The edge computing market is huge and continuing to grow. A recent study projected that spending on edge computing will reach $232 billion in 2024. Organizations across nearly every industry are taking advantage of edge computing’s real-time data processing capabilities to get immediate business insights, respond to issues at remote sites before they impact operations, and much more. This blog discusses some of the applications of edge computing for industries like finance, retail, and manufacturing, and provides advice on how to get started.

What is edge computing?

Edge computing involves decentralizing computing capabilities and moving them to the network’s edges. Doing so reduces the number of network hops between data sources and the applications that process and use that data, which mitigates latency, bandwidth, and security concerns compared to cloud or on-premises computing.

Learn more about edge computing vs cloud computing or edge computing vs on-premises computing.

Edge computing often uses edge-native applications that are built from the ground up to harness edge computing’s unique capabilities and overcome its limitations. Edge-native applications leverage some cloud-native principles, such as containers, microservices, and CI/CD. However, unlike cloud-native apps, they’re designed to process transient, ephemeral data in real time with limited computational resources. Edge-native applications integrate seamlessly with the cloud, upstream resources, remote management, and centralized orchestration, but can also operate independently as needed.
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Applications of edge computing

Financial services

The financial services industry collects a lot of edge data from bank branches, web and mobile apps, self-service ATMs, and surveillance systems. Many firms feed this data into AI/ML-powered data analytics software to gain insights into how to improve their services and generate more revenue. Some also use AI-powered video surveillance systems to analyze video feeds and detect suspicious activity. However, there are enormous security, regulatory, and reputational risks involved in transmitting this sensitive data to the cloud or an off-site data center.

Financial institutions can use edge computing to move data analytics applications to branches and remote PoPs (points of presence) to help mitigate the risks of transmitting data off-site. Additionally, edge computing enables real-time data analysis for more immediate and targeted insights into customer behavior, branch productivity, and security. For example, AI surveillance software deployed at the edge can analyze live video feeds and alert on-site security personnel about potential crimes in progress.

Industrial manufacturing

Many industrial manufacturing processes are mostly (if not completely) automated and overseen by operational technology (OT), such as supervisory control and data acquisition systems (SCADA). Logs from automated machinery and control systems are analyzed by software to monitor equipment health, track production costs, schedule preventative maintenance, and perform quality assurance (QA) on components and products. However, transferring that data to the cloud or centralized data center increases latency and creates security risks.

Manufacturers can use edge computing to analyze OT data in real time, gaining faster insights and catching potential issues before they affect product quality or delivery schedules. Edge computing also allows industrial automation and monitoring processes to continue uninterrupted even if the site loses Internet access due to an ISP outage, natural disaster, or other adverse event in the region. Edge resilience can be further improved by deploying an out-of-band (OOB) management solution like Nodegrid that enables control plane/data plane isolation (also known as isolated management infrastructure), as this will give remote teams a lifeline to access and recover OT systems.

Retail operations

In the age of one-click online shopping, the retail industry has been innovating with technology to enhance the in-store experience, improve employee productivity, and keep operating costs down. Retailers have a brief window of time to meet a customer’s needs before they look elsewhere, and edge computing’s ability to leverage data in real time is helping address that challenge. For example, some stores place QR codes on shelves that customers can scan if a product is out of stock, alerting a nearby representative to provide immediate assistance.

Another retail application of edge computing is enhanced inventory management. An edge computing solution can make ordering recommendations based on continuous analysis of purchasing patterns over time combined with real-time updates as products are purchased or returned. Retail companies, like financial institutions, can also use edge AI/ML solutions to analyze surveillance data and aid in loss prevention.

Healthcare

The healthcare industry processes massive amounts of data generated by medical equipment like insulin pumps, pacemakers, and imaging devices. Patient health data can’t be transferred over the open Internet, so getting it to the cloud or data center for analysis requires funneling it through a central firewall via MPLS (for hospitals, clinics, and other physical sites), overlay networks, or SD-WAN (for wearable sensors and mobile EMS devices). This increases the number of network hops and creates a traffic bottleneck that prevents real-time patient monitoring and delays responses to potential health crises.

Edge computing for healthcare allows organizations to process medical data on the same local network, or even the same onboard chip, as the sensors and devices that generate most of the data. This significantly reduces latency and mitigates many of the security and compliance challenges involved in transmitting regulated health data offsite. For example, an edge-native application running on an implanted heart-rate monitor can operate without a network connection much of the time, providing the patient with real-time alerts so they can modify their behavior as needed to stay healthy. If the app detects any concerning activity, it can use multiple cellular and ATT FirstNet connections to alert the cardiologist without exposing any private patient data.

Oil, gas, & mining

Oil, gas, and other mining operations use IoT sensors to monitor flow rates, detect leaks, and gather other critical information about equipment deployed in remote sites, drilling rigs, and offshore platforms all over the world. Drilling rigs are often located in extremely remote or even human-inaccessible locations, so ensuring reliable communications with monitoring applications in the cloud or data center can be difficult. Additionally, when networks or systems fail, it can be time-consuming and expensive – not to mention risky – to deploy IT teams to fix the issue on-site.

The energy and mining industries can use edge computing to analyze data in real time even in challenging deployment environments. For example, companies can deploy monitoring software on cellular-enabled edge computing devices to gain immediate insights into equipment status, well logs, borehole logs, and more. This software can help establish more effective maintenance schedules, uncover production inefficiencies, and identify potential safety issues or equipment failures before they cause larger problems. Edge solutions with OOB management also allow IT teams to fix many issues remotely, using alternative cellular interfaces to provide continuous access for troubleshooting and recovery.

AI & machine learning

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) have broad applications across many industries and use cases, but they’re all powered by data. That data often originates at the network’s edges from IoT devices, equipment sensors, surveillance systems, and customer purchases. Securely transmitting, storing, and preparing edge data for AI/ML ingestion in the cloud or centralized data center is time-consuming, logistically challenging, and expensive. Decentralizing AI/ML’s computational resources and deploying them at the edge can significantly reduce these hurdles and unlock real-time capabilities.

For example, instead of deploying AI on a whole rack of GPUs (graphics processing units) in a central data center to analyze equipment monitoring data for all locations, a manufacturing company could use small edge computing devices to provide AI-powered analysis for each individual site. This would reduce bandwidth costs and network latency, enabling near-instant insights and providing an accelerated return on the investment into artificial intelligence technology.

AIOps can also be improved by edge computing. AIOps solutions analyze monitoring data from IT devices, network infrastructure, and security solutions and provide automated incident management, root-cause analysis, and simple issue remediation. Deploying AIOps on edge computing devices enables real-time issue detection and response. It also ensures continuous operation even if an ISP outage or network failure cuts off access to the cloud or central data center, helping to reduce business disruptions at vital branches and other remote sites.

Getting started with edge computing

The edge computing market has focused primarily on single-use-case solutions designed to solve specific business problems, forcing businesses to deploy many individual applications across the network. This piecemeal approach to edge computing increases management complexity and risk while decreasing operational efficiency.

The recommended approach is to use a centralized edge management and orchestration (EMO) platform to monitor and control edge computing operations. The EMO should be vendor-agnostic and interoperate with all the edge computing devices and edge-native applications in use across the organization. The easiest way to ensure interoperability is to use vendor-neutral edge computing platforms to run edge-native apps and AI/ML workflows.

