Industrial IoT Edge

Industrial IoT Edge 2.0: From Pervasive Infrastructure to Outcome-Driven Solutions

The edge of industrial internet-enabled architectures plays an increasingly critical role in determining the success of digital transformation strategies.   Initially focused on delivering timely, clean data to cloud-based applications, the industrial Internet of Things (IoT) edge has emerged as an entirely new ecosystem within the overall enterprise architecture.  

The industrial IoT edge vision has migrated from a pervasive infrastructure technology to one that emphasizes outcome-driven use cases.  This emphasis on outcomes, along with improved ease of use and self-service, are some of the most prominent characteristics of what ARC calls Industrial IoT Edge 2.0.

Escalating Compute and Store Requirements Drive Broad Spectrum of Edge Functionality

The emerging industrial IoT edge ecosystem is much richer and more nuanced than any MES or network infrastructure layer or site of IT/OT convergence.  This expanding tier of the architecture represents a functional spectrum ranging from device connectivity to development, deployment, management, visualization, and execution of applications critical to achieving incremental business improvement and competitive advantage

Originally viewed as the boundary between IT and OT, the scope of the industrial IoT edge continues to evolve.  Escalating requirements for edge-to-cloud connectivity, as well as compute power and storage to serve edge computing requirements, are driving further evolution.  Edge devices of all types, including edge servers, network infrastructure devices, and endpoints, continue to realize ongoing price/performance improvements - furthering the convergence of compute/connect and continued downward migration of edge processing.