Self-Learning Series Part 1: Understanding NativeEdge
Fri, 13 Oct 2023 11:52:00 -0000
|Read Time: 0 minutes
We are experiencing a fundamental design shift, driven by a perfect storm that is occurring at the edge. First, we are seeing massive amounts of data being created by data sources, from sensors, robotics, video, and other devices, most of which never existed until recently.
Second, a new generation of technology has matured which enables us to derive value from that data in near real time. Technologies such as AI and machine learning, paired with small form factor computing and low latency 5G networking, enable us to capture, curate, analyze, and act faster than ever before. Multicloud has also matured to the point where companies can leverage any cloud platform for monitoring, reporting, and model training.
Most importantly, unique challenges require a new approach to the edge. The diversity of hardware and environments makes testing, integrating, deploying, and managing hardware and associated software a critical design point. Edge application workloads are challenging because they must support diverse use cases like computer vision in manufacturing or inventory management in retail. Large-scale geo-distributed locations such as retail stores and distribution centers elevate business-level concerns surrounding security, support, and efficient distributed systems operations.
Addressing the Challenges at the Edge
The edge, by its very nature, has unique challenges. Together, data and the technologies that capture it are defining a new set of challenges, implications, and constraints that are fundamentally different than those involved with core datacenter and cloud models.
- Due to environmental diversity, lifecycle management of hardware and its associated software becomes difficult, and large-scale edge deployments become a significant challenge. Complexities range from the type of network connections to the level of ruggedization and configurations.
- OT workloads at the edge need to support both legacy and next-generation workloads deployed in various forms, such as virtual machines (VMs), containers, and serverless designs. The technology underpinnings must be stable, secure, and highly available to meet the needs of these "edge-native" apps.
- Distributed edge deployments, such as those found in retail outlets and distribution centers, elevate business-level concerns around security, support, and efficient distributed systems operations. Physical and logical security is crucial as the attack surface of an organization massively expands. Zero-trust security concepts must be applied from the supplier network to the production floor.
- Managing these distributed systems in locations without technical personnel must be simple, scalable, and facilitate easy repairs. Systems must be fundamentally zero-touch once plugged in and powered on.
- Secure operations, including the ability to deploy and secure workloads anywhere, and to centrally monitor and report on technical and business-level changes, is another critical concern at the edge. Application orchestration solutions designed for edge deployments must be able to deploy these operations workloads to the cloud of their choice.
Attempts to solve edge challenges with use-case-specific, bespoke solutions have resulted in technology silos that become operational nightmares as use cases and workloads increase over time.
These challenges are driving business and technology requirements towards a new approach—one that avoids these operational roadblocks.
The New Frontier of your Edge Strategy
At Dell, we’re changing how we approach these challenges by creating a new management and orchestration platform for the edge.
This new approach allows us to tackle these edge challenges and avoid the case-by-case solutions that result in technology silos that are difficult to scale and manage. We understand that edge infrastructure management is a large undertaking for any organization.
There is a need to reimagine edge management operations whereby enterprises can orchestrate the entire lifecycle management of applications, anywhere and anytime. They need to be empowered to scale their edge operations with consistency and security for any use case. They must be able to simplify their operations, optimize their edge investment, and secure their distributed edge estate easily.
Simply extending traditional IT and datacenter-centric practices to manage your edge estate does not work. We need a new approach to address the unique challenges at the edge.
We’ll get you started by breaking down these challenges and their solutions to help improve the application lifecycle management, and to elevate the efficiency of OT and IT teams and their collaborative productivity.
The New Approach is Ready for Action
Dell NativeEdge is an edge operations software platform that helps businesses securely scale their edge management across their distributed edge estate. NativeEdge centralizes edge management across locations, automates operations, offers flexibility with its open design, enables zero-trust security, and provides multicloud connectivity. With NativeEdge, enterprises across various industries can securely power any edge application, anywhere, to achieve their specific business goals.
The platform also prioritizes partnerships and leverages a broad ecosystem of independent software vendors, system integrators, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), and channel partners to deliver tailored solutions to customers through their preferred technology providers.
NativeEdge is designed to be cost-effective by offering subscription-based or software-as-a-service (SaaS) options.
The platform streamlines edge management across different industries, including but not limited to: retail, manufacturing, energy, digital cities, and healthcare. While it can be used to deploy and manage a small edge environment (a single edge site with just a few edge compute endpoints), it seamlessly scales up for deploying and operating more complex edge compute estates (multiple edge sites with many edge compute endpoints).
Orchestration
At the center of NativeEdge is the orchestrator, which supports edge operations such as application orchestration, fleet management, and life cycle management. Packaged as Helm charts, the NativeEdge Orchestrator can be deployed anywhere a dedicated Kubernetes cluster exists. For example, the Kubernetes cluster can be on-premise inside a VM or bare-metal server. Once the NativeEdge Orchestrator is deployed, customers can easily add NativeEdge-enabled Devices into the edge estate with secure device onboarding and zero-touch provisioning.