For example, the Nodegrid platform from ZPE Systems provides the perfect vendor-neutral foundation for edge operations. Nodegrid integrated branch services routers like the Gate SR with integrated Nvidia Jetson Nano use the open, Linux-based Nodegrid OS, which can host Docker containers and edge-native applications for third-party AI, ML, data analytics, and more. These devices use out-of-band management to provide 24/7 remote visibility, management, and troubleshooting access to edge deployments, even in challenging environments like offshore oil rigs. Nodegrid’s cloud-based or on-premises software provides a single pane of glass to orchestrate operations at all edge computing sites.

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Who does NIS2 apply to, and what are the consequences for noncompliance?

NIS2 applies to organizations providing services deemed “essential” or “important” to the European economy and society. Essential Entities (EE) generally have at least 250 employees, annual turnover of €50 million, or balance sheets of €43 million. Essential sectors include:

• Energy
• Transport
• Finance
• Public administration
• Health
• Space
• Water supply (drinking & wastewater)
• Digital infrastructure (e.g., cloud computing providers)

Important Entities (IE) generally have at least 50 employees, annual turnover of €10 million, or balance sheets of €10 million. Important sectors include:

• Postal services
• Waste management
• Chemicals
• Research
• Food
• Manufacturing (e.g., medical devices and other equipment)
• Digital providers (e.g., social networks, online marketplaces)

The NIS2 Directive outlines three types of penalties for noncompliance: non-monetary remedies, administrative fines, and criminal sanctions. Non-monetary remedies include things like compliance orders, binding instructions, security audit orders, and customer threat notification orders. Financial penalties for Essential Entities max out at €10 million or 2% of the global annual revenue, whichever is higher; for Important Entities, the maximum is €7 million or 1.4% of the global annual revenue, whichever is higher. NIS2 also directs member states to hold top management personally responsible for gross negligence in a cybersecurity incident, which could involve:

• Ordering organizations to notify the public of compliance violations
• Publicly identifying the people and/or entities responsible for the violation
• Temporarily banning an individual from holding management positions (EEs only)

Even the nonfinancial penalties of NIS2 noncompliance can affect revenue by causing reputational damage and potential lost business, so it’s crucial for IEs and EEs to be prepared when this directive takes effect in their state.

10 Minimum requirements for NIS2 compliance

The NIS2 directive requires essential and important entities to take “appropriate and proportional” measures to manage security and resilience risks and minimize the impact of incidents. It mandates an “all-hazards approach,” which means creating a comprehensive business continuity framework that accounts for any potential disruptions, whether they be natural disasters, ransomware attacks, or anything in between. Organizations must implement “at least” the following requirements as a baseline for NIS2 compliance (click links for more info):

1. Risk analysis and information system security policies

Organizations must create and update comprehensive policies covering cybersecurity risk analysis and overall IT system security practices. These policies should cover all the topics listed below and include specific consequences and/or corrective measures for failing to follow the outlined processes.

2. Security incident handling

Entities must implement incident-handling tools and practices to help accelerate resolution and minimize the impact on end users and other essential or important services. This includes mechanisms for identifying problems, triaging according to severity, remediating issues, and notifying relevant parties. NIS2 outlines a specific timeline for reporting significant security incidents to the relevant authorities:

• Within 24 hours – Entities must provide an early warning indicating whether they suspect an unlawful or malicious attack or whether it could have a cross-border impact.

• Within 72 hours – Entities must update the relevant authorities with an assessment of the attack, including its severity, impact, and indicators of compromise.

• Within one month – Organisations must submit a final report including a detailed description of the incident, the most likely root cause or type of threat, what mitigation measures were taken, and, if applicable, the cross-border impact. If the incident is still ongoing, entities must submit an additional report within one month of resolution.

3. Business continuity and crisis management

Essential and important entities must establish comprehensive business continuity and crisis management strategies to minimize service disruptions. These strategies should include redundancies and backups as part of a resilience system that can keep operations running, if in a degraded state, during major cybersecurity incidents. It’s also crucial to maintain continuous access to management, troubleshooting, and recovery infrastructure during an attack.

4. Supply chain security

Organizations must implement supply chain security risk management measures to limit the risk of working with third-party suppliers. These include performing regular risk assessments based on the supplier’s security and compliance history, applying zero-trust access control policies to third-party accounts, and keeping third-party software and dependencies up-to-date.

5. Secure network and IT system acquisition, development, and maintenance

Entities must ensure the security of network and IT systems during acquisition, development, and maintenance. This involves, among other things, inspecting hardware for signs of tampering before deployment, changing default settings and passwords on initial startup, performing code reviews on in-house software to check for vulnerabilities, and applying security patches as soon as vulnerabilities are discovered.

6. Cybersecurity and risk-management assessments

Organizations must have a way to objectively assess their cybersecurity and risk-management practices and remediate any identified weaknesses. These assessments involve identifying all the physical and logical assets used by the company, scanning for potential threats, determining the severity or potential impact of any identified threats, taking the necessary mitigation steps, and thoroughly documenting everything to streamline any reporting requirements.

7. Cybersecurity training

Essential and important entities must enforce cybersecurity training and basic security hygiene policies for all staff. This training should include information about the most common social engineering attacks, such as email phishing or vishing (voice phishing), compliant data handling practices, and how to securely create and manage account credentials.

8. Cryptography and encryption

NIS2 requires organizations to use cryptography to protect systems and data from tampering. This includes encrypting sensitive data and communications when necessary.

9. User access control and asset management

Entities must establish policies and procedures for employees accessing sensitive data, including least-privilege access control and secure asset management. This also includes mechanisms for revoking access and locking down physical assets when users violate safe data handling policies, or malicious outsiders compromise privileged credentials.

10. Multi-factor authentication (MFA) and encrypted communications

The final minimum requirement for NIS2 compliance is using multi-factor authentication (MFA) and continuous authentication solutions to verify identities, as described above. Additionally, entities must be able to encrypt voice, video, text, and internal emergency communications when needed.

How ZPE streamlines NIS2 compliance

EU-based entities classified as essential or important have limited time to implement all the security policies, practices, and tools required for NIS2 compliance. Using vendor-neutral, multi-purpose hardware platforms to deploy new security controls can help reduce the hassle and expense, making it easier to meet the October deadline. For example, a Nodegrid serial console from ZPE Systems combines out-of-band management, routing, switching, cellular failover, SSL VPN and secure tunnel capabilities, and environmental monitoring in a single device. The vendor-neutral Nodegrid OS supports GuestOS and containers for any third-party software, including next-generation firewalls (NGFWs), Secure Access Service Edge (SASE), automation tools like Puppet and Ansible, and UEBA. Nodegrid devices have strong hardware Roots of Trust with TPM 2.0, selectable encrypted cryptographic protocols and cipher suite levels, and configuration checksumTM. Plus, Nodegrid’s Gen 3 OOB creates the perfect foundation for infrastructure isolation, resilience systems, and isolated recovery environments.

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The European Union’s Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) creates a regulatory framework for information and communication technology (ICT) risk management and network resilience. It entered into EU law on 16 January 2023 and takes effect on 17 January 2025, applying to any firm operating within the European financial sector. This guide outlines the technical requirements for DORA compliance and provides tips and best practices to streamline implementation.

Citation: Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA)

Which organizations does DORA affect, and what are the consequences of non-compliance?

