Edge computing delivers data processing and analysis capabilities to the network’s “edge,” at remote sites like branch offices, warehouses, retail stores, and manufacturing plants. It involves deploying computing resources and lightweight applications very near the devices that generate data, reducing the distance and number of network hops between them. In doing so, edge computing reduces latency and bandwidth costs while mitigating risk, enhancing edge resilience, and enabling real-time insights. This blog discusses the five biggest benefits of edge computing, providing examples and additional resources for companies beginning their edge journey.
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5 benefits of edge computing​

1. Reduces latency

Edge computing leverages data on the same local network as the devices that generate it, cutting down on edge data transmissions over the WAN or Internet. Reducing the number of network hops between devices and applications significantly decreases latency, improving the speed and performance of business intelligence apps, AIOps, equipment health analytics, and other solutions that use edge data.

Some edge applications run on the devices themselves, completely eliminating network hops and facilitating real-time, lag-free analysis. For example, an AI-powered surveillance application installed on an IoT security camera at a walk-up ATM can analyze video feeds in real-time and alert security personnel to suspicious activity as it occurs.​

 

2. Mitigates risk

Edge computing mitigates security and compliance risks by distributing an organization’s sensitive data and reducing off-site transmission. Large, centralized data stores in the cloud or data center are prime targets for cybercriminals because the sheer volume of data involved increases the chances of finding something valuable. Decentralizing data in much smaller edge storage solutions makes it harder for hackers to find the most sensitive information and also limits how much data they can access at one time.

Keeping data at the edge also reduces the chances of interception in transit to cloud or data center storage. Plus, unlike in the cloud, an organization maintains complete control over who and what has access to sensitive data, aiding in compliance with regulations like the GDPR and PCI DSS 4.0.
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3. Lowers bandwidth costs

Many organizations use MPLS (multi-protocol label switching) links to securely connect edge sites to the enterprise network. MPLS bandwidth is much more expensive than regular Internet lines, which makes transmitting edge data to centralized data processing applications extremely costly. Plus, it can take months to provision MPLS at a new site, delaying launches and driving up overhead expenses.

Edge computing significantly reduces MPLS bandwidth utilization by running data-hungry applications on the local network, reserving the WAN for other essential traffic. Combining edge computing with SD-WAN (software-defined wide area networking) and SASE (secure access service edge) technologies can markedly decrease the reliance on MPLS links, allowing organizations to accelerate branch openings and see faster edge ROIs.
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4. Enhances edge resilience

Since edge computing applications run on the same LAN as the devices generating data, they can continue to function even if the site loses Internet access due to an ISP outage, natural disaster, or other adverse event. This also allows uninterrupted edge operations in locations with inconsistent (or no) Internet coverage, like offshore oil rigs, agricultural sites, and health clinics in isolated rural communities. Edge computing ensures that organizations don’t miss any vital health or safety alerts and facilitates technological innovation using AI and other data analytics tools in challenging environments..
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5. Enables real-time insights

Sending data from the edge to a cloud or on-premises data lake for processing, transformation, and ingestion by analytics or AI/ML tools takes time, preventing companies from acting on insights at the moment when they’re most useful. Edge computing applications start using data as soon as it’s generated, so organizations can extract value from it right away. For example, a retail store can use edge computing to gain actionable insights on purchasing activity and customer behavior in real-time, so they can move in-demand products to aisle endcaps or staff extra cashiers as needed.
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Simplify your edge computing deployment with Nodegrid

The best way to achieve the benefits of edge computing described above without increasing management complexity or hardware overhead is to use consolidated, vendor-neutral solutions to host, connect, and secure edge workloads. For example, the Nodegrid Gate SR from ZPE Systems delivers an entire stack of edge networking and infrastructure management technologies in a single, streamlined device. The open, Linux-based Nodegrid OS supports VMs and containers for third-party applications, with an Nvidia Jetson Nano card capable of running AI workloads alongside non-AI data analytics for ultimate efficiency.

Improve your edge computing deployment with Nodegrid

Nodegrid consolidates edge computing deployments to improve operational efficiency without sacrificing performance or functionality. Schedule a free demo to see Nodegrid in action.

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The current cyber threat landscape is daunting, with attacks occurring so frequently that security experts recommend operating under the assumption that your network is already breached. Major cyber attacks – and the disruptions they cause – frequently make news headlines. For example, the recent LendingTree breach exposed consumer data, which could affect the company’s reputation and compliance status. An attack on auto dealership software company CDK Global took down the platform and disrupted business for approximately 15,000 car sellers – an outage that’s still ongoing as of this article’s writing.

The zero trust security methodology outlines the best practices for limiting the blast radius of a successful breach by preventing malicious actors from moving laterally through the network and accessing the most valuable or sensitive resources. Many organizations have already begun their zero trust journey by implementing role-based access controls (RBAC), multi-factor authentication (MFA), and other security solutions, but still struggle with coverage gaps that result in ransomware attacks and other disruptive breaches. This blog provides advice for improving your zero trust security posture with a multi-layered strategy that mitigates weaknesses for complete coverage.

