The notion of ecosystem development is a recurring part of the edge conversation. The idea is that a diversity of technologies and use cases need to be developed, requiring buy-in and coordination between not just technology vendors and network operators but also the end users who have unique problems. Similar technology can be brought to bear for AI-based video analytics for manufacturing quality control and access control for a commercial high-rise, but the buyer will have specific requirements related to its own IT structure, desired outcome, security and so forth.
Writing about the IBM Edge Ecosystem in a recent blog, Evaristus Mainsah, GM of the Cloud Paks Ecosystem, noted that, “making the promise of edge a reality requires an open ecosystem with diverse participants.” The goal of its ecosystem development play is enable customers “to move data and applications seamlessly between private data centers, hybrid multi-cloud environments and the edge…IBM business partners can help their clients take advantage of 5G while acting on insights closer to where data is created by people, places and things.”
Specific edge products announced at IBM Think Digital include:
- IBM Edge Application Manager to operate AI, analytics and IoT workloads; a single administrator can manage up to 10,000 edge nodes at the same time, according to the company.
- A range of edge apps and services for sets of vertical use cases, including IBM Visual Insights, IBM Production Optimization, IBM Connected Manufacturing, IBM Asset Optimization, IBM Maximo Worker Insights and IBM Visual Inspector.
- And the IBM Telco Network Cloud Manager for automated orchestration of virtualized network functions.
Core to the edge value proposition is near real-time ability to process data, largely data collected from IoT devices which run the gamut from HD cameras and motion sensors to drones and manufacturing robotics. Point being, 5G is complex and enabling the edge through a combination of distributed and centralized computing resources is just another vector of complexity.
As IBM’s Marisa Viveros, vice president of strategy and offerings, Telecom, Media and Entertainment Industry, IBM Industry Platform, put it in a blog, in order to deliver innovative new 5G services, service providers “need to act quickly as 5G becomes more available…As we advance into the world of 5G, providers will need to transform their networks into hybrid multi-cloud platforms that can support large volumes of data and that can rapidly adapt to new challenges.”
To get an idea of what this looks like in practice, IBM is working Singaporean carrier M1 and Samsung to trial 5G for manufacturing, including the use of AI and augmented reality for things like video analytics and predictive maintenance. Singapore has identified several key verticals for 5G adoption — including healthcare, manufacturing and maritime — and has set aside SG$40 million to develop the necessary supporting infrastructure and ecosystem.
Reflecting on IBM’s telco cloud and edge announcements in a piece published by Forbes, Will Townsend, senior analyst, Carriers and Enterprise Networking, at Moor Insights and Strategy, described the company’s goal as creating “blueprints to speed operator deployment of 5G edge-enabled solutions that have the potential to drive disruption in manufacturing, supply chain management, and more. IBM has incredible depth from a services perspective, and I expect that operators will see the value.”
