In modern industrial environments, stakeholders have to think about scaling their existing infrastructure while also ensuring their legacy infrastructure is maintained. Distributed connectivity has become an essential tool, and remote infrastructure management is essential for organizations that have distributed networks, especially in cases where they have different devices deployed over a large geographical area.
Leading The Pack
Industrial leaders like Bosch and Schneider electrical have, in the past decade, invested a lot in the deployment of connected systems and processes across numerous industries.
Doing so has enabled these industries to take advantage of technologies like the Internet of Things while seeing benefits like optimized and streamlined operations, increasing productivity, and better environmental safety.
Companies need robust but manageable networks that provide access to operational data in real-time. By doing so, they can use various devices, including IoT ones, to optimize performance, monitor equipment, and reduce costs.
The Challenge
Even understanding these benefits and the need for distributed connectivity there are still some challenges industries have to overcome. A crucial one is that the establishment and management of access to a network in mobile and remote sites are time-consuming, difficult to coordinate, and costly.
Understanding all this, let us now look at how industries are overcoming these challenges.
Overcoming Industrial Environments
To take advantage of IoT, companies must deploy and manage sensors and other equipment for remote monitoring. This equipment has to be installed close to the source of operational data for it to be of optimal benefit.
The problem is that industrial environments are quite challenging. In addition to high temperatures and poor climatic operating conditions, those installing these systems must think about overcoming the challenges that come with dirt and dust.
Equipment that can withstand these conditions and reduce the number of deployed resources can help overcome and reduce the cost of operating in these environments. For example, the use of an industrial cellular router that is built to withstand these harsh conditions can ensure reliable connectivity while also reducing the need for additional networking equipment.
Virtualized operating systems can also help concentrate resources, so you only have one computer or server handling all data and networking needs. Doing so not only introduces resiliency by reducing vulnerabilities but also ensures scalability and ease of maintenance.
Scaling Networks At Remote Sites
The other challenge industrial companies have to overcome is how to scale their networking access in remote locations and sites. The ability to connect remotely in these circumstances allows companies to adopt and take advantage of IoT faster.
When companies can ensure there is network access across all industrial locations as well as remote sites, they can use the data collected from all these locations to ensure safety, improve quality control and equipment maintenance, optimize operations, and ensure their workers have safe working conditions.
Some solutions to overcoming this challenge include using equipment that can withstand harsh industrial conditions, finding connectivity options that allow for the lowest latency, and ensuring transparent and secure connections between all devices.
While there are benefits to scaling industrial networking, it is often quite challenging due to the location of some plants. Remote infrastructure management stands out as the obvious solution, although it too has some challenges that companies must overcome.
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