How to improve your zero trust security posture

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Gain a full understanding of your protect surface

Many security strategies focus on defending the network’s “attack surface,” or all the potential vulnerabilities an attacker could exploit to breach the network. However, zero trust is all about defending the “protect surface,” or all the data, assets, applications, and services that an attacker could potentially try to access. The key difference is that zero trust doesn’t ask you to try to cover any possible weakness in a network, which is essentially impossible. Instead, it wants you to look at the resources themselves to determine what has the most value to an attacker, and then implement security controls that are tailored accordingly.

Gaining a full understanding of all the resources on your network can be extraordinarily challenging, especially with the proliferation of SaaS apps, mobile devices, and remote workforces. There are automated tools that can help IT teams discover all the data, apps, and devices on the network. Application discovery and dependency mapping (ADDM) tools help identify all on-premises software and third-party dependencies; cloud application discovery tools do the same for cloud-hosted apps by monitoring network traffic to cloud domains. Sensitive data discovery tools scan all known on-premises or cloud-based resources for personally identifiable information (PII) and other confidential data, and there are various device management solutions to detect network-connected hardware, including IoT devices.
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Micro-segment your network with micro-perimeters

Micro-segmentation is a cornerstone of zero-trust networks. It involves logically separating all the data, applications, assets, and services according to attack value, access needs, and interdependencies. Then, teams implement granular security policies and controls tailored to the needs of each segment, establishing what are known as micro-perimeters. Rather than trying to account for every potential vulnerability with one large security perimeter, teams can just focus on the tools and policies needed to cover the specific vulnerabilities of a particular micro-segment.

Network micro-perimeters help improve your zero trust security posture with:

• Granular access policies granting the least amount of privileges needed for any given workflow. Limiting the number of accounts with access to any given resource, and limiting the number of privileges granted to any given account, significantly reduces the amount of damage a compromised account (or malicious actor) is capable of inflicting.

• Targeted security controls addressing the specific risks and vulnerabilities of the resources in a micro-segment. For example, financial systems need stronger encryption, strict data governance monitoring, and multiple methods of trust verification, whereas an IoT lighting system requires simple monitoring and patch management, so the security controls for these micro-segments should be different.

• Trust verification using context-aware policies to catch accounts exhibiting suspicious behavior and prevent them from accessing sensitive resources. If a malicious outsider compromises an authorized user account and MFA device – or a disgruntled employee uses their network privileges to harm the company – it can be nearly impossible to prevent data exposure. Context-aware policies can stop a user from accessing confidential resources outside of typical operating hours, or from unfamiliar IP addresses, for example. Additionally, user entity and behavior analytics (UEBA) solutions use machine learning to detect other abnormal and risky behaviors that could indicate malicious intent.

Isolate and defend your management infrastructure

For zero trust to be effective, organizations must apply consistently strict security policies and controls to every component of their network architecture, including the management interfaces used to control infrastructure. Otherwise, a malicious actor could use a compromised sysadmin account to hijack the control plane and bring down the entire network.

According to a recent CISA directive, the best practice is to isolate the network’s control plane so that management interfaces are inaccessible from the production network. Many new cybersecurity regulations, including PCI DSS 4.0, DORA, NIS2, and the CER Directive, also either strongly recommend or require management infrastructure isolation.

Isolated management infrastructure (IMI) prevents compromised accounts, ransomware, and other threats from moving laterally to or from the production LAN. It gives teams a safe environment to recover from ransomware or other cyberattacks without risking reinfection, which is known as an isolated recovery environment (IRE). Management interfaces and the IRE should also be protected by granular, role-based access policies, multi-factor authentication, and strong hardware roots of trust to further mitigate risk.

The easiest and most secure way to implement IMI is with Gen 3 out-of-band (OOB) serial console servers, like the Nodegrid solution from ZPE Systems. These devices use alternative network interfaces like 5G/4G LTE cellular to ensure complete isolation and 24/7 management access even during outages. They’re protected by hardware security features like TPM 2.0 and GPS geofencing, and they integrate with zero trust solutions like identity and access management (IAM) and UEBA to enable consistent policy enforcement.

Defend your cloud resources

The vast majority of companies host some or all of their workflows in the cloud, which significantly expands and complicates the attack surface while making it more challenging to identify and defend the protect surface. Some organizations also lack a complete understanding of the shared responsibility model for varying cloud services, increasing the chances of coverage gaps. Additionally, many orgs struggle with “shadow IT,” which occurs when individual business units implement cloud applications without going through onboarding, preventing security teams from applying zero trust controls.

The first step toward improving your zero trust security posture in the cloud is to ensure you understand where your cloud service provider’s responsibilities end and yours begin. For instance, most SaaS providers handle all aspects of security except IAM and data protection, whereas IaaS (Infrastructure-as-a-Service) providers are only responsible for protecting their physical and virtual infrastructure.

