Securing Edge Of The Transformation Journey

Security is the second challenge. Edge deployments create new threat vectors and greatly expand the attack surface. Systems that are not located in a traditional data center need to be protected from all foundation applications, operating environments, and workloads.

The third challenge is management. How do you manage thousands of edge devices? It is possible to manage all of them from one central location. One device can be connected to several edge devices. This allows for batch updates without any need for manual intervention. A common platform that is centered around K3s allows one to deploy and update the container platform efficiently and effectively. This ensures resilience as consistency is not guaranteed for edge deployments.

How can companies manage security risks?

Security must be an invisible thread that runs through the entire environment. It must be integrated throughout the entire lifecycle management.

The onboarding process must be secure. Resilience must be integrated into the edge infrastructure. It must be easy to deploy in order to make it secure. Practically speaking, if there are three edge nodes on a site and you need to add another, it doesn’t take a team of IT professionals. It is about shipping the box to the site, and having someone physically plug it in. The node can then be updated remotely from a central location.

This manages the entire lifecycle. Any updates are made remotely to the node connected to the cluster. This is an integral part in navigating security risk. It requires a zero trust security approach. This is a practical way to manage the risk associated with edge deployments and mitigate them. Models that don’t trust by default are mandatory due to the increasing number of devices found in edge environments, and the insufficiencies in traditional verification methods.

Unlocking the power of edge

These challenges will allow enterprises to deploy IoT devices on a scale far greater than traditional infrastructure if they are overcome. This scale is possible to be secured.

The industrial IoT area is a great place to start to see the potential, from remote monitoring and remote maintenance to predictive maintenance.

A device that predicts how long a sawblade will last can be installed in a lumber factory. This can reduce the number of people required to maintain it and increase its lifespan. This device uses edge devices to provide timely analytics that can help reduce costs and increase productivity.

Analytics value will increase for businesses through the use of real-time analytics and the ability to harness previously lost data. This includes the ability to identify inefficiencies and eliminate them from the supply chain. Edge computing will bring applications closer to end-users for an enhanced user experience. Edge computing presents many benefits for customers and enterprises, but there are also risks that security may not keep pace with digital transformation.

Enterprises must address the issues of scale and deploy solutions that integrate security and resilience into their core infrastructure if they are to be successful in the fast-growing journey to the edge.