Data centre company ITRenew and ‘edge-to-edge networking’ provider Vapor IO have devised a way for enterprises to run on-premise computing without the need for on-site data centres or IT equipment. The solution replaces enterprise-based IT equipment with a “near-premise” equivalent, delivered as a service.
The pair are pitching the solution to the industrial space, and particularly the sweet spot between 5G and Industry 4.0, calling it an ‘easy button’ for enterprises to get ahead with higher-end digital change. Cole Crawford, founder and chief executive at Vapor IO, commented: “We’re offering an ‘easy button’ for enterprise adoption of 5G and Industry 4.0 applications.”
The companies said their solution reduces IT costs, boosts sustainability, and affords an efficient way for enterprises to adopt “cloud robotics, private 5G, IoT, and other Industry 4.0 innovations”, while avoiding major cap-ex investments.
ITRenew and Vapor IO said they have “pioneered” a new category of edge-cloud IT called “near-premises”. Really, the proposed setup looks like a regional edge arrangement, or even a multi-access edge compute (MEC) variant without piggybacking on cellular network infrastructure.
Their strategy, which leverages ITRenew’s Sesame line of compute and storage solutions and Vapor IO’s “edge-to-edge” colocation and interconnection services, is to locate and operate IT equipment up to 10 miles from enterprise facilities, while achieving performance that rivals on-site (far-edge) data centres.
The duo are offering the service in Atlanta, Dallas, Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Pittsburgh, with plans for expansion across the US. They are targeting various enterprise verticals, they said, including hospitals, manufacturers, and retailers, claiming to lower barriers-to-entry and accelerate time-to-value for enterprises adopting Industry 4.0.
They suggested enterprises find 5G and Industry 4.0 initiatives are “too complex, risky, or financially prohibitive”. A statement said: “[We] have come together to solve these challenges with an integrated computing, storage, and networking platform that empowers organizations.”
Ali Fenn, president at ITRenew, commented: “Enterprises everywhere are hungry for 5G and Industry 4.0 applications that can help them automate and do more with less. The combination of Vapor IO’s intelligent edge services with ITRenew’s compute and storage solutions enables not only the ease and efficiency sought by enterprise, but also unprecedented cost, value, and sustainability advantages.”
She added: “Cost-effective deployment of 5G and Industry 4.0 will be the driving force that enables companies to meet their growth, digital transformation, and decarbonization targets for the foreseeable future.”
Crawford, at Vapor IO said: “5G and Industry 4.0 will unlock trillions of dollars of economic growth for US industries, and we’re making it easy for companies to adopt these new platforms by reducing the cost and complexity of deployment. We’re making it possible to replace on-premises data centers with fully-managed, near-premises services.”