DORA applies to financial entities operating in the European Union, including:

• Financial services
• Payment institutions
• Crypto-asset service providers
• Crowdfunding service providers
• Investment firms
• Insurance companies
• Data analytics and audit services
• Fintech companies
• Trading venues
• Credit institutions
• Credit rating agencies

Crucially, DORA also applies to third-party digital service providers that work with financial institutions, such as colocation data centers and cloud service providers.

Once DORA takes effect, each EU state will designate “competent authorities” to enforce compliance. Each state determines its own penalties, but potential consequences for non-compliance include fines, remediation, and withdrawal of DORA authorization.

ICT service providers (such as cloud vendors) labeled “critical” by the European Commission face additional oversight and non-compliance penalties, including fines of up to 1% of the provider’s average daily worldwide turnover the previous business year. Overseers can levy fines on a provider every day for up to six months until compliance requirements are met. These steep penalties make it essential for service providers to ensure their systems and processes are DORA-compliant ahead of the 2025 deadline.

What are DORA’s technical requirements?

ICT risk management

DORA requires financial institutions to develop a comprehensive ICT risk management framework containing strategies and tools for business resilience, recovery, and communication. In addition to written policies and documented procedures, financial entities must implement technology such as security hardware and software, redundancies and backups, and resilience systems. Best practices for DORA-compliant risk management technologies include:

• Control plane/data plane separation
• Isolated recovery environments

ICT third-party risk management

Financial organisations in the EU must manage the risk of working with third-party vendors to prevent supply chain attacks such as the MOVEit breach. ICT third-party risk management (TPRM) involves performing vendor due diligence to validate compliance with security standards and ensuring contractual provisions are in place to hold vendors accountable for security failures. On the technical side, financial entities should implement security policies and controls to limit third-party access and use monitoring tools that detect vulnerabilities, apply patches, and identify suspicious account behavior. Best practices for DORA-compliant TPRM technologies include:

• Automated patch management
• AIOps security monitoring

Digital operational resilience testing

DORA requires financial entities to establish a resilience testing program to validate their security defenses, backups, redundancies, and recovery systems once per year. Examples of resilience tests include vulnerability scans, network security assessments, open-source software analyses, physical security reviews, penetration testing, and source code reviews. Financial entities deemed “critical,” as well as their critical ICT providers, must also undergo threat-led penetration testing (TLPT) every three years. DORA stipulates that these tests be performed by independent parties, though they can be internal so long as the organization takes steps to eliminate any conflict of interest. Technical best practices include:

• Control plane/data plane separation

ICT incident reporting

DORA streamlines and consolidates the incident reporting requirements that are currently fragmented across EU states. The takeaway from this section is a requirement for financial firms to submit a root cause report within one month of a major incident. Technical best practices for meeting this requirement involve using AIOps for:

• Anomaly detection
• Incident management
• Root-cause analysis (RCA)

Information sharing

This is less of a requirement than a suggestion, but DORA both allows and encourages financial institutions to share cyber threat information within the community to help raise awareness and mitigate risks. Best practices involve using (anonymized) logs from some of the technologies mentioned above, such as UEBA and AIOps.

Oversight of critical third-party providers

DORA requires “critical” digital service providers to follow the same compliance rules as the financial institutions they work with. Regulators may deem a provider critical if a large number of financial entities rely on them for business continuity or if they are difficult to replace/substitute when a failure occurs. Any cloud vendors, colocation data centers, or other digital service providers working in the EU’s financial sector should prepare for DORA by implementing:

• Control/data plane separation
• Isolated recovery environments
• Automated patch management
• AIOps

Best practices for DORA compliance

Some of the technologies that can help simplify DORA compliance for financial institutions and critical service providers include:

Control/data plane separation

Separating the data plane (i.e., production network traffic) from the control plane (i.e., management and troubleshooting traffic) simplifies DORA compliance in two key ways:

1. It isolates the management interfaces used to control ICT systems, making them inaccessible to malicious actors who breach the production network and aiding in resilience.
2. It prevents resource-intensive automation, security monitoring, and resilience testing workflows from affecting the speed or availability of the production network.

The best practice for control and data plane separation is to use Gen 3 out-of-band (OOB) serial consoles, such as the Nodegrid product line from ZPE Systems. Gen 3 OOB provides a dedicated network for management traffic that doesn’t depend on production network resources, ensuring remote teams always have access, even during outages or ransomware attacks. It’s also vendor-neutral, allowing administrators to deploy third-party monitoring, automation, security, troubleshooting, and testing tools on the isolated control plane. Gen 3 OOB helps financial institutions and ICT service providers meet resilience and testing requirements cost-effectively.

Isolated recovery environments

Ransomware continues to be one of the biggest threats to resilience, with ransomware cases increasing by 73% in 2023 despite heightened awareness and additional cybersecurity spending. Preventing an attack may be nearly impossible, and full recovery often takes weeks due to the high rate of reinfection. The best way to reduce recovery time and meet DORA resilience requirements is with an isolated recovery environment (IRE) that’s fully separated from the production infrastructure.

An IRE contains systems dedicated to recovering from ransomware and other breaches, where teams can rebuild and restore applications, data, and other resources before deploying them back to the production network. It uses designated network infrastructure that’s completely separate from the production environment to mitigate the risk of malware reinfection. It also contains technologies like Retention Lock, role-based access control, and out-of-band management so teams can quickly and safely recover critical services and reduce DORA penalties.

Automated patch management

Cybercriminals often breach networks by exploiting known vulnerabilities in outdated software and firmware, as happened with 2023’s Ragnar Locker attacks. For large financial institutions and critical ICT providers, manually tracking and installing patches for all the third-party hardware and software used across the organization is too difficult and time-consuming, leaving potential vulnerabilities exposed for years. The best practice for meeting DORA’s third-party risk management requirement is to use an automated, vendor-agnostic patch management solution.

Automatic patch management tools discover all the software and devices used by the organization, monitor for known exploited vulnerabilities, and notify teams when vendors release updates. They centralize patch management for the entire network to simplify TPRM and aid in DORA compliance.

AIOps

AIOps uses artificial intelligence technology to automate and streamline IT operations. AIOps collects and analyses all the data generated by IT infrastructure, applications, monitoring tools, and security solutions to help identify significant events and make “intelligent” recommendations. AIOps helps with DORA compliance by providing:

• Anomaly detection – Artificial intelligence analyses logs and detects outlier data points that could indicate an in-progress data breach or other problematic event.
• Incident management – AIOps automatically generates, triages, and assigns service desk tickets to the appropriate team for resolution, significantly accelerating incident response.
• Root-cause analysis – AIOps combs through all the relevant logs to determine the most likely cause of adverse events, making it easier to meet DORA’s root-cause reporting requirements.

How ZPE streamlines DORA compliance

The Nodegrid out-of-band management platform from ZPE Systems helps financial institutions and critical service providers meet DORA resilience requirements without increasing network complexity. Vendor-neutral Nodegrid serial consoles and integrated edge services routers deliver control plane isolation, centralized infrastructure patch management, and Guest OS/container hosting for third-party security, recovery, and AIOps tools. The Nodegrid platform provides a secure foundation for an isolated recovery environment that contains all the technology needed to get services back online and stay DORA compliant.

