Smart Water: real-time monitoring and control using Edge Nodes

How Edge Computing is revolutionizing water management systems

Due to technological advances in recent years, water management companies have seen their remote monitoring systems grow exponentially in scope and complexity. Likewise, water management needs to be sure about the quality, integrity and availability of information in real-time to monitor and control the operation of the entire system and, support continuous improvement and renewal processes to increase the infrastructure efficiency.

Now, it is possible to collect all data from different manufacturers and equipment, homogenize it and process it in a cybersecureway with Edge Computing. Edge Computing is a distributed IT architecture that moves computing resources as close as possible to the source of the data, as opposed to processing data in the cloud or data centres. 

Edge Computing is about processing data closer to where it's being generated, enabling processing at greater speeds and volumes, leading to greater action-led results in real time. It is the solution for processing time-sensitive data, while cloud computing is used to process data that is not time-driven.

Besides latency, edge computing is preferred over cloud computing in remote locations, where there is limited or no connectivity to a centralized location.

Moreover, the use of Edge Nodes overcomes the barrier of fragmentation and hardware heterogeneity as it can integrate different equipment, as well as technologies and protocols. Regardless of the hardware, through Edge Nodes all data in the field is gathered, homogenized and processed cybsersecurely.

Streamlining Water Management Operations with Edge Nodes

To operate more efficiently, water management operators face the challenge to monitor in a unified and comprehensive way all components that make up the OT and industrial automation architectures. The use of Edge Nodes (or Gateways Edge) allows connectivity with different equipment in each installation regardless of the various data reporting equipment. All installations are monitored in real-time and on the same visualization platform.

Download this use case and learn how can Barbara´s Edge Platform help you to:

1. Capture data from different manufacturers with their own protocols
2. Homogenize all data
3. Transfer this data in a cyber secure way
4. Deploy and orchestrate AI at the Edge to make your machine and processes smarter

Edge Nodes: Integration and Cybersecurity for Water Management

The security through Edge Nodes or gateway Edge is guaranteed. Edge nodes are the bridge between the network and industrial equipment. They are responsible for isolating industrial equipment from possible attacks from the network and protecting the data that industrial equipment captures and sends to the nodes themselves.

To this end, the edge nodes that are deployed must have protection mechanisms in place for this purpose, and they must also be remotely upgradeable. Another best practice is to develop logic in the edge nodes that allows them to update not only themselves but also the industrial equipment to which they are connected.

As we mentioned before, by processing data close to the source, edge computing reduces the need to share sensitive information and it also helps maintain high levels of data security, as well as compliance with data sovereignty regulations.

Barbara, the Cybsersecure Edge Platform for Water Management

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Barbara is the leading Cybersecure Industrial Edge Platform for water management, designed to process thousands of variables in real time across different types of equipment and distributed systems. With the explosion of connected devices and the need for real-time data processing, it is no longer practical to send all data to a centralized data centre. An Edge Platform is necessary to orchestrate this infrastructure as it provides the ability to manage and control the edge devices, applications, and data, while also providing security, scalability and flexibility.  Barbara helps organizations simplify and accelerate their Edge App deployments, building, orchestrating and maintaining easily container-based or native applications across thousands of distributed edge nodes.

1. Real-time data processing: Barbara allows for real-time data processing at the edge, which can lead to improved operational efficiency and cost savings. By processing data at the edge, organizations can reduce the amount of data that needs to be transmitted to the cloud, resulting in faster response times and reduced latency.
2. Improved scalability: Barbara provides the ability to scale up or down depending on the organization´s needs which can be beneficial for industrial processes that have varying levels of demand.
3. Enhanced security: Barbara offers robust security features to ensure that data is protected at all times. This is especially important for industrial processes that deal with sensitive information.
4. Flexibility: Barbara is a flexible platform that can be customized to meet the specific needs of an organization. This allows organizations to tailor the platform to their specific use case, which can lead to improved efficiency and cost savings.
5. Remote management: Barbara allows for remote management and control of edge devices, applications and data, enabling organizations to manage their infrastructure from a centralized location.
6. Integration: Barbara can integrate with existing systems and platforms, allowing organizations to leverage their existing investments and improve efficiency.

If you are in the process of digitizing water plants, contact us