It’s also vital that security teams have a complete picture of all the cloud services in use by the organization and a way to deploy and enforce zero trust policies in the cloud. For example, a cloud access security broker (CASB) is a solution that discovers all the cloud services in use by an organization and allows teams to monitor and manage security for the entire cloud architecture. A CASB provides capabilities like data governance, malware detection, and adaptive access controls, so organizations can protect their cloud resources with the same techniques used in the on-premises environment.
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Extend zero trust to the edge

Modern enterprise networks are highly decentralized, with many business operations taking place at remote branches, Internet of Things (IoT) deployment sites, and end-users’ homes. Extending security controls to the edge with on-premises zero trust solutions is very difficult without backhauling all remote traffic through a centralized firewall, which creates bottlenecks that affect performance and reliability. Luckily, the market for edge security solutions is rapidly growing and evolving to help organizations overcome these challenges. 

Security Access Service Edge (SASE) is a type of security platform that delivers core capabilities as a managed, typically cloud-based service for the edge. SASE uses software-defined wide area networking (SD-WAN) to intelligently and securely route edge traffic through the SASE tech stack, allowing the application and enforcement of zero trust controls. In addition to CASB and next-generation firewall (NGFW) features, SASE usually includes zero trust network access (ZTNA), which offers VPN-like functionality to connect remote users to enterprise resources from outside the network. ZTNA is more secure than a VPN because it only grants access to one app at a time, requiring separate authorization requests and trust verification attempts to move to different resources. 

Accelerating the zero trust journey

Zero trust is not a single security solution that you can implement once and forget about – it requires constant analysis of your security posture to identify and defend weaknesses as they arise. The best way to ensure adaptability is by using vendor-agnostic platforms to host and orchestrate zero trust security. This will allow you to add and change security services as needed without worrying about interoperability issues.

For example, the Nodegrid platform from ZPE Systems includes vendor-neutral serial consoles and integrated branch services routers that can host third-party software such as SASE and NGFWs. These devices also provide Gen 3 out-of-band management for infrastructure isolation and network resilience. Nodegrid protects management interfaces with strong hardware roots-of-trust, embedded firewalls, SAML 2.0 integrations, and other zero trust security features. Plus, with Nodegrid’s cloud-based or on-premises management platform, teams can orchestrate networking, infrastructure, and security workflows across the entire enterprise architecture.

Improve your zero trust security posture with Nodegrid

Using Nodegrid as the foundation for your zero trust network infrastructure ensures maximum agility while reducing management complexity. Watch a Nodegrid demo to learn more.

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The continuing trend of enterprise network decentralization to support Internet of Things (IoT) deployments, automation, and edge computing is resulting in rapid growth for the edge security market. Recent research predicts it will reach $82.4 billion by 2031 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 19.7% from 2024.

Edge security solutions decentralize the enterprise security stack, delivering key firewall capabilities to the network’s edges. This prevents companies from funneling all edge traffic through a centralized data center firewall, reducing latency and improving overall performance.

This guide compares the most popular edge security solutions and offers recommendations for choosing the right vendor for your use case.

Executive summary

There are six single-vendor SASE solutions offering the best combination of features and capabilities for their targeted use cases.
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The best edge security solution for Gen 3 out-of-band (OOB) management, which is critical for infrastructure isolation, resilience, and operational efficiency, is Nodegrid from ZPE Systems. Nodegrid provides secure hardware and software to host other vendors’ tools on a secure, Gen 3 OOB network. It creates a control plane for edge infrastructure that’s completely isolated from breaches on the production network and consolidates an entire edge networking stack into a single solution. Disclaimer: This comparison was written by a third party in collaboration with ZPE Systems using publicly available information gathered from data sheets, admin guides, and customer reviews on sites like Gartner Peer Insights, as of 6/09/2024. Please email us if you have corrections or edits, or want to review additional attributes, at matrix@zpesystems.com.

What are edge security solutions?

Edge security solutions primarily fall into one (or both) of two categories:

• Security Service Edge (SSE) solutions deliver core security features as a managed service. SSE does not come with any networking capabilities, so companies still need a way to securely route edge traffic through the (often cloud-based) security stack. This usually involves software-defined wide area networking (SD-WAN), which was traditionally a separate service that had to be integrated with the SSE stack.
• Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) solutions package SSE together with SD-WAN, preventing companies from needing to deploy and manage multiple vendor solutions.

All the top SSE providers now offer fully integrated SASE solutions with SD-WAN. SASE’s main tech stack is in the cloud, but organizations must install SD-WAN appliances at each branch or edge data center. SASE also typically uses software agents deployed at each site and, in some cases, on all edge devices. Some SASE vendors also sell physical appliances, while others only provide software licenses for virtualized SD-WAN solutions. A third category of edge security solutions offers a secure platform to run other vendors’ SD-WAN and SASE software. These solutions also provide an important edge security capability: management network isolation. This feature ensures that ransomware, viruses, and malicious actors can’t jump from compromised IoT devices to the management interfaces used to control vital edge infrastructure.

