Industry 4.0: Minimizing Downtime Risk with Resilient Edge Computing

LEGACY CONTENT: This content is older yet still valid and provides valuable insights. However, it may contain data and/or messaging written under different technological or market circumstances. ------ Industry 4.0 makes manufacturing “smart” through emerging technology innovations such as data analytics, autonomous robotics, and AI. These technologies drive increased productivity and performance throughout the value chain. These data-driven innovations require information technology (IT) systems deployed on-premise, often referred to as edge IT or edge computing. This edge IT can increase the risk of downtime for automation systems in some cases. Choosing IT enclosures designed for manufacturing environments and investing in proper power and cooling infrastructure can address the unique challenges of edge IT deployments in manufacturing environments. In this paper, we describe manufacturing environments, the cost of downtime, and the unique challenges in deploying industrial edge IT. We also provide best practices to ensure resilient edge computing by minimizing the risk of downtime.