To learn more about how to simplify edge operations at scale, click here to see an interactive flip-book.
Automation
With the industry’s broadest portfolio of edge infrastructure hardware and our industry-leading secure supply chain, we can digitally sign and certify hardware in the factory. The chain starts at first power-on, which automates the deployment and configuration of the edge infrastructure that is managed by NativeEdge while ensuring a zero-trust chain of custody.
Users are able to eliminate operational complexity at scale with centralized management using blueprint-based deployment, zero-touch provisioning, automated onboarding operations of infrastructure, and applications from edge to multicloud.
This new paradigm eliminates supply chain risks and integration failures. It ensures that the entire solution is consistently installed properly and helps consolidate multiple applications and use cases into one architecture. Users can apply automated workflows simultaneously to thousands of devices across all locations.
To learn more about how to improve productivity and efficiency, click here to see an interactive flip-book.
Design
Built on an open design, NativeEdge offers the flexibility to choose the independent software vendor (ISV) and cloud environment for edge application workloads. You can centrally and consistently deploy containerized and virtual applications using blueprints to work with your choice of IoT framework and OT vendor.
Make the most of your edge investments using an open design that works with software applications, IoT frameworks, multi-vendor operations technology solutions, and multicloud environments. Users can reduce proof-of-concept development time and deliver a consistent experience across multiple hardware form factors and price points.
To learn more about how to optimize your edge investment, click here to see an interactive flip-book.
Security
All of these benefits mean absolutely nothing if they compromise an enterprise's security. The distributed nature of the edge and lack of technical staff make security and compliance the most business-critical pieces, determining the viability of any edge plan.
The platform is built from the ground up with zero-trust security principles. We alleviate security fears by delivering a platform that ensures the integrity of edge hardware from design to deployment, including within the supply chain, to protect applications and data through hardened blueprints and digitally signed package validation.
In many cases, local skilled resources are not available at the start of onboarding, which causes delays. NativeEdge only requires the skills needed to plug in and power on a device, and then automation takes care of everything else.
Zero trust is a security and network paradigm that seeks to prevent a violation of trust through users, applications, or devices.
- Zero trust focuses on authenticating, authorizing, and protecting these individual users, applications, and devices, irrespective of their physical or network location.
- Zero trust allows administrators to create users and assign role-based access control.
To learn more about how to secure with zero trust, click here to see an interactive flip-book.
Conclusion
Our goal for NativeEdge is to help customers securely scale their edge operations and to support any use case or combination of use cases, by enabling them to simplify their operations, optimize their investment, and secure their entire edge estate.
This new approach simplifies operations through integrated automation processes to streamline edge deployment and operations at scale, without relying on IT expertise in the field. NativeEdge does so with centralized management, zero-touch deployment and onboarding, and automated operations.
Our strong history of industry technology partnerships at the edge has resulted in a strong edge ecosystem that can leverage the open, vendor-agnostic design of the platform, enabling customers to optimize their edge investment. We support existing and new edge use cases with an open design that works with users' choice of software applications, IoT frameworks, OT vendor solutions, and multicloud environments. We put the customers in the driver’s seat to control their edge, and to not get locked into closed or vertically integrated vendor ecosystems.
Additional Resources
To learn more about NativeEdge features and benefits, click on the following links:
- NativeEdge - Interactive Guide
- Introduction to the Dell NativeEdge Software Platform - White Paper
- Blog - Dell NativeEdge Platform Empowers Secure Application Delivery
- Dell NativeEdge Product Page
- Video: NativeEdge in Action
- Forbes Article - Unleashing Innovation: Exploring the Intersection of DevOps and the Edge
- Interactive Demo: Dell NativeEdge
This blog is a part of a self-learning series. For more information on NativeEdge, go to:
Related Blog Posts
Unlocking the Power of AI-Assisted DevEdgeOps Automation
Wed, 27 Mar 2024 18:13:00 -0000
|Read Time: 0 minutes
In today's digital landscape, the expansion of edge computing has transformed how data is processed and managed. However, with this evolution comes the challenge of managing and maintaining numerous edge deployments efficiently. DevEdgeOps is a shift-left approach that moves operational tasks to an earlier stage. This approach facilitates collaboration between IT and OT streamlining edge operations. By integrating AI-assisted techniques into DevEdgeOps practices, organizations can unlock stacks of benefits, ranging from increased productivity to improved operational efficiency.
