays also home office) are only indirectly part of the campus since there is only limited capability for the requirements of Operations Technology.
5G as a driver for edge computing
In order to connect a large number of network participants, such as IIoT devices, with optimized latency, one of the options is the new 5G mobile communications standard. 5G is able to orchestrate more participants in the production of tomorrow than, for example, WiFi can. The management of transitions between individual network sections is also optimized. The architecture of the standard means that use cases with low latency requirements can be sorted into different frequency bands than those that require high data throughput.
There is also the option for companies to acquire private frequencies that are isolated from the outside world. "You have sovereignty over your own data and can implement use cases in which you determine the quality of service of the 5G network on your campus yourself," explains Reinert. “However, if we design the digital roadmap with our customers as a partner, then 5G does not always have to be the first step. It is often enough to expand the performance of the existing network at the beginning. But the trend towards high-performance networks, such as 5G, is clearly foreseeable.”
The future of the value chain so much seems clear, lies in Industry 4.0 orIoT - i.e. in intelligent processes with the exchange of large amounts of data. IT and OT will continue to merge, making edge computing a must, in addition to the cloud.
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Here is link number 1 - Previous text "IoT"
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