Download our 3 Steps to Ransomware Recovery whitepaper to learn how to improve network resilience with Nodegrid.
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SD-WAN applies software-defined networking (SDN) principles to wide area networks (WANs), which means it decouples networking logic from the underlying WAN hardware. SD-WAN management involves orchestrating and optimizing software-defined WAN workflows across the entire architecture, ideally from a single, centralized platform. This SD-WAN management guide explains how this technology works, the potential benefits of using it, and the best practices to help you get the most out of your SD-WAN deployment.

How does SD-WAN management work?

A typical WAN architecture uses a variety of links, including MPLS, wireless, broadband, and VPNs, to connect branches and other remote locations to enterprise applications and resources. SD-WAN is a virtualized service that overlays this physical architecture, giving software teams a unified software interface from which to manage network traffic and workflows across the enterprise. SD-WAN management decouples network control functions from the gateways and routers installed at remote sites, preventing administrators from having to manage each one individually. It also reduces the reliance on manual CLI rules and prompts, which are time-consuming and prone to human error, allowing teams to deploy policies across an entire network at the same time.

SD-WAN can also use multiple connection types (including 5G LTE, MPLS, and fiber) interchangeably, switching between them as needed to ensure optimal performance. Plus, SD-WAN management enables organizations to use virtualized and cloud-based security technologies (such as SASE) to secure remote traffic to SaaS, web, and cloud resources. This allows organizations to reduce traffic on expensive MPLS links by utilizing less-costly cellular and public internet links to handle cloud-destined traffic.

The benefits of SD-WAN management

Cost reduction

MPLS links provide a secure connection between branches and centralized data center resources, but the bandwidth is far more expensive than fiber or cellular. SD-WAN reduces branch bandwidth costs by using less expensive channels for traffic that’s destined for resources online and in the cloud, reserving MPLS bandwidth for enterprise traffic alone.

Improved performance

To optimize the performance of a traditional WAN, teams must create specific routing, bandwidth utilization, and load-balancing rules for each branch and appliance, and hope these policies adequately predict and resolve any potential issues. SD-WAN management uses technologies like application awareness and guaranteed minimum bandwidth to automatically optimize network performance.

Automation & orchestration

By decoupling network control functions from the underlying WAN hardware, SD-WAN enables automatic device deployments, load balancing, failover, and intelligent routing. Teams can orchestrate automated workflows across the entire network architecture from a centralized software platform, to make deployments and configuration changes more efficient.

Enhanced security

Branch networks often suffer from security gaps due to the difficulty in extending enterprise security policies and controls to remote sites. Securing branch traffic usually means backhauling all traffic through the data center’s firewall, eating up expensive MPLS bandwidth and introducing latency for the rest of the enterprise. Some organizations opt to deploy security appliances at each branch site, which is costly and gives network administrators more moving parts to manage. 

SD-WAN enables the use of cloud-based security solutions like SASE and Zero Trust Edge that extend enterprise security defenses to branch network traffic without backhauling or additional hardware. SD-WAN automatically identifies traffic destined for web or cloud resources and routes it through the cloud-based security stack across less-expensive internet links, saving money and reducing management complexity while improving branch security.

How to get the most out of your SD-WAN deployment

There are a variety of SD-WAN deployment models, each of which solves a different WAN problem, so it’s important to assess your organization’s requirements and capabilities to ensure you build an architecture that meets your needs. It’s also critical to consider the scalability, adaptability, security, and resilience of your SD-WAN deployment to prevent headaches down the road. 

For example, using a vendor-neutral platform like Nodegrid to host SD-WAN allows you to easily expand your branch networking capabilities with third-party software for automation, security, monitoring, troubleshooting, and more without deploying additional hardware, allowing you to easily scale and adapt to changing business requirements. Nodegrid also consolidates branch functions like routing, switching, out-of-band serial console management, SD-WAN management, and SASE network security in a single device for cost-effective branch deployments. Plus, Nodegrid enables isolated management infrastructure that’s resilient to threats and provides a safe recovery environment from ransomware attacks and network failures. 

Ready to get started on your SD-WAN deployment?

Nodegrid unifies control over mixed-vendor hardware and software solutions across the enterprise network architecture for efficient, streamlined SD-WAN management. Request a free demo to learn more.

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Upcoming Cisco ISR 4351 EOL dates

• November 6, 2024 – End of routine failure analysis, end of new service attachment
• August 31, 2025 – End of software maintenance releases and bug fixes
• February 5, 2028 – End of service contract renewal
• November 30, 2028 – Last date of support.

Cisco 4351 EOL replacement options

The Cisco Catalyst C8300

Cisco recommends replacing the 4351 with the Catalyst C8300, but this platform does not go far enough to improve upon the limitations of the EOL model. For instance, both the ISR 4351 and the Catalyst C8300 replacement models are 2RU devices, making them too large for some branch and edge deployment use cases where space is limited. Additionally, while both platforms integrate with some of Cisco’s third-party partners (like ThousandEyes), Cisco is a closed ecosystem that may not support all the management, automation, and security tools needed to support an enterprise branch. Additionally, Cisco’s DNA software may not be able to control mixed-vendor infrastructure, leaving critical coverage gaps.

The Nodegrid Net SR (NSR)

ZPE Systems offers a range of enterprise branch network management solutions called Nodegrid that serve as an upgrade to Cisco 4351 EOL models. In particular, the Nodegrid Net Services Router (NSR) makes an ideal 4351 replacement due to its modular design, which can be extended with expansion modules for functionality like edge compute, PoE, USB OCP debug, and third-generation (or Gen 3) out-of-band management. Gen 3 OOB allows teams to deploy third-party automation and orchestration workflows over the OOB network to streamline branch provisioning, management, and recovery. Gen 3 OOB ensures 24/7 remote access to branch infrastructure even during network outages, provides a safe environment to recover from ransomware and other breaches, and keeps resource-intensive management workflows from bogging down the production network.

All Nodegrid solutions are completely vendor-neutral, integrating with or even directly hosting third-party software and extending complete visibility and control to legacy and mixed-vendor infrastructure. Nodegrid is essentially a branch-in-a-box, allowing companies to deploy infrastructure automation, network orchestration, branch security, and more on a single device that’s 1RU or smaller. Plus, this entire toolkit is available on an isolated, out-of-band network, ensuring remote teams have 24/7 access to keep business operating even during outages and ransomware attacks for superior network resilience.

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Cisco 4351 EOL replacement SKUs

Comparing SD-WAN leaders

Cisco

Cisco offers two different SD-WAN products: Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN (formerly Viptela), which targets enterprise customers, and Cisco Meraki SD-WAN, which targets mid-size organizations with lean IT operations. Each product is an entirely separate offering managed by different software platforms, making it difficult for a customer to mix-and-match products to adapt to new use cases or start with Meraki and then scale up to Catalyst during an aggressive growth period.

Catalyst SD-WAN is an advanced solution with integrated security, support for cloud on-ramp access, and integrations with ThousandEyes for monitoring and analytics as well as Cisco SSE products for a single-vendor SASE solution. Meraki SD-WAN is a more streamlined option, offering unified management of Meraki infrastructure with integrated security, zero-touch provisioning, and support for machine learning analytics.

Fortinet

Fortinet’s Secure SD-WAN solutions run on FortiGate physical and virtual NGFW (next-generation firewall) appliances, tightly integrating networking and security in a consolidated platform. In addition to a centralized orchestrator, Fortinet SD-WAN includes zero-touch provisioning and multi-cloud on-ramp access. It also enables single-vendor SASE with the addition of optional, AI-powered security bundles. However, Fortinet’s limited third-party integrations create vendor lock-in and prevent customers from building a unified, customized, multi-vendor SASE solution.