“The automation process using infrastructure as code (IaC) is complex, especially when it comes to highly distributed edge environments. It must be balanced with the requirements of edge operating environments which are different than IT. Gen AI and Copilot-based edge automation development tools can reduce the development process of that automation code and help to meet the requirements of edge operations workloads.” says Nati Shalom, Fellow at Dell NativeEdge, introducing the topic in his blog Edge-AI trends in 2024.
In a recent study by McKinsey, it indicates a potential improvement of up to 56 percent in productivity. DevEdgeOps advocates for reducing that complexity using a shift-left approach where production issues can be identified earlier during the development phase.
Figure 1. The benefits of using Gen AI as a coding assistant (Copilot) (Source: McKinsey)
Simplifying Complex Tasks with Automation
One of the primary advantages of leveraging AI in DevEdgeOps is the ability to automate and optimize complex tasks associated with edge operations. Traditional methods of managing edge environments often involve manual interventions, which are time consuming and error prone. AI-powered automation tools can streamline these processes by intelligently analyzing data patterns, predicting potential issues, and automating corrective actions. This reduces the burden on IT teams, minimizes the risk of downtime, and improves system reliability.
A case in point was the recent winner of the Dell Hackathon, Rachel Shalom, from the NativeEdge team. In her article DevOps Made Easy with Gen AI, she explores the integration of Gen AI into DevOps practices, simplifying and optimizing the development process. By leveraging Gen AI's capabilities, developers can automate tasks such as code generation, testing, and deployment, reducing time-to-market and enhancing efficiency. Through Rachel’s real-world example, she illustrates how Gen AI streamlines DevOps workflows, empowers teams to focus on innovation, and fosters collaboration between development and operations teams.
Regarding data and modeling insights, Rachel writes “You might be wondering, why not use Copilot or a commercial GPT for queries right off the bat? We gave that a shot, but it fell short of our specific need to generate configuration files. This was mainly because our proprietary internal data was not familiar to the model, leading us to the necessity of fine-tuning with a private GPT-3.5.”
A Proactive Approach to Edge Management
AI-assisted DevEdgeOps enables organizations to adopt a proactive approach to edge management. By leveraging predictive analytics and machine learning algorithms, businesses can anticipate and prevent potential issues before they escalate into critical failures. This proactive approach enhances system resilience and enables organizations to allocate resources more effectively, which optimizes operational costs.
Rapid Development and Deployment
AI-driven DevEdgeOps facilitates rapid development and deployment of edge applications. Traditional development processes often struggle to keep pace with the dynamic nature of edge computing, resulting in delays and inefficiencies. By harnessing Gen AI capabilities such as Copilot-based development tools, organizations can accelerate the development life cycle, reduce time-to-market, and stay ahead of the competition. This enhances agility and allows businesses to capitalize on emerging opportunities more effectively.
Reducing Costs with Automation
In addition to operational benefits, AI-assisted DevEdgeOps can also drive significant cost savings for organizations. The McKinsey study referenced earlier highlights the potential for a 56 percent improvement in productivity through the adoption of AI-driven automation. By automating repetitive tasks, optimizing resource utilization, and minimizing downtime, businesses can achieve substantial cost reductions while maximizing the return on investment (ROI) of their edge investments.
Furthermore, AI-assisted DevEdgeOps fosters innovation by empowering organizations to focus on value-added activities rather than repetitive mundane operational tasks. By automating routine maintenance, troubleshooting, and provisioning activities, IT teams can devote more time and resources to innovation-driven initiatives that drive business growth and competitive advantage. This enhances organizational agility and fosters a culture of continuous improvement and innovation.
Conclusion
The benefits of automating edge operations with AI-assisted DevEdgeOps are undeniable. By leveraging AI capabilities to streamline processes, enhance proactive management, accelerate development, and drive cost savings, organizations can unlock the full potential of their edge deployments. As the digital landscape continues to evolve, embracing AI-driven automation in DevEdgeOps will be essential for organizations looking to stay competitive, agile, and resilient in the face of the ever-changing demands.
References
Self-Learning Series Part 4: Explore the Open Design and Platform Architecture
Sun, 19 Nov 2023 14:53:00 -0000
|Read Time: 0 minutes
Edge has a unique set of challenges that require a new way of architecting to solve them. Edge computing is a distributed computing paradigm where data processing is performed closer to the data source or "edge" of the network, rather than relying solely on centralized cloud servers.
An open design fosters a culture of innovation and collaboration. It promotes flexibility and a more future-proof approach to edge computing. However, it's essential to carefully evaluate the specific requirements of the edge computing environment and choose the approach that best aligns with the organization's goals and constraints.
In this blog, we will help you understand how to get the most out of edge investments using an open design that works with software applications, IoT frameworks, multi-vendor operations technology solutions, and multicloud environments of your choice. This will allow you to consolidate technology silos and deliver consistent management experience across devices with connectivity out of the box.
