How Dell Technologies is Reimagining Edge Operations
The edge, in the words of Pierluca Chiodelli, VP Engineering Technology at Dell Technologies, has “always been there” in the field of computing.
Only in recent years has the technology really come to market due to the rise of real-time analysis and AI inferencing outside data centres and the cloud.
The big challenge, however, is that the edge is incredibly dispersed and very few adopters have the capabilities to maximise its full potential from an IT perspective.
“Because people adopt this technology without a very structured thinking, you end up with a lot of silos, and each one of these silos looks different,” says Chiodelli.
“You may want to create a preventative maintenance solution, but in the same place you may want to have a smart building solution. The two things don’t really speak together, so you prescribe an entire stack every time you deploy a new solution.
“That creates this problem where the edge is siloed because each solution is bespoke.”
Dell Technologies is on a mission, therefore, to reimagine edge operations, taking the challenges and turning them into opportunities.
Streamlining edge operations at scale
As mentioned, the edge introduced several unique challenges: a harsh environment; the need for hardware diversity; security; distributed and siloed systems; a lack of IT support.
Enter Dell NativeEdge, an edge operations software platform that centralises deployment and management of edge infrastructure and applications, addressing the distributed nature of the edge and improving business outcomes.
“With Dell NativeEdge, organisations can manage that complexity and streamline edge operations at scale,” adds Chiodelli.
“Also, the idea is to reduce the time to deploy new solutions. One of the barriers when adopting the edge is the fact you need to involve yourself in very wide, time-consuming proof of concept (POC) to prove the things you’re doing.
“With NativeEdge, you have a horizontal platform that allows you to have the compute, the secure infrastructure to deploy on top of that. You can carry out a POC in a matter of hours—instead of days or months—in the case of a normal solution because you have the ability to completely automate the deployment.”
Atos helps Dell integrate NativeEdge
Dell Technologies and Atos have, for many years, enjoyed a strong partnership – especially when it comes to edge computing.
The pair jointly developed SmartEdge for Business Outcomes, an end-to-end solution consisting of a technology stack and a consulting service to help enterprises across various industries achieve their desired business outcomes.
Dell NativeEdge is at the core of this stack to deploy, manage and secure the edge infrastructure, Atos analytics, the AL/ML modelling portfolio and other certified ISV applications using blueprints.
“Enterprises can take advantage of Dell NativeEdge as we deploy an entire end-to-end solution,” continues Chiodelli.
“Specifically, with the SmartEdge for Business Outcomes engagement, enterprises gain flexibility in the form of the OPEX model for financial flexibility, scaling technology and services as needed.”
Organisations also stand to gain scalability, accuracy and relevancy, with every SmartEdge for Business Outcomes engagement adapted to the individual enterprise.
“Atos helps us integrate NativeEdge in many different use cases and, on top of that, they can bring their own approved solutions.”
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