Stratus Unveils First Zero-Touch Edge Computing for Industrials

Stratus Technologies announced the new Stratus ztC Edge at the ARC Industry Forum. Billed as the first product in the company’s new edge vision and direction, ztC Edge is a fully virtualized computing platform designed for industrial environments. It features built-in remote management and rapid installment. Stratus says the platform is built to reduce unplanned downtime and IT burden.

According to research from IDC, revenue of edge computing infrastructure will reach $3.4 billion in 2021, growing at a CAGR of 22 percent, with Internet of Things (IoT) and IT/OT convergence driving most of this opportunity. This growth is spawning the need to for reliable, easy to use and self-protecting edge computing solutions, especially in tough environments like the manufacturing plant floor.

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According to the company’s announcement, key features of the Stratus ztC Edge include: Built-in virtualization for up to three virtual machines (VMs), each running different industrial control or IoT applications; automated application and data recovery; automated site recovery; rugged, hot-swappable nodes that can be wall- or DIN rail-mounted; and cloud-based health monitoring and built-in remote management services.

“Our customers and partners are telling us that industrial organizations desperately want to reduce complexity at the plant level – also known as the network’s edge. Process engineers and operational technology (OT) experts we work with are laser-focused on the productivity and efficiency of their operations. They don’t have the bandwidth to install and manage cumbersome enterprise computing technology retooled for these environments,” said Dave Laurello, CEO of Stratus.

“OT wants a zero-touch product that is built from the ground-up for their environments, one they can easily install and rely on without fail. With ztC Edge, we’re now delivering exactly what these customers want – a self-contained system that protects important data, keeps applications up and running, offers predictive servicing and secure connectivity. And, we are delivering these results without the management and maintenance burden,” he adds.

Stratus says the ztC Edge platform will be available within the next 90 days, and business partners and current customers can place their orders starting in March.