HPE (Aruba)

HPE (Aruba) has two SD-WAN offerings: EdgeConnect SD-WAN, which is a standalone SD-WAN product, and EdgeConnect SD-Branch, which builds upon the SD-WAN platform by adding software-defined management for wired and wireless branch LANs. Both products run on physical and virtual NGFW appliances for integrated security functionality, and both are managed by the same central orchestrator. Additional features include multi-cloud on-ramp access, unified management of Aruba networking solutions, and integrations with Aruba SSE products for single-vendor SASE.

It’s notable that HPE (Aruba) is one of only two vendors named as Gartner SD-WAN leaders for all six years of the SD-WAN Magic Quadrant’s existence – the other is VMware.

Palo Alto Networks

Palo Alto Networks offers a dedicated SD-WAN product called Prisma SD-WAN, as well as an SD-WAN upgrade for its PAN-OS branch NGFW solution.

Prisma SD-WAN is part of Palo Alto’s Prisma SASE platform, which was one of the industry’s first complete, single-vendor SASE solutions. The SD-WAN component uses Palo Alto’s Instant-On Network (ION) edge appliances that include integrated, cloud-delivered security, AIOps, SD-Branch, cloud on-ramp access, and autonomous digital experience management (ADEM).

Palo Alto’s SD-WAN plugin integrates with PAN-OS branch firewalls to provide an SD-WAN overlay with centralized orchestration. It uses separate management software (called Panorama) from the Prisma platform. Essentially, each SD-WAN product targets different use cases and has different limitations. Prisma offers more advanced SD-WAN functionality but weaker on-premises security features (though this can be addressed by hosting Prisma on hardened third-party devices), whereas the PAN-OS platform offers strong branch security features but a more basic SD-WAN overlay.

Versa Networks

Versa Networks provides two SD-WAN options, Versa Secure SD-WAN and Versa Titan, which are entirely separate platforms with different orchestrators. Versa Secure SD-WAN offers a fully-featured SD-WAN overlay including advanced features such as multi-cloud on-ramp access, AIOps, a wide range of integrated security functionality like CASB and NGFW, and automated zero-touch provisioning.

Versa Titan is a cloud-managed, single-vendor SASE platform for leaner IT operations, providing a basic SD-WAN overlay that’s tightly integrated with cloud-based security features. Titan is an entirely separate product offering and platform targeting an entirely different use case. It offers a more streamlined experience, and it’s more affordable than Versa Secure SD-WAN, according to Gartner analyst assessment and Peer Insights data.

VMware

VMware offers the VeloCloud SD-WAN product, which includes edge networking appliances (physical and virtual), optional gateway points of presence (POPs), and a centralized, cloud-based orchestrator. The VMware Edge Cloud Orchestrator software also integrates with other VMware products like VeloCloud Web Security and the VMware Edge Intelligence AIOps platform. VMware’s SD-WAN offering is also part of VMware’s VeloCloud SASE solution, which uses security functionality from Symantec (owned by Broadcom, the same parent company as VMware).

However, the VeloCloud SD-WAN product itself lacks many of the advanced features natively available in competing solutions, such as integrated security and SD-Branch. Despite these limitations, VMware is the only other vendor besides HPE (Aruba) to achieve Gartner SD-WAN leader status for six consecutive years.

A peek into the future of SD-WAN

Gartner’s SD-WAN Magic Quadrant predicted that by 2026, 60% of new SD-WAN purchases will be part of a single-vendor SASE solution, an increase of 45% from 2023. However, extensibility and vendor choice still factored into Gartner’s ratings of current SD-WAN leaders. Closed ecosystems with limited integrations prevent organizations from adapting to new use cases and changing requirements with the speed and agility needed to stay competitive.

Companies can avoid vendor lock-in by deploying vendor-neutral edge infrastructure that supports third-party SD-WAN and SASE solutions. For example, the Nodegrid platform from ZPE Systems provides powerful, consolidated branch networking functionality that integrates (or even directly runs) other vendors’ software for SD-WAN, security, AIOps, and more. Plus, Nodegrid provides out-of-band (OOB) management to ensure 24/7 remote management access and network resilience.

Deploy SD-WAN leaders with Nodegrid

Nodegrid provides a powerful, vendor-neutral foundation to simplify SD-WAN deployment and enable unlimited extensibility, future-proofing branch network operations. Request a free Nodegrid demo to see how it works with your chosen SD-WAN solution.

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An ISP network architecture must be designed for resilience to prevent major incidents from occurring that affect consumers, communities, and the provider’s reputation. But significant challenges stand in the way, including a reliance on legacy infrastructure, and an inability to troubleshoot and recover failed gear remotely. This post discusses why these challenges exist and what ISPs can do to overcome them.

ISP network architecture challenges

Many ISP networks lack resilience because providers are failing to adapt to a rapidly changing landscape. With networks growing larger and more complex every day, new technologies like AI (artificial intelligence) and software-defined networking are needed to manage infrastructure efficiently and deliver innovative services. Additionally, providers get stuck in a break-fix cycle that leaves teams struggling to maintain service level agreements or focus on innovation. Let’s look at the causes of these challenges and discuss how to build more resilient ISP network architectures.

Legacy infrastructure creates technical debt and hampers growth

Internet service providers often have a network architecture that’s a mix of new and legacy infrastructure. However, engineers with the experience to support older solutions are no longer working in the field, either because they’ve been promoted to leadership positions or retired. When legacy hardware fails, inexperienced engineers need time to overcome this skills gap, and ISPs may even need to bring in consultants. This increases the cost of failures, creating what’s known as “technical debt” – when a solution is more expensive to support than the value it brings to the organization.

In addition, ISPs can improve network resilience and provide better service to customers, by adopting new technologies like AI, 5G, software-defined networking (SDN), and Network as a Service (NaaS). But legacy hardware hampers the ability to adopt these technologies. For example, NaaS abstracts the need for MPLS circuits and customer-premises gear, making architectures more cost-effective and improving the customer experience. NaaS brings SDN concepts like programmable networking and API-based operations to WAN & LAN services, hybrid cloud, Private Network Interconnect, and internet exchange points. It optimizes resource allocation by considering network and computing resources as a unified whole and attempts to automate as much as possible. The trouble is, ISPs struggle to implement NaaS and other beneficial new technologies because their legacy hardware simply can’t support it.

Solution: Legacy modernization with a vendor-neutral platform

The ideal solution is to replace legacy infrastructure with modern hardware and software that supports the latest technologies. But for many ISPs, an overhaul like this is too costly and intensive. The next-best option is to bridge the gap with a vendor-neutral network modernization platform that extends automation, AI, and 5G connectivity to otherwise unsupported systems.

For example, serial consoles (also known as terminal servers, console servers, and serial console switches) provide remote management access to network infrastructure. The newest generation of these devices, known as Gen 3, are vendor-neutral by design so that they can control third-party and legacy hardware. Through a combination of built-in features and integrations, Gen 3 serial consoles can use technology like zero-touch provisioning (ZTP), AIOps, and automated configuration management to control connected hardware that otherwise wouldn’t support it. Some solutions, such as the Nodegrid platform from ZPE Systems, can even directly host SDN and NaaS software from other vendors, so ISPs can start implementing network improvements right away while they gradually replace their outdated infrastructure.