A Unique Set of Challenges
When edge computing lacks an open design, it can face several challenges, including:
- Vendor Lock-In—Without open standards and interoperability, organizations may become locked into a specific vendor's proprietary solutions. This limits flexibility, hinders innovation, and leads to higher costs.
- Lack of Ecosystem—A closed system can stifle competition, reducing options and potentially raising prices.
- Security Concerns—Closed, proprietary systems may lack transparency, making it more difficult to assess and improve security.
- Scalability—Scalability is critical for edge computing, as the number of edge devices and their diversity can vary widely. Closed systems are more rigid and make it difficult to scale.
As a result, closed systems may limit the ability of developers and organizations to innovate and create customized edge computing solutions.
What Is Multicloud by Design?
Multicloud by design, also known as a multi-cloud strategy or multi-cloud architecture, is an intentional approach to utilizing multiple cloud service providers for various aspects of an organization's computing needs. In this strategy, a company deliberately chooses to use two or more cloud platforms, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud Platform (GCP) to meet specific business requirements.
While multicloud offers numerous benefits, it also introduces complexities in terms of management, orchestration, and security. Organizations need to plan their multi-cloud strategy carefully, including workload placement, data synchronization, network configurations, and security measures, to ensure a successful and efficient implementation. Specialized tools and services designed for managing multi-cloud environments can assist in these efforts.
Watch the following video on how to optimize your edge investment:
A New Way of Architecting
Built on an open design, Dell NativeEdge offers the flexibility to choose the ISV applications and cloud environments for your edge application workloads. You can centrally and consistently deploy containerized and virtual applications using blueprints to work with your choice of IoT frameworks and OT vendors. Like everything else from Dell, NativeEdge is multicloud by design, enabling you to deploy applications across and new or existing environment.
Here are a few advantages of using an open design system:
- Flexibility—Open architectures allow organizations to choose from a variety of hardware, software, and services. This flexibility is particularly important in the dynamic edge computing environment, where the diversity of devices and use cases can vary.
- Avoiding Vendor Lock-In—With open designs, organizations are less likely to become locked into a single vendor's proprietary solutions. This reduces the risks associated with vendor dependency and enables businesses to switch or integrate different technologies more easily.
- Cost-Effectiveness—Open design often leads to cost-effective solutions. Open-source software and standards can reduce licensing fees and minimize the need for expensive proprietary hardware, helping organizations optimize their budgets.
- Scalability—Open architectures are typically designed with scalability in mind, making it easier to expand edge computing solutions as requirements grow or change.
- Security and Transparency—Open-source projects are transparent, allowing users to inspect the source code for security vulnerabilities. Community review and contributions help identify and address security issues promptly.
- Ecosystem Growth—An open design fosters a broader ecosystem of complementary software and hardware solutions, enhancing the availability of tools and services that can be integrated into the edge computing environment.
Edge Partner Ecosystem
We are working with partners to co-engineer and develop solutions that include software, partner intellectual property, products, and services. Dell also has some of the biggest, longest-standing partnerships in the industry with companies like Microsoft, Intel, and VMware.
When market-leading companies team together to create and offer validated, proven reference architectures, then we can help you mitigate risk and accelerate your time to revenue.
As an example, with NativeEdge, the Dell Validated Design for Manufacturing Edge using Telit Cinterion can be implemented and brought to market quicker, allowing for faster and more secure deployment, lower costs, increased security, and more reliable and repetitive outcomes based on the blueprints implemented. This allows for:
- Quicker data collection and analysis when deployed on-premises
- Increased integration of information from existing assets across all NativeEdge-enabled Devices
- Simpler configuration
- Simplified connection of devices
By removing the complexity of deployment and adding the element of application-level lifecycle management, NativeEdge reduces the amount of physical touch required and creates a repeatable deployment process at scale.
Dell Technologies will continue to foster partnerships to develop open software that enables interoperability and ease of operations while avoiding being locked into expensive, proprietary technologies that limit your ability to innovate and create. For more information, visit our Edge Ecosystem.
Watch the following video: Power management company optimizes edge investments for success
Conclusion
Make the most of edge investments by using an open design that works with software applications, IoT frameworks, multi-vendor operations technology solutions, and multicloud environments. This enables you to deploy applications across new or existing environments. NativeEdge will support each edge use case with an open design that works with your choice of software applications, IoT frameworks, OT vendor solutions, and multicloud environments.
Dell Technologies is going to enable its existing strong edge ecosystem of partners to leverage the open, vendor-agnostic design, allowing customers to optimize their edge investment. This way, we can put the customer in the driver’s seat to control their edge.
To learn more about how to simplify edge operations at scale, click here to see an interactive flip-book.
Additional Resources
To learn more about NativeEdge Application Orchestration, click on the following links:
This blog is a part of a self-learning series. For more information on NativeEdge, go to: