Edge technology is approaching industrial automation and promises to be a mandatory approach for the future: an edge device with micro-services dedicated to the virtualization of typical automation devices, such as PLC, CNC, drives, together with optimization algorithms developed directly by the manufacturer. Without forgetting that, for some years now, Edge has been the cornerstone of any Industrial IoT solution, the technology behind the new service-based business models for machine manufacturers. All this will have to be managed and orchestrated centrally, with OTA (Over-The-Air) updates and advanced cybersecurity features.

With this in mind, it is necessary to define the technical foundations of the new automation architecture, but how? Very often the Edge and Cloud proposals are considered in a separate way; this can be a serious error of assessment, their integration is mandatorily and making independent choices can involve many problems with a significant expenditure of resources.

The"Edge + Cloud" approach is definitely the winning choice: the combination of these two technologies, within a solution with a robust architecture, allows a simple and scalable management of connected devices, as well as safe, with the possibility of on-line updatesdemand or automatic, in addition to the predisposition for the installation of additional apps in the future. 40Factory has chosen to integrate Portainer.io technology within MAT, in order to effectively and safely manage on-boarding, updating and diagnostics of connected edge devices. Not only that, thanks to Portainer.io, MAT customers can use MCC (MAT Control Center) to install and manage third-party applications!

Let’s find out together with the experts of 40Factory and Portainer.io how to use these technologies to enter the automation of the future.