The Cloud has fundamentally changed the way organisations across a range of sectors design, manage, and scale their IT infrastructure. In many cases, this has allowed them to stay abreast of unexpected shifts in the digital landscape while retaining full control of ongoing costs and turning their growing volumes of data into a powerful source of business insights. But when it comes to digital transformation, there's no such thing as a one-size-fits-all solution. At Vysiion, we've seen this over and over again throughout our work with organisations operating in some of the harshest environments, with some of the most rigorous security and compliance requirements.
In many such cases, where critical applications and data need to be available in as close to real-time as possible, the only answer is to locate hardware at the edge, which naturally limits opportunities for Cloud transformation. However, now more than ever, technology tends to evolve to fulfil the most specific requirements, especially when organisations and their technology partners work in close collaboration to drive new innovations. In fact, we may already be seeing such solutions emerging in response to these singular requirements…
Hyperconverged Infrastructure opens the door
to next-gen hybrid Cloud
Azure Stack HCI, for example, offers a new approach to Cloud transformation that enables specific systems to be maintained at the edge, where necessary – a true hybrid approach that allows Cloud platforms to be seamlessly integrated with edge computing environments to achieve the desired functionality.
The use of containerisation and virtual machines offers a level of control and flexibility that would be difficult, if not impossible, to execute exclusively with on-premises systems, while still ensuring data sovereignty and compliance obligations can be met. For additional layers of security and resilience, integration with Azure Security Center and Azure Defender is available, along with built-in redundancy.
All of this can be manged through a centralised control panel, allowing for complete visibility of operations and data flows, even for the most remote locations.
This approach has huge implications for AI and IoT projects at the edge, allowing for real-time monitoring and analytics, combined with intelligent automation of routine processes to maximise operational efficiency.
But, once again, this is not without its limitations, as standard hardware is rarely suitable for the harshest, most challenging environments – such as military zones, highly remote energy sites (e.g. oil rigs and offshore windfarms), or industrial conditions – which may make Azure Stack HCI challenging to implement.
Is ruggedised Azure HCI the ultimate edge computing solution for Defence, CNI, and Manufacturing?
It is clear that Azure Stack HCI's potential across these sectors is enormous. We must therefore consider how it can be implemented in such a way as to access all the possible benefits, while still maintaining the security and resilience of critical infrastructure in situations when environmental conditions may lead to failures.
However, based on a range of ongoing conversations with our customers and technology partners, we would argue that such measures are already available. By combining Azure HCI's full range of capabilities with high-quality, ruggedised hardware, true 'always-on' operations can be established, with seamless, highly secure flows of critical data between edge devices and the Cloud.
Whatever environments you operate in, and whatever your digital goals are at the edge, in the Cloud, or both, do not hesitate to contact us. Drawing on our deep experience designing bespoke digital transformation solutions to the most rigorous specifications, our teams will work closely with you to achieve your long-term goals, and so help establish a new standard of digital best practice across the most challenging sectors.
Cyber-Secured Engineering
This brochure sets out the Exponential-e Group's pedigree across the CNI sector, and our full range of capabilities, with real-life case studies of our ongoing work with leaders and innovators across the sector.
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With manufacturing now officially incorporated into the UK's CNI sector, its overall levels of resilience and security must be reconsidered, incorporating best practice and technical innovations from other companies from across the sector (i.e. utilities and transport firms).
A key aspect of this will involve expanding manufacturers' definition of resilience beyond the safety and performance of physical machines to the integrity of the growing volumes of data generated on-site, and the cross-site connections that are increasingly powering tomorrow's interconnected workflows.
This is more than just a 'nice to have'. The recently announced Cyber Security and Resilience Bill is just the latest step in governments around the world taking proactive steps to secure public services – and the digital platforms and supply chains that support them – in an increasingly turbulent geopolitical landscape. As we close out Critical Infrastructure Security Month, the need for new standards of security and resilience across the entire CNI sector has never been higher, so let's explore the steps manufacturers can take to proactively establish this across their operations.
Optimising the resilience of manufacturing data lakes
The rise of 'smart' technologies within manufacturing operations is transforming the sector's workflows, but also significantly increasing the volumes of data that must now be stored and managed in full compliance with all CNI regulations, including the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill, EU NIS 2, and eCAF. Storing these large volumes of structured and unstructured data onsite will likely prove impractical, introducing a serious financial and operational burden, but at the same time, the need for real-time visibility of manufacturing operations, along with increasingly complex security and compliance challenges, means a full-scale move to the Cloud will not necessarily be viable.
Colocation offers an alternative way forward here, offering manufacturers a single answer to a range of data hosting challenges. By relocating specific volumes of data to dedicated space in external, geographically dispersed data centres, while keeping others on-site – potentially as part of a wider hybrid Cloud strategy – manufacturers will enjoy a whole new level of flexibility in terms of how they store and manage their data that will, in turn, bring them up to the standards of operational resilience that CNI demands.
Of course, putting all this into practice requires a world-class hosting environment…Enter your text here...
How Vysiion are providing the foundation for more resilient manufacturing across the UK
This is why Vysiion continues to maintain our presence in the Tier III Ark data centres – the Government's hosting environment of choice and the only data centres with pan-government accreditation at all security levels. As an active presence in these highly secure, eco-friendly hosting environments, we have helped organisations across a range of sectors develop approaches to data hosting that support the most complex workflows and compliance obligations, offering hands-on support throughout the migration process to minimise any disruption. This includes connections to the secure private networks utilised across manufacturing operations, where necessary.
Our presence in the Ark data centres, combined with our deep experience around 'smart' technologies, the ongoing convergence of IT and OT, and the manufacturing sector's unique workflows and operational models – plus comprehensive cyber security capabilities – means we are able to help you manage your data in the way that best suits your operations, your budget, and your evolving compliance obligations.
Just contact us if you would like to discuss your own manufacturing operations' data hosting requirements in greater depth.
Cyber-Secured Engineering
This brochure sets out the Exponential-e Group's pedigree across the CNI sector, and our full range of capabilities, with real-life case studies of our ongoing work with leaders and innovators across the sector.
455 Hits
Manufacturing workflows are evolving at an unprecedented rate, and the trend shows no signs of slowing down. The increasing effectiveness and affordability of 'smart' technologies and the Internet of Things means IT and OT are increasingly interconnected, with increasing volumes of data flowing between sites and devices on an ongoing basis.
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The past few years have been challenging for the global Manufacturing sector, with both Brexit and COVID-19 creating a wide range of operational disruptions whose impact is still being felt. Indeed, as recently as January 2023, we saw UK manufacturing shrinking for the sixth consecutive month1.
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