In industrial settings, supervisory and data acquisition applications have long consumed data from various endpoints such as sensors, PLCs, and RTUs. What is changing is how these applications are increasingly becoming cloud-native, allowing for greater ease of deployment and lifecycle management. The connectivity network between edge applications and endpoints is also changing. Traditionally, the network was wired, but increasingly Wi-Fi and 5G are becoming common, because they provide flexibility, mobility, and reduce cost. This is not a simple upgrade – it’s a true evolution that can yield great outcomes, but any Industrial Edge Strategy that doesn’t fully consider this evolution in connectivity will not succeed.
Solving the Enterprise Outdoor Network Challenge
Extending enterprise networks beyond the four-walls into outdoor spaces, particularly large outdoor spaces, has always been a challenge. In the past it has been simple to install a Wi-Fi access point on the side of a building and extend network access a few hundred...
