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Edge computing is growing fast. Mike Feison, Regional Sales Director for ANZ at Stratus, says the momentum is reshaping sectors as diverse as industrial automation, travel, transport, payments, and building management across Australia and New Zealand.

Speaking to IT Jams, Feison described how edge solutions are influencing real-world industries. "Stratus has sort of four main sectors within Australia and New Zealand - industrial automation, business management and access control, travel and transport, and payments processing," he said. While industrial automation leads in edge momentum, Feison explained that other sectors often have their own edge demands, with operations in remote areas detached from central data centres or the cloud.

Feison cited manufacturing and mining sites as key adopters. "Plants consolidate their server and PC sprawl across the plant floor, moving to an 'all eggs in one basket' server-type platform," he said. He noted that digital transformation in these environments has evolved from basic virtualisation to new industrial internet of things (IoT) deployments.

He elaborated, "Industrial IoT, which is a new phenomenon, is really increasing the amount of data we're seeing. There's a real need to implement platforms at the edge to allow quick access for plant-specific decisions, but also to present gateways for data to be sent up to the cloud for modelling and workflow."

Feison added that Stratus technology is used for building management systems, such as those in correctional centres, and for transport network safety. "The platform needs to be very simple to manage and service, as you don't have IT resources in these locations," he said.

Reflecting on Stratus's four-decade history, Feison pointed out that the company was delivering edge computing before the term was even codified. "Payments have been a traditional play for Stratus, going back over the 40-year history. The edge meant then the ability to control payment devices such as ATMs and payment terminals, often replacing IBM front-end processors," he said.

Trend-wise, Feison cited a holistic movement in industrial automation. "I definitely see a movement towards a more holistic view of the plant's production process. As they move from islands of automation to implementing modern manufacturing execution systems, operational data is collected and sent to the cloud for analysis," he explained. This, he said, is key to improving productivity and innovation.

He also highlighted a shift in building management. "We're seeing virtualisation becoming more popular as we sit CCTV alongside access control and duress systems on one platform. That system has obviously got to be reliable," he said.

Feison pointed to a partnership with Gallagher Security Systems, which has adapted its platform to support COVID-19 social distancing measures in the workplace, as an example of rapid technological change during the pandemic.

In transport, he referenced work with Siemens Mobility in Australia. "They've implemented a GPS positioning solution on the Stratus platform to enable operators to accurately coordinate train movement, even in previous black spots. I think we'll see a lot more modernisation in the rail sector, with automatic train control and even driverless trains," he said.

Modernisation is also coming to payments. "Even though it's been sleeping in that area – payment switches – I think we'll see a lot of modernisation because these platforms have been there since the mid-80s. We will see things like faster payments and a move to consolidate these payment platforms, with ATM and point-of-sale control as we move to a cashless society," Feison said.

Digital transformation and Industry 4.0 are major drivers of edge innovation, he argued. "A recent Gartner report stated that 75 per cent of data will be created and processed at the edge, outside the data centre or the cloud. That's up from 10 per cent in 2018," he said, citing the rapid change in data processing trends. "IDC states the compound annual growth rate of edge computing is about 24 per cent over the next five years, with 50 per cent of new IT infrastructure to be deployed at the edge by next year," he added.

Feison believes the edge will unlock further opportunities for Industry 4.0. "I've mentioned industrial IoT and the ability to generate meaningful data and better understand the automation process. We're seeing digital twins, which are virtual mirrors of the physical environment, giving us much improved analysis and monitoring for predictive maintenance," he said.

However, challenges persist for businesses deploying edge computing in remote or rugged environments. "Connectivity back to a central location is often troublesome. These edge compute platforms really need to be adapted to provide a real-time but reliable view of your assets," Feison said, highlighting use cases in oil, gas, and electricity substations.

On the need for constant innovation, Feison said, "Our heritage has been in providing server platforms to eliminate unplanned downtime, and this is definitely our key differentiator going forward. But we have adapted these platforms to cater for specific edge environments. A plant may need a robust compute platform to control its production line that can withstand dust, heat and vibration – not suited to typical 19-inch rack mount servers."

To meet these unique requirements, Stratus has designed its ztC Edge product, a wall- or rail-mount platform with no moving parts that is self-healing and easy to manage. "It makes it ideal for these remote or industrial platforms," he said, adding, "This ztC Edge device was paramount and was awarded Frost & Sullivan's Company of the Year in 2021 for its edge infrastructure and excellence in best practices."

Stratus also participates in industry best practice initiatives and standards bodies. "We'll continue to make sure we're involved in things like security best practices with memberships of organisations like the International Society of Automation," Feison said, pointing to participation in Industry 4.0 initiatives and open process automation forums in partnership with universities and test labs.

As for the future, Feison said Stratus anticipates strong growth across all its core sectors: industrial automation, rail, payments, and security. "We're certainly being deployed now with our edge infrastructure at mining sites. Just picked up another site in remote West Australia, which really sat well with some of our new products and gave the operator visibility of the plant, even in harsh environments," he said.

He expects more deployments in rail, especially relating to automatic train control, as well as a rising focus on physical security in Australia and New Zealand, especially at remote facilities. "Physical security is becoming a critical thing for both safety and things like pandemic reasons," he said.

Feison concluded, "What we've really got to make sure is that we stay relevant with our software partners that provide a solution to the customer rather than just a hardware platform."