Physical infrastructure is difficult to manage and troubleshoot remotely

ISP network architectures involve a great deal of physical infrastructure, which is often deployed in remote edge sites and customer premises. Even with software- or service-based network solutions, hardware is needed to host that software, and the physical environment for that hardware is often less than ideal. Drastic weather changes, power outages, and other unexpected scenarios can happen without notice and rapidly bring down an ISP network. These events often cut off remote management access as well, making troubleshooting and recovery difficult, time-consuming, and expensive. In fact, supporting this physical infrastructure often consumes so much time and effort that it prevents ISPs from focusing on delivering better services and software to their customers.

Solution: Out-of-band management with environmental monitoring

The first part of the solution involves monitoring the environment that houses remote, physical infrastructure. An environmental monitoring system uses sensors to detect changes in airflow, temperature, humidity, and other conditions that affect the operation of network hardware. These sensors give ISPs a virtual presence in edge deployments and customer sites so they can quickly respond to changing conditions before systems overheat or circuitry corrodes.

The second part involves providing management teams with reliable remote access to physical infrastructure that won’t go down if there’s a production network outage. Out-of-band (OOB) management solutions use serial consoles with dedicated network interfaces used just for management access. This creates a parallel, out-of-band network that’s completely isolated from production network services and infrastructure. Additionally, many serial consoles use cellular connectivity via 4G or 5G to OOB access, providing a wireless lifeline to connect, troubleshoot, and restore remote infrastructure. OOB management allows ISPs to troubleshoot and recover failed hardware remotely, even during total network outages, so they can get services back up and running faster and less expensively.

The environmental monitoring system should run on the OOB network so remote admins can continue to monitor conditions while they recover failed hardware. The out-of-band management solution also needs to be vendor-neutral so ISPs can deploy third-party automation, AI, and NaaS on the OOB network. For example, Nodegrid Gen 3 serial consoles provide OOB, environmental monitoring, and a vendor-neutral platform to host third-party software at the edge. Nodegrid even enables fully automated responses to changing environmental conditions in those edge environments before admins are aware of a problem.

To learn more about building a resilient, automated network infrastructure with Nodegrid, download the Network Automation Blueprint.

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ISP network architecture resilience with Nodegrid

ISP network architectures must be resilient, meaning service providers must find a way to bridge the gap between legacy and modern systems while ensuring continuous remote access to manage, troubleshoot, and recover hardware at the edge. The Nodegrid ISP network infrastructure solution  from ZPE Systems is a vendor-neutral, Gen 3 platform that delivers legacy modernization, environmental monitoring, out-of-band management, and much more.

Nodegrid delivers ISP network architecture resilience in a single platform

Request a free demo to see Nodegrid ISP network architecture solutions in action.

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Organizations prioritizing digital transformation by adopting IoT (Internet of Things) technologies generate and process an unprecedented amount of data. Traditionally, the systems used to process that data live in a centralized data center or the cloud. However, IoT devices are often deployed around the edges of the enterprise in remote sites like retail stores, manufacturing plants, and oil rigs. Transferring so much data back and forth creates a lot of latency and uses valuable bandwidth. Edge computing solves this problem by moving processing units closer to the sources that generate the data.

IBM estimates there are over 15 billion edge devices already in use. While edge computing has rapidly become a vital component of digital transformation, many organizations focus on individual use cases and lack a cohesive edge computing strategy. According to a recent Gartner report, the result is what’s known as “edge sprawl”: many individual edge computing solutions deployed all over the enterprise without any centralized control or visibility. Organizations with disjointed edge computing deployments are less efficient and more likely to hit roadblocks that stifle digital transformation.

The report provides guidance on building an edge computing strategy to combat sprawl, and the foundation of that strategy is edge management and orchestration (EMO). Below, this post summarizes the key findings from the Gartner report and discusses some of the biggest edge computing challenges before explaining how to solve them with a centralized EMO platform.

Key findings from the Gartner report

Many organizations already use edge computing technology for specific projects and use cases – they have an individual problem to solve, so they deploy an individual solution. Since the stakeholders in these projects usually aren’t architects, they aren’t building their own edge computing machines or writing software for them. Typically, these customers buy pre-assembled solutions or as-a-service offerings that meet their specific needs.

However, a piecemeal approach to edge computing projects leaves organizations with disjointed technologies and processes, contributing to edge sprawl and shadow IT. Teams can’t efficiently manage or secure all the edge computing projects occurring in the enterprise without centralized control and visibility. Gartner urges I&O (infrastructure & operations) leaders to take a more proactive approach by developing a comprehensive edge computing strategy encompassing all use cases and addressing the most common challenges.

Edge computing challenges

Gartner identifies six major edge computing challenges to focus on when developing an edge computing strategy:

Let’s discuss these challenges and their solutions in greater depth.

• Enabling extensibility – Many organizations deploy purpose-built edge computing solutions for their specific use case and can’t adapt when workloads change or grow.  The goal is to attempt to predict future workloads based on planned initiatives and create an edge computing strategy that leaves room for that growth. However, no one can really predict the future, so the strategy should account for unknowns by utilizing common, vendor-neutral technologies that allow for expansion and integration.

• Extracting value from edge data – The generation of so much IoT and sensor data gives organizations the opportunity to extract additional value in the form of business insights, predictive analysis, and machine learning training. Quickly extracting that value is challenging when most data analysis and AI applications still live in the cloud. To effectively harness edge data, organizations should look for ways to deploy artificial intelligence training and data analytics solutions alongside edge computing units.

• Governing edge data – Edge computing deployments often have more significant data storage constraints than central data centers, so quickly distinguishing between valuable data and destroyable junk is critical to edge ROIs. With so much data being generated, it’s often challenging to make this determination on the fly, so it’s important to address data governance during the planning process. There are automated data governance solutions that can help, but these must be carefully configured and managed to avoid data loss.

• Supporting edge-native applications – Edge applications aren’t just data center apps lifted and shifted to the edge; they’re designed for edge computing from the bottom up. Like cloud-native software, edge apps often use containers, but clustering and cluster management are different beasts outside the cloud data center. The goal is to deploy platforms that support edge-native applications without increasing the technical debt, which means they should use familiar container management technologies (like Docker) and interoperate with existing systems (like OT applications and VMs).

• Securing the edge – Edge deployments are highly distributed in locations that may lack many physical security features in a traditional data center, such as guarded entries and biometric locks, which adds risk and increases the attack surface. Organizations must protect edge computing nodes with a multi-layered defense that includes hardware security (such as TPM), frequent patches, zero-trust policies, strong authentication (e.g., RADIUS and 2FA), and network micro-segmentation.

• Edge management and orchestration – Moving computing out of the climate-controlled data center creates environmental and power challenges that are difficult to mitigate without an on-site technical staff to monitor and respond. When equipment failure, configuration errors, or breaches take down the network, remote teams struggle to meet resilience requirements to keep business operations running 24/7. The sheer number and distribution area of edge computing units make them challenging to manage efficiently, increasing the likelihood of mistakes, issues, or threat indicators slipping between the cracks. Addressing this challenge requires centralized edge management and orchestration (EMO) with environmental monitoring and out-of-band (OOB) connectivity.

