Dell Technologies and Microsoft have launched an integrated ‘internet of things’ (IoT) offering to simplify management, enhance security and reduce the cost of edge devices in industrial settings. The solution is targeted at predictive maintenance and supply chain monitoring, among industrial IoT use cases.
The pair has combined Microsoft’s Azure edge computing application, which extends cloud computing to IoT edge devices, with VMWare’s Pulse IoT Center, the device management platform in the middle, and Dell’s edge gateways, running dual-core Intel Atom processors, which connect sundry IoT devices and systems.
The VMWare platform, described as the glue in the stack, simplifies the process to deploy Azure to edge systems. While the solution is optimised for Dell edge gateways, it can also manage, monitor and secure certified combination of gateways and edge systems with the latest patches and updates, as well as monitor the health of connected devices, Dell said.
By combing their edge computing, device management and gateway solutions in a pre-packaged industrial IoT stack, enterprises will be better positioned to deploy advanced techniques such as artificial intelligence (AI) and real-time decision in manufacturing and supply chain scenarios, whilst also managing and monitoring their assets.
Chris Wolff, head of OEM and IoT GTM at Dell EMC, said: “When we unveiled the Dell IoT division last fall, we committed to leaning on the Dell family of businesses to engineer the right solutions to meet customer needs in conjunction with our partner ecosystem. This collaboration will enable customers to implement IoT more seamlessly, for better and faster ROI.”
Ruston Panabaker, vice president of IoT Solutions at Microsoft, added: “When businesses deploy secure intelligent edge to cloud solutions, they can take full advantage of the digital transformation opportunities IoT represents. By delivering this integrated edge to cloud solution, Microsoft and Dell are making it easier for customers to empower their employees, optimize operations and reimagine their products, services or even business models.”
The Dell-Microsoft industrial IoT combo will be available in the second half of 2018.
The announcement is the latest in a rush solutions from tech providers around industrial IoT edge computing, allowing customers to run enterprise IT in close proximity to their operational technology (OT) environments and factory equipment. Finnish vendor Nokia unveiled a new cloud data centre for edge computing last month, supporting industrial automation functions and on-site data processing.
Separately, Swiss firm ABB has partnered with Hewlett Packard Enterprise to launch a new micro-modular data centre to handle data processing at the network edge in smart factory environments. Its new ‘secure edge data centre’ (SEDC), designed for industrial settings.
