Network Resilience in Manufacturing
Organizations need a robust and always-on network to keep up with the advancements of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
Tracy Collins, VP of sales at Opengear, delves into the critical role of Out-of-band management in ensuring network resilience for manufacturing in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Learn how to protect against downtime and disruptions.
Whether the Fourth Industrial Revolution was a natural development, the result of pressure from increased competition, shirking margins, and evolving customer demands, or both, the reality is that manufacturers continue to embrace new technology-based solutions and processes rapidly. From artificial intelligence (AI) and automation to the Internet of Things (IoT) and 5G, these advanced technologies empower manufacturing organizations to enhance productivity, safety, and sustainability.
Nevertheless, an often overlooked and undervalued component of many of these technologies is that they need robust, always-on network connectivity to operate efficiently. There are many challenges to maintaining such a network, which manufacturers must address by implementing solutions that promote network resilience.
Visibility Challenges
One of the main ways that manufacturers can create a resilient network – or one that can preserve an acceptable level of service during faults to normal operations – is by giving their network administrators the tools necessary to sustain the visibility of the entire network during an outage. Traditionally, manufacturers’ solution to factory visibility was to have engineers physically present at data centers to monitor infrastructure. However, facilities continue to become more sophisticated, with factories today containing thousands of endpoints and IoT devices, making it untenable to have employees physically present at all times.
At the same time, the endless introduction of new applications, when mixed with legacy hardware, makes it difficult for companies to establish a unified view of their network. As automated and connected technologies become more prevalent and advanced, the more challenging it is for manufacturers to manage new and old equipment simultaneously. Likewise, when businesses acquire new locations, there is often a disconnect between their modernized facilities and legacy ones, further complicating network management.
The Threat of Disruption and Downtime
Although digital transformation improves output, optimizes costs, and allows manufacturing systems to be more dynamic and capable of responding to changes in real-time, an unforeseen consequence of these new technologies is that they put a considerable strain on the network, increasing the risk of disruption. Advanced software stacks, for instance, require regular updates, which exposes them to bugs, exploits, and cyberattacks. Other issues, such as ISP (internet service provider) carrier issues, fiber cuts, human error, and cable interconnect, can trigger network outages. Whatever the reason, should the network go down, factory productivity will come to an untimely halt.
In manufacturing, like many industries, time is money. Every minute of downtime equates to lost profits. Not only does downtime affect revenue, but it can also compromise staff safety, damage equipment, and even ruin inventory. Likewise, unplanned downtime puts entire facilities behind schedule, having a domino effect on other logistics and supply chain processes. Consistent downtime will erode customer relationships and partnership contracts, resulting in customer and potentially employee turnover.
The Last-mile Challenge
Another overlooked challenge manufacturers must overcome to ensure a resilient network is a last-mile problem. In fact, despite the advancements in connectivity in recent years, the increasing reliance from many manufacturing businesses on cloud services and SD-WAN (software-defined wide-area network) has protracted this issue.
In essence, the last mile is the final segment of the WAN network that links a manufacturer’s factories, data centers, and distribution outlets to its SD-WAN and cloud services. Because all the network traffic for a factory, branch, or distribution center funnels through single links, these last miles become the weakest part of connectivity. These links have limited bandwidth, which restricts the amount of data transmitted to one’s ISP, exposing manufacturers to DoS (denial-of-service) attacks, basic human errors, fiber cuts, and physical problems that spiral into network outages and all the inevitable consequences.
See More: Network Outages: How to Improve Visibility and Recovery
Network Resilience and Out-of-band management
When discussing network resilience, it is helpful to distinguish between resilience and redundancy. Both are important to manufacturing infrastructure, but redundancy is only part of the larger resilience solution. For example, building redundancy at smaller satellite offices and facilities is not cost-effective. Having technical staff on-site at every distributed plant would be better. Alternatively, a truly resilient network requires businesses to monitor, manage, and remediate IT infrastructure remotely and securely. Additionally, obtaining true network resilience necessitates manufacturers to infuse intelligence and automation into IT infrastructure.
One network strategy manufacturers can leverage is Out-of-band management, which provides secure and remote access to critical devices from a central location even when the primary network is down. Out-of-band management also gives administrators full visibility to all network devices, including remote management capabilities, enabling them to anticipate and remediate issues from afar without impairing normal operations or sending technicians on-site. Moreover, engineers and IT administrators can use Out-of-band management to lock down other users’ access to critical devices and functions, which is invaluable during cyberattacks.
Typically, an Out-of-band management strategy will involve setting up console servers at every location, physically connecting them to routers, switches, and other crucial hardware to support presence and proximity to one’s network. Likewise, by combining Out-of-band management with a solution like Failover to Cellular and 4G-LTE, manufacturers will have sufficient bandwidth to ensure key processes continue to operate during outages or other disruptions to normal operations.
Since Out of Band, Failover to Cellular, and 4G-LTE technology offer additional network bandwidth and availability; they are perfect solutions for helping manufacturers protect against last-mile disruption. Manufacturers need a link that isn’t part of the last mile to enable uninterrupted Internet connectivity for branch LANs (local area networks) and equipment. The combination of these network technology solutions fits snugly together like a puzzle. Out-of-band management detects outages, Failover to Cellular drives traffic down an alternative path not connected to the last mile, and 4G-LTE provides enough speed to keep the network running.
Network Investments Are Long-term Investments
Not all Out-of-Band management offerings are the same, and manufacturers should prioritize those leading solutions that can integrate quickly with their existing IT networks and systems. Similarly, manufacturers must recognize that network resilience encompasses more than worst-day scenarios. It also includes day-one provisioning, day-to-day configuration, and other everyday processes such as IT infrastructure management and monitoring. Investing in a great Out-of-band management solution will pay off every day – meaning it is all the more vital that manufacturers exercise shrewdness when selecting a vendor.
How can Out-of-band management revolutionize your manufacturing network’s resilience? Let us know on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn. We’d love to hear from you!
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