  A centralized EMO platform gives administrators a single-pane-of-glass view of all edge deployments and the supporting infrastructure, streamlining management workflows and serving as the control panel for automation, security, data governance, cluster management, and more. The EMO must integrate with the technologies used to automate edge management workflows, such as zero-touch provisioning (ZTP) and configuration management (e.g., Ansible or Chef), to help improve efficiency while reducing the risk of human error. Integrating environmental sensors will help remote technicians monitor heat, humidity, airflow, and other conditions affecting critical edge equipment’s performance and lifespan. Finally, remote teams need OOB access to edge infrastructure and computing nodes, so the EMO should use out-of-band serial console technology that provides a dedicated network path that doesn’t rely on production resources.

Gartner recommends focusing your edge computing strategy on overcoming the most significant risks, challenges, and roadblocks. An edge management and orchestration (EMO) platform is the backbone of a comprehensive edge computing strategy because it serves as the hub for all the processes, workflows, and solutions used to solve those problems.

Edge management and orchestration (EMO) with Nodegrid

Nodegrid is a vendor-neutral edge management and orchestration (EMO) platform from ZPE Systems. Nodegrid uses Gen 3 out-of-band technology that provides 24/7 remote management access to edge deployments while freely interoperating with third-party applications for automation, security, container management, and more. Nodegrid environmental sensors give teams a complete view of temperature, humidity, airflow, and other factors from anywhere in the world and provide robust logging to support data-driven analytics.

The open, Linux-based Nodegrid OS supports direct hosting of containers and edge-native applications, reducing the hardware overhead at each edge deployment. You can also run your ML training, AIOps, data governance, or data analytics applications from the same box to extract more value from your edge data without contributing to sprawl.

In addition to hardware security features like TPM and geofencing, Nodegrid supports strong authentication like 2FA, integrates with leading zero-trust providers like Okta and PING, and can run third-party next-generation firewall (NGFW) software to streamline deployments further.

The Nodegrid platform brings all the components of your edge computing strategy under one management umbrella and rolls it up with additional core networking and infrastructure management features. Nodegrid consolidates edge deployments and streamlines edge management and orchestration, providing a foundation for a Gartner-approved edge computing strategy.

Want to learn more about how Nodegrid can help you overcome your biggest edge computing challenges?

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The Intel NUC, or “Next Unit of Computing,” is a small, appliance-like minicomputer that’s widely used across a variety of industries and applications. They’re tiny and relatively inexpensive, so you’ll often find them inside IoT devices and ruggedized cases. They’re also frequently deployed as jump boxes or service delivery appliances. However, Intel NUCs create added security risks, technical debt, and management headaches. Plus, Intel recently announced the discontinuation of all NUC product lines. This post describes some of the most common Intel NUC use cases, explains the security and management issues that caused its discontinuation, and provides superior replacement options.

Intel NUC use cases

While Intel NUCs have a dedicated fanbase among home enthusiasts, they’re primarily used by professional IT teams. Some popular Intel NUC use cases include:

• Reducing carbon footprints: As investors place more importance on an organization’s environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices, it becomes necessary to improve sustainability and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Replacing inefficient PC towers with Intel NUCs can help reduce carbon footprints and improve ESG ratings.
• Security and surveillance systems: An Intel NUC can run a wide range of security applications for things like entry control and surveillance cameras, eliminating the need for dedicated servers. Some IoT (Internet of Things) security devices have embedded Intel NUCs for greater mobility and efficiency.
• Application delivery: Some service providers use Intel NUCs as platforms to deploy their software on-site to reduce hardware overhead costs. For example, a provider can install a NUC in their customer’s server room to deliver artificial intelligence (AI) or Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications.
• Jump boxes: Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs) often deploy Intel NUCs at customer sites to act as “jump boxes” used to remotely access client infrastructure without taking up rack space.
• Rugged computing: When services are needed out in the field, such as in military or construction applications, a traditional laptop may not be heavy-duty enough to withstand operating conditions. Some organizations solve this problem by running their services on Intel NUCs installed inside rugged cases designed for the environment.
• Customized appliance computing: For specialized applications requiring a high degree of physical customization, such as law enforcement surveillance systems, an Intel NUC is often used because it’s small enough to fit nearly any case.

Intel NUC EOL products

Intel recently announced it’s discontinuing all NUC products, with specific dates for end-of-sale, end-of-support, and end-of-security-support varying by product. ASUS agreed to take over manufacturing and support of NUC product lines, but it’s unclear what the transition will look like or how ASUS will develop the NUC in the future.

Click here to view a list of all Intel NUC end-of-life SKUs as well as direct replacement options.

Why is Intel EOL-ing the NUC?

Despite all the exciting enterprise use cases listed above, the Intel NUC was never intended to be used as an appliance. It has numerous security and management limitations that make it challenging for Intel (and ASUS, in the future) to support the NUC for enterprise applications, including:

• There’s no dedicated platform to deploy or secure NUC applications
• Each Intel NUC is managed and accessed individually with no centralized management
• Intel NUCs create a lot of technical debt because they require a lot of coding, API knowledge, and other specialized skills to work with
• NUC operating systems are usually left out of patch schedules, leaving vulnerabilities critically exposed
• There is usually no ability to recover a non-responsive NUC remotely, requiring expensive on-site visits any time there’s a network hiccup or OS crash
• NUCs often don’t have the onboard hardware Roots of Trust (e.g., TPM) needed to secure them properly
• The hardware NUCs are embedded in often have unclear or undocumented supply chains
• There’s no ability for bidirectional authentication to the cloud with unique certificates
• The production data and applications are on the same plane as management processes, leaving management ports exposed

Intel NUCs are a quick and inexpensive way to deploy applications, jump boxes, and digital services, which is what makes them so popular in enterprises. However, due to a lack of security features and centralized management, NUCs are also popular with cybercriminals looking for an easy target to exploit. With Intel discontinuing all NUC product lines, it’s the perfect opportunity to look for a replacement option that delivers the same cost-efficient flexibility but with enterprise-grade security and management features built in.

Intel NUC replacement options from ZPE Systems

Nodegrid is a family of all-in-one networking, application delivery, and infrastructure management devices from ZPE Systems. Nodegrid was built with security in mind, taking a three-pronged approach that includes:

1. Hardware security – Onboard security features like TPM 2.0 and self-encrypted disk (SED) protect your device even if it falls into the wrong hands.
2. Software security – Nodegrid protects its software using features such as BIOS protection and Signed OS, and it can host third-party security applications for an even stronger defense.
3. Management security – Nodegrid keeps the management plane isolated from the data plane and uses strong zero-trust authentication methods to protect your management interfaces.

Nodegrid reduces management headaches without reducing security or functionality. ZPE provides enterprise-level support for all Nodegrid products with a responsive engineering team and 24-hour CVE (common vulnerabilities and exposures) patching. Nodegrid also lowers the technical debt and can meet teams at their skill level. You can deploy Nodegrid and use it to manage solutions that are already in place without any specialized programming or API knowledge.

Plus, Nodegrid uses out-of-band (OOB) management and serial connectivity to ensure continuous remote access to the control plane, making it a superior choice to an Intel NUC jump box for MSPs and MSSPs. With OOB connection options like 5G/4G LTE, teams can remotely troubleshoot and recover systems, services, and applications, even during major network outages. Management of all Nodegrid-connected infrastructure is unified by a single platform for streamlined control at any scale.

Due to its size, cost, and open, Linux-based operating system, Nodegrid is just as flexible and efficient as an Intel NUC while delivering the centralized management, robust security, and responsive support needed in enterprise deployments.

Nodegrid product comparison

The entire family of Nodegrid edge solutions provides reliable OOB management and flexible service delivery capabilities protected by enterprise-grade security features. The Nodegrid Mini SR, Bold SR, and Gate SR are direct replacements for EOL Intel NUC models but offer so much more. Nodegrid is an entire Services Delivery Platform designed to streamline operations at any scale.

To see first-hand why Nodegrid edge solutions are a superior choice for Intel NUC use cases, request a demo from ZPE Systems today.

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Intel NUC replacement SKUs

Want to learn more about replacing your Intel NUC with Nodegrid?

Ready to replace your Intel NUC with a Nodegrid alternative? Call ZPE Systems today at 1-844-4ZPE-SYS or contact us online.

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What is a Radio Access Network (RAN)?

A radio access network (RAN) is the portion of a cellular network that connects smartphones and other end-user devices to the internet. Information is communicated back and forth between smartphones and the RAN’s transceivers via radio waves. Those wireless signals are translated into digital form, passed to the core network, and then to the global internet.

What is 5G RAN?

Every cellular generation has its own associated RAN technology. 4G RAN was the first generation based entirely on the internet protocol (IP) rather than older circuit-based technology. The newest generation, 5G, supports faster speeds, great capacity, and lower latency than previous generations. However, there are significant challenges in the way of 5G implementation.

5G Radio Access Network (RAN) challenges

There are three major hurdles to 5G implementation:

1. Public opinion – Thanks in part to misinformation and conspiracy theories, there has been a lot of resistance to 5G implementations. While many people already use smartphones with 5G technology, they tend to balk at the idea of giant cell towers and masts going up in their town or city.
2. mmWave limitations – Wireless frequencies in the mmWave (millimeter wave) spectrum provide the speed and capacity required for 5G, but they have a shorter range and difficulty penetrating walls. That makes 5G tricky in industrial settings and office buildings.
3. Remote recovery – A 5G RAN typically operates in cramped spaces without a continuous human presence, and administrators monitor and manage the equipment remotely over the cellular network. However, if that cell link goes down due to equipment failure or natural disaster, teams are cut off, and a truck must be rolled to fix the issue, adding significant costs and downtime.

Addressing these hurdles is complicated, as the solutions often create additional challenges. For example, the first two points can be addressed with 5G small cell technology. Small cells are typically compact enough to deploy on top of buildings or street furniture to extend 5G coverage into densely populated areas without a full-size mobile mast. This makes 5G small cell networks more palatable to city officials and the general public alike. However, small cells are still subject to planning restrictions, and the absence of a common 5G small cell framework makes the application process difficult and time-consuming.

In addition, some small cells are tiny enough to deploy indoors, improving 5G propagation and coverage in buildings. However, operators would need to deploy dozens or hundreds of small cells to achieve the speed and reliability needed for industrial IoT and high-tech use cases. Each one requires significant power resources as well as a fiber or wireless backhaul, and due to a lack of standardization, operators may even have to submit many individual planning applications. Plus, a small cell network of that size is complex to monitor and manage, requiring additional hardware and software solutions that add even more costs and complexity.

Addressing the third point requires an out-of-band network connection to 5G RAN deployments. For example, a 4G/LTE serial console provides an alternative internet connection so teams can remotely access RAN equipment during 5G outages. A serial console directly connects to radio access network infrastructure so remote administrators can do things like reboot a hung device or refresh DHCP even if the local network is down.

However, many serial consoles suffer from vendor lock-in, meaning they don’t connect to all devices or support third-party management, troubleshooting, and recovery tools. This either limits an administrator’s ability to remotely recover from outages or forces them to deploy additional hardware and software solutions to gain all the remote functionality required, adding to the expense and complexity of 5G RAN deployments.

A new approach to 5G deployments

The upgrade from 4G to 5G is proving to be more fraught than previous transitions between generations, so it’s clear that a new approach is needed. Small cell technology is a good start, but a lack of standardization severely hampers its adoption. Help is on the way, though – a group called the Small Cell Forum (SCF), which is made up of wireless leaders like AT&T, Cisco, Qualcomm, and Samsung, is working to establish a set of common definitions and recommendations to help the industry standardize 5G small cell networks.

In their definitional report, the SCF highlights the need for vendor-neutral hardware that’s customizable and swappable for various 5G use cases. Architectural design and planning applications are simpler when all of a small cell network’s equipment supports the same common 5G interface. Multi-functional devices combining networking, out-of-band access, and third-party application hosting significantly reduce expenses and management complexity.

Let’s examine some potential 5G use cases that could benefit from this new approach.

Smart cities

A smart city is the ideal use case for a 5G small cell network. Since wireless clients are packed into densely populated areas, an array of 5G small cells should provide sufficient coverage without the need for a full-sized mast. Deploying a small, vendor-neutral, multi-functional device like the Nodegrid Mini Services Router alongside small cells provides flexible backhaul options, out-of-band remote management, and application hosting. Installing small cells and Mini SRs on streetlamps, parking structures, and other public infrastructure gives teams everything they need to remotely monitor, operate, and recover 5G smart city infrastructure without adding more complexity to the network.

Global asset tracking and logistics

The internet of things (IoT) makes it possible for large, global enterprises to streamline asset tracking and supply chain logistics. Organizations use IoT-enabled devices to handle inventory management, fulfillment, shipment tracking, quality control, and more. 5G small cell technology provides the necessary speed, coverage, and bandwidth, but the sheer number of devices – and their global distribution – creates a lot of management complexity.

All-in-one solutions like Nodegrid reduce the tech stack by combining networking, management, and application hosting in a single box. Plus, Nodegrid provides a centralized management platform that can unify all connected devices, apps, and services in a single place. Administrators get a single pane of glass to monitor, control, troubleshoot, and automate the entire global architecture, reducing costs and streamlining operations.

Building automation

Many large property management companies rely on building automation systems that use operational technology (OT) to control door locks, lighting, HVAC, and more with very little human intervention. 5G’s improved speed and lower latency open up even greater automation capabilities, especially in warehouses and manufacturing plants.

Nodegrid’s compact, vendor-neutral solutions give remote operators a reliable, out-of-band connection to automated building systems to keep businesses running 24/7, even during 5G outages or LAN failures. You can deploy the Mini SR in cramped or semi-outdoor spaces to extend monitoring, security, and management coverage to every part of the 5G deployment. Nodegrid enables end-to-end building automation and makes 5G networks more resilient to failure.

Simplifying 5G with Nodegrid

A 5G radio access network (RAN) provides internet access to 5G-enabled systems, such as smartphones and IoT devices. While 5G deployments are proving complicated and fraught with issues, these challenges are overcome using small cell technology and vendor-neutral, multi-function devices like Nodegrid. Nodegrid’s integrated services routers deliver all-in-one networking, out-of-band management, backhauling, and application hosting capabilities to simplify 5G deployments without compromise.

Learn how Nodegrid can help deliver simplified 5G with out-of-band management!

Request a free Nodegrid demo to see how vendor-neutral solutions simplify 5G radio access network (RAN) deployments.

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