Comparing edge security solutions

Palo Alto Prisma SASE

Palo Alto Prisma was named a Leader in Gartner’s 2023 SSE Magic Quadrant for its ability to deliver best-in-class security features. Prisma SASE is a cloud-native, AI-powered solution with the industry’s first native Autonomous Digital Experience Management (ADEM) service. Prisma’s ADEM has built-in AIOps for automatic incident detection, diagnosis, and remediation, as well as self-guided remediation to streamline the end-user experience. Prisma SASE’s advanced feature set, high price tag, and granular controls make it well-suited to larger enterprises with highly distributed networks, complex edge operations, and personnel with previous SSE and SD-WAN experience.

Palo Alto Prisma SASE Capabilities:

• Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) 2.0 – Automated app discovery, fine-grained access controls, continuous trust verification, and deep security inspection.
• Cloud Secure Web Gateway (SWG) – Inline visibility and control of web and SaaS traffic.
• Next-Gen Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) – Inline and API-based security controls and contextual policies.
• Remote Browser Isolation (RBI) – Creates a secure isolation channel between users and remote browsers to prevent web threats from executing on their devices.
• App acceleration – Application-aware routing to improve “first-mile” connection performance.
• Prisma Access Browser – Policy management for edge devices.
• Firewall as a Service (FWaaS) – Advanced threat protection, URL filtering, DNS security, and other next-generation firewall (NGFW) features.
• Prisma SD-WAN – Elastic networks, app-defined fabric, and Zero Trust security.

Zscaler Zero Trust SASE

Zscaler is another 2023 SSE Magic Quadrant Leader offering a robust single-vendor SASE solution based on its Zero Trust ExchangeTM platform. Zscaler SASE uses artificial intelligence to boost its SWG, firewall, and DEM capabilities. It also offers IoT device management and OT privileged access management, allowing companies to secure unmanaged devices and provide secure remote access to industrial automation systems and other operational technology. Zscaler offers fewer security features than some of the other vendors on the list, but its capabilities and future roadmap align well with the requirements of many enterprises, especially those with large IoT and operational technology deployments.

Zscaler Zero Trust SASE Capabilities:

• Zscaler Internet Access^TM (ZIA) – SWG cyberthreat protection and zero-trust access to SaaS apps and the web.
• Zscaler Private Access^TM (ZPA) – ZTNA connectivity to private apps and OT devices.
• Zscaler Digital Experience^TM (ZDX) –  DEM with Microsoft Copilot AI to streamline incident management.
• Zscaler Data Protection – CASB/DLP secures edge data across platforms.
• IoT device visibility – IoT device, server, and unmanaged user device discovery, monitoring, and management.
• Privileged OT access – Secure access management for third-party vendors and remote user connectivity to OT systems.
• Zero Trust SD-WAN – Works with the Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange platform to secure edge and branch traffic.

Netskope ONE

Netskope is the only 2023 SSE Magic Quadrant Leader to offer a single-vendor SASE targeted to mid-market companies with smaller budgets as well as larger enterprises. The Netskope ONE platform provides a variety of security features tailored to different deployment sizes and requirements, from standard SASE offerings like ZTNA and CASB to more advanced capabilities such as AI-powered threat detection and user and entity behavior analytics (UEBA). Netskope ONE’s flexible options allow mid-sized companies to take advantage of advanced SASE features without paying a premium for the services they don’t need, though the learning curve may be a bit steep for inexperienced teams.

Netskope ONE Capabilities:

• Next-Gen SWG – Protection for cloud services, applications, websites, and data.
• CASB – Security for both managed and unmanaged cloud applications.
• ZTNA Next –  ZTNA with integrated software-only endpoint SD-WAN.
• Netskope Cloud Firewall (NCF) – Outbound network traffic security across all ports and protocols.
• RBI – Isolation for uncategorized and risky websites.
• SkopeAI – AI-powered threat detection, UEBA, and DLP
• Public Cloud Security – Visibility, control, and compliance for multi-cloud environments.
• Advanced analytics – 360-degree risk analysis.
• Cloud Exchange – Multi-cloud integration tools.
• DLP – Sensitive data discovery, monitoring, and protection.
• Device intelligence – Zero trust device discovery, risk assessment, and management.
• Proactive DEM – End-to-end visibility and real-time insights.
• SaaS security posture management – Continuous monitoring and enforcement of SaaS security settings, policies, and best practices.
• Borderless SD-WAN – Zero trust connectivity for edge, branch, cloud, remote users, and IoT devices.

Cisco

Cisco is one of the only edge security vendors to offer SASE as a managed service for companies with lean IT operations and a lack of edge networking experience. Cisco Secure Connect SASE-as-a-service includes all the usual SSE capabilities, such as ZTNA, SWG, and CASB, as well as native Meraki SD-WAN integration and a generative AI assistant. Cisco also provides traditional SASE by combining Cisco Secure Access SSE – which includes the Cisco Umbrella Secure Internet Gateway (SIG) – with Catalyst SD-WAN. Cisco Secure Connect makes SASE more accessible to smaller, less experienced IT teams, though its high price tag could be prohibitive to these companies. Cisco’s unmanaged SASE solutions integrate easily with existing Cisco infrastructures, but they offer less flexibility in the choice of features than other options on this list.

Cisco Secure Connect SASE-as-a-Service Capabilities:

• Clientless ZTNA
• Client-based Cisco AnyConnect secure remote access
• SWG
• Cloud-delivered firewall
• DNS-layer security
• CASB
• DLP
• SAML user authentication
• Generative AI assistant
• Network interconnect intelligent routing
• Native Meraki SD-WAN integration
• Unified management

Cisco Secure Access SASE Capabilities

• ZTNA 
• SWG
• CASB
• DLP
• FWaaS
• DNS-layer security
• Malware protection
• RBI
• Catalyst SD-WAN

Forcepoint ONE

Forcepoint ONE is a cloud-native single-vendor SASE solution placing a heavy emphasis on edge and multi-cloud visibility. Forcepoint ONE aggregates live telemetry from all Forcepoint security solutions and provides visualizations, executive summaries, and deep insights to help companies improve their security posture. Forcepoint also offers what they call data-first SASE, focusing on protecting data across edge and cloud environments while enabling seamless access for authorized users from anywhere in the world. Forcepoint’s data-focused platform and deep visibility make it well-suited for organizations with complicated data protection needs, such as those operating in the heavily regulated healthcare, finance, and defense industries. However, Forcepoint ONE has a steep learning curve, and integrating other services can be challenging.

Forcepoint ONE Capabilities:

• CASB – Access control and data security for over 800,000 cloud apps on managed and unmanaged devices.
• ZTNA – Secure remote access to private web apps.
• SWG – Includes RBI, content disarm & reconstruction (CDR), and a cloud firewall.
• Data Security – A cloud-native DLP to help enforce compliance across clouds, apps, emails, and endpoints.
• Insights – Real-time analysis of live telemetry data from Forcepoint ONE security products.
• FlexEdge SD-WAN – Secure access for branches and remote edge sites.

Fortinet FortiSASE

Fortinet’s FortiSASE platform combines feature-rich, AI-powered NGFW security functionality with SSE, digital experience monitoring, and a secure SD-WAN solution. Fortinet’s SASE offering includes the FortiGate NGFW delivered as a service, providing access to FortiGuard AI-powered security services like antivirus, application control, OT security, and anti-botnet protection. FortiSASE also integrates with the FortiMonitor DEM SaaS platform to help organizations optimize endpoint application performance. FortiSASE provides comprehensive edge security functionality for large enterprises hoping to consolidate their security operations with a single platform. However, the speed of some dashboards and features – particularly those associated with the FortiMonitor DEM software – could be improved for a better administrative experience.

Fortinet FortiSASE Capabilities:

• Antivirus – Protection from the latest polymorphic attacks, ransomware, viruses, and other threats.
• DLP – Prevention of intentional and accidental data leaks.
• AntiSpam – Multi-layered spam email filtering.
• Application Control – Policy creation and management for enterprise and cloud-based applications.
• Attack Surface Security – Security Fabric infrastructure assessments based on major security and compliance frameworks.
• CASB – Inline and API-based cloud application security.
• DNS Security – DNS traffic visibility and filtering.
• IPS – Deep packet inspection (DPI) and SSL inspection of network traffic.
• OT Security – IPS for OT systems including ICS and SCADA protocols.
• AI-Based Inline Malware Prevention – Real-time protection against zero-day exploits and sophisticated, novel threats.
• URL Filtering – AI-powered behavior analysis and correlation to block malicious URLs.
• Anti-Botnet and C2 – Prevention of unauthorized communication attempts from compromised remote servers.
• FortiMonitor DEM – SaaS-based digital experience monitoring.
• Secure SD-WAN – On-premises and cloud-based SD-WAN integrated into the same OS as the SSE security solutions.

Edge isolation and security with ZPE Nodegrid

The Nodegrid platform from ZPE Systems is a different type of edge security solution, providing secure hardware and software to host other vendors’ tools on a secure, Gen 3 out-of-band (OOB) management network. Nodegrid integrated branch services routers use alternative network interfaces (including 5G/4G LTE) and serial console technology to create a control plane for edge infrastructure that’s completely isolated from breaches on the production network. It uses hardware security features like secure boot and geofencing to prevent physical tampering, and it supports strong authentication methods and SAML integrations to protect the management network. Nodegrid’s OOB also ensures remote teams have 24/7 access to manage, troubleshoot, and recover edge deployments even during a major network outage or ransomware infection. Plus, Nodegrid’s ability to host Guest OS, including Docker containers and VNFs, allows companies to consolidate an entire edge networking stack in a single platform. Nodegrid devices like the Gate SR with Nvidia Jetson Nano can even run edge computing and AI/ML workloads alongside SASE. .

ZPE Nodegrid Edge Security Capabilities

• Vendor-neutral platform – Hosting for third-party applications and services, including Docker containers and virtualized network functions.
• Gen 3 OOB – Management interface isolation and 24/7 remote access during outages and breaches.
• Branch networking – Routing and switching, VNFs, and software-defined branch networking (SD-Branch).
• Secure boot – Password-protected BIO/Grub and signed software.
• Latest kernel & cryptographic modules – 64-bit OS with current encryption and frequent security patches.
• SSO with SAML, 2FA, & remote authentication – Support for Duo, Okta, Ping, and ADFS.
• Geofencing – GPS tracking with perimeter crossing detection.
• Fine-grain authorization – Role-based access control.
• Firewall – Native IPSec & Fail2Ban intrusion prevention and third-party extensibility.
• Tampering protection – Configuration checksum and change detection with a configuration ‘reset’ button.
• TPM encrypted storage – Software encryption for SSD hardware storage.

Deploy edge security solutions on the vendor-neutral Nodegrid OOB platform

Nodegrid’s secure hardware and vendor-neutral OS make it the perfect platform for hosting other vendors’ SSE, SD-WAN, and SASE solutions. Reach out today to schedule a free demo.

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Both edge computing and cloud computing involve moving computational resources – such as CPUs (central processing units), GPUs (graphics processing units), RAM (random access memory), and data storage – out of the centralized, on-premises data center. As such, both represent massive shifts in enterprise network designs and how companies deploy, manage, secure, and use computing resources. Edge and cloud computing also create new opportunities for data processing, which is sorely needed as companies generate more data than ever before, thanks in no small part to an explosion in Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) adoption. By 2025, IoT devices alone are predicted to generate 80 zettabytes of data, much of it decentralized around the edges of the network. AI, machine learning, and other data analytics applications, meanwhile, require vast quantities of data (and highly scalable infrastructure) to provide accurate insights. This guide compares edge computing vs cloud computing to help organizations choose the right deployment model for their use case.

Table of Contents

Defining edge computing vs cloud computing Examples of edge computing vs cloud computing The advantages of edge computing over cloud computing The disadvantages of edge computing compared to cloud computing Edge native applications vs cloud native applications Choosing edge computing vs cloud computing

Defining edge computing vs cloud computing

Edge computing involves deploying computing capabilities to the network’s edges to enable on-site data processing for Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, operational technology (OT), automated infrastructure, and other edge devices and services. Edge computing deployments are highly distributed across remote sites far from the network core, such as oil & gas rigs, automated manufacturing plants, and shipping warehouses. Ideally, organizations use a centralized (usually cloud-based) orchestrator to oversee and conduct operations across the distributed edge computing architecture.

Diagram showing an example edge computing architecture controlled by a cloud-based edge orchestrator.

Reducing the number of network hops between edge devices and the applications that process and use edge data enables real-time data processing, reduces MPLS bandwidth costs, improves performance, and keeps private data within the security micro-perimeter. Cloud computing involves using remote computing resources over the Internet to run applications, process and store data, and more. Cloud service providers manage the physical infrastructure and allow companies to easily scale their virtual computing resources with the click of a button, significantly reducing operational costs and complexity over on-premises and edge computing deployments.

Examples of edge computing vs cloud computing

Edge computing works best for workloads requiring real-time data processing using fairly lightweight applications, especially in locations with inconsistent or unreliable Internet access or where privacy/compliance is a major concern. Example edge computing use cases include:

• Orchestrating operational technology (OT) in remote manufacturing plants
• Monitoring safety and production data from sensors inside gas lines
• Analyzing patient data from wearable health monitors to provide real-time emergency alerts

Cloud computing is well-suited to workloads requiring extensive computational resources that can scale on-demand, but that aren’t time-sensitive. Example use cases include:

• Running large artificial intelligence and machine learning solutions
• Centralizing collaboration tools like source code version control
• Orchestrating distributed edge operations from a single platform

The advantages of edge computing over cloud computing

Using cloud-based applications to process edge device data involves transmitting that data from the network’s edges to the cloud provider’s data center, and vice versa. Transmitting data over the open Internet is too risky, so most organizations route the traffic through a security appliance such as a firewall to encrypt and protect the data. Often these security solutions are off-site, in the company’s central data center, or, best-case scenario, a SASE point-of-presence (PoP), adding more network hops between edge devices and the cloud applications that service them.  This process increases bandwidth usage and introduces latency, preventing real-time data processing and negatively affecting performance.

Edge computing moves data processing resources closer to the source, eliminating the need to transmit this data over the Internet. This improves performance by reducing (or even removing) network hops and preventing network bottlenecks at the centralized firewall. Edge computing also lets companies use their valuable edge data in real time, enabling faster insights and greater operational efficiencies.

Edge computing mitigates the risk involved in storing and processing sensitive or highly regulated data in a third-party computing environment, giving companies complete control over their data infrastructure. It can also help reduce bandwidth costs by eliminating the need to route edge data through VPNs or MPLS links to apply security controls.

Edge computing advantages:

• Improves network and application performance
• Enables real-time data processing and insights
• Simplifies security and compliance
• Reduces MPLS bandwidth costs

The disadvantages of edge computing compared to cloud computing

Cloud computing resources are highly scalable, allowing organizations to meet rapidly changing requirements without the hassle of purchasing, installing, and maintaining additional hardware and software licenses. Edge computing still involves physical, on-premises infrastructure, making it far less scalable than the cloud. However, it’s possible to improve edge agility and flexibility by using vendor-neutral platforms to run and manage edge resources. An open platform like Nodegrid allows teams to run multiple edge computing applications from different vendors on the same box, swap out services as business needs evolve, and deploy automation to streamline multi-vendor edge device provisioning from a single orchestrator.

Diagram showing how the Nodegrid Mini SR combines edge computing and networking capabilities on a small, affordable, flexible platform.

Organizations often deploy edge computing in less-than-ideal operating environments, such as closets and other cramped spaces that lack the strict HVAC controls that maintain temperature and humidity in cloud data centers. These environments also typically lack the physical security controls that prevent unauthorized individuals from tampering with equipment, such as guarded entryways, security cameras, and biometric locks. The best way to mitigate this disadvantage is with an environmental monitoring system that uses sensors to detect temperature and humidity changes that could cause equipment failures as well as proximity alarms to notify administrators when someone gets too close. It’s also advisable to use hermetically sealed edge computing devices capable of operating in extreme temperatures and with built-in security features making them tamper-proof.

Cloud computing is often more resilient than edge computing because cloud service providers must maintain a certain level of continuous uptime to meet service level agreements (SLAs). Edge computing operations could be disrupted by network equipment failures, ISP outages, ransomware attacks, and other adverse events, so it’s essential to implement resilience measures that keep services running (if in a degraded state) and allow remote teams to fix problems without having to be on site. Edge resilience measures include Gen 3 out-of-band management, control plane/data plane separation (also known as isolated management infrastructure or IMI), and isolated recovery environments (IRE).

Edge computing disadvantages:

• Less scalable than cloud infrastructure
• Lack of environmental and security controls
• Requires additional resilience measures

Edge-native applications vs cloud-native applications

Edge-native applications and cloud-native applications are similar in that they use containers and microservices architectures, as well as CI/CD (continuous integration/continuous delivery) and other DevOps principles.

Cloud-native applications leverage centralized, scalable resources to perform deep analysis of long-lived data in long-term hot storage environments. Edge-native applications are built to leverage limited resources distributed around the network’s edges to perform real-time analysis of ephemeral data that’s constantly moving. Typically, edge-native applications are highly contextualized for a specific use case, whereas cloud-native applications offer broader, standardized capabilities. Another defining characteristic of edge-native applications is the ability to operate independently when needed while still integrating seamlessly with the cloud, upstream resources, remote management, and centralized orchestration.

Choosing edge computing vs cloud computing

Both edge computing and cloud computing have unique advantages and disadvantages that make them well-suited for different workloads and use cases. Factors like increasing data privacy regulations, newsworthy cloud provider outages, greater reliance on human-free IoT and OT deployments, and an overall trend toward decentralizing business operations are pushing organizations to adopt edge computing. However, most companies still rely heavily on cloud resources and will continue to do so, making it crucial to ensure seamless interoperability between the edge and the cloud.

The best way to ensure integration is by using vendor-neutral platforms. For example, Nodegrid integrated services routers like the Gate SR provide multi-vendor out-of-band serial console management for edge infrastructure and devices, using an embedded Jetson Nano card to support edge computing and AI workloads. The ZPE Cloud management platform unifies orchestration for the entire Nodegrid-connected architecture, delivering 360-degree control over complex and highly distributed networks. Plus, Nodegrid easily integrates – or even directly hosts – other vendors’ solutions for edge data processing, IT automation, SASE, and more, making edge operations more cost-effective. Nodegrid also provides the complete control plane/data plane separation needed to ensure edge resilience.

Get edge efficiency and resilience with Nodegrid

The Nodegrid platform from ZPE Systems helps companies across all industries streamline their edge operations with resilient, vendor-neutral, Gen 3 out-of-band management. Request a free Nodegrid demo to learn more. REQUEST A DEMO

Edge computing is rapidly gaining popularity as more  organizations see the benefits of decentralizing data processing for Internet of Things (IoT) deployments, machine learning applications, operational technology (OT), AI and machine learning, and other edge use cases. This guide defines edge computing and edge-native applications, highlights a few key use cases, describes the typical components of an edge deployment, and provides additional resources for building your own edge computing architecture.

Table of Contents

What is edge computing? Edge-native applications Edge computing use cases Edge computing architecture design How to build an edge computing architecture with Nodegrid

What is edge computing?

The Open Glossary of Edge Computing defines it as deploying computing capabilities to the edges of a network to improve performance, reduce operating costs, and increase resilience. Edge computing reduces the number of network hops between data-generating devices and the applications that process and use that data, mitigating latency, bandwidth, and security concerns compared to cloud or on-premises computing.

Image: A diagram showing the migration path from on-premises computing to edge computing, along with the associated level of security risk.

Edge-native applications

Edge-native applications are built from the ground up to harness edge computing’s unique capabilities while mitigating the limitations. They leverage some cloud-native principles, such as containers, microservices, and CI/CD (continuous integration/continuous delivery), with several key differences.

Edge-Native vs. Cloud-Native Applications

	Edge-Native	Cloud-Native
Topology	Distributed	Centralized
Compute	Real-time processing with limited resources	Deep processing with scalable resources
Data	Constantly changing and moving	Long-lived and at rest in a centralized location
Capabilities	Contextualized	Standardized
Location	Anywhere	Cloud data center

Source: Gartner

Edge-native applications integrate seamlessly with the cloud, upstream resources, remote management, and centralized orchestration, but can also operate independently as needed. Crucially, they allow organizations to actually leverage their edge data in real-time, rather than just collecting it for later processing.

Edge computing use cases

Nearly every industry has potential use cases for edge computing, including:

Industry	Edge Computing Use Cases
Healthcare	Mitigating security, privacy, and HIPAA compliance concerns with local data processing Improving patient health outcomes with real-time alerts that don’t require Internet access Enabling emergency mobile medical intervention while reducing mistakes
Finance	Reducing security and regulatory risks through local computing and edge infrastructure isolation Getting fast, localized business insights to improve revenue and customer service Deploying AI-powered surveillance and security solutions without network bottlenecks
Energy	Enabling network access and real-time data processing for airgapped and isolated environments Improving efficiency with predictive maintenance recommendations and other insights Proactively identifying and remediating safety, quality, and compliance issues
Manufacturing	Getting real-time, data-driven insights to improve manufacturing efficiency and product quality Reducing the risk of confidential production data falling into the wrong hands in transit Ensuring continuous operations during network outages and other adverse events Using AI with computer vision to ensure worker safety and quality control of fabricated components/products
Utilities/Public Services	Using IoT technology to deliver better services, improve public safety, and keep communities connected Reducing the fleet management challenges involved in difficult deployment environments Aiding in disaster recovery and resilience with distributed redundant edge resources

To learn more about the specific benefits and uses of edge computing for each industry, read Distributed Edge Computing Use Cases.

Edge computing architecture design

An edge computing architecture consists of six major components:

Edge Computing Components	Description	Best Practices
Devices generating edge data	IoT devices, sensors, controllers, smartphones, and other devices that generate data at the edge	Use automated patch management to keep devices up-to-date and protect against known vulnerabilities
Edge software applications	Analytics, machine learning, and other software deployed at the edge to use edge data	Look for edge-native applications that easily integrate with other tools to prevent edge sprawl
Edge computing infrastructure	CPUs, GPUs, memory, and storage used to process data and run edge applications	Use vendor-neutral, multi-purpose hardware to reduce overhead and management complexity
Edge network infrastructure and logic	Wired and wireless connectivity, routing, switching, and other network functions	Deploy virtualized network functions and edge computing on common, vendor-neutral hardware
Edge security perimeter	Firewalls, endpoint security, web filtering, and other enterprise security functionality	Implement edge-centric security solutions like SASE and SSE to prevent network bottlenecks while protecting edge data
Centralized management and orchestration	An EMO (edge management and orchestration) platform used to oversee and conduct all edge operations	Use a cloud-based, Gen 3 out-of-band (OOB) management platform to ensure edge resilience and enable end-to-end automation

Click here to learn more about the infrastructure, networking, management, and security components of an edge computing architecture.

How to build an edge computing architecture with Nodegrid

Nodegrid is a Gen 3 out-of-band management platform that streamlines edge computing with vendor-neutral solutions and a centralized, cloud-based orchestrator.

Image: A diagram showing all the edge computing and networking capabilities provided by the Nodegrid Gate SR.

Nodegrid integrated services routers deliver all-in-one edge computing and networking functionality while taking up 1RU or less. A Nodegrid box like the Gate SR provides Ethernet and Serial switching, serial console/jumpbox management, WAN routing, wireless networking, and 5G/4G cellular for network failover or out-of-band management. It includes enough CPU, memory, and encrypted SSD storage to run edge computing workflows, and the x86-64bit Linux-based Nodegrid OS supports virtualized network functions, VMs, and containers for edge-native applications, even those from other vendors. The new Gate SR also comes with an embedded NVIDIA Jetson Orin NanoTM module featuring dual CPUs for EMO of AI workloads and infrastructure isolation.

Nodegrid SRs can also host SASE, SSE, and other security solutions, as well as third-party automation from top vendors like Redhat and Salt. Remote teams use the centralized, vendor-neutral ZPE Cloud platform (an on-premises version is available) to deploy, monitor, and orchestrate the entire edge architecture. Management, automation, and orchestration workflows occur over the Gen 3 OOB control plane, which is separated and isolated from the production network. Nodegrid OOB uses fast, reliable network interfaces like 5G cellular to enable end-to-end automation and ensure 24/7 remote access even during major outages, significantly improving edge resilience.

Streamline your edge deployment

The Nodegrid platform from ZPE Systems reduces the cost and complexity of building an edge computing architecture with vendor-neutral, all-in-one devices and centralized EMO. Request a free Nodegrid demo to learn more.

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Internet service providers (ISPs) are the backbone of modern society, responsible for connecting businesses, services, and people to the Internet and to each other. ISP networks are vast, distributed, and complex, making them challenging to manage effectively. However, failing to do so has major consequences. For example, in July of 2022, Rogers Communications in Canada suffered a network system failure after a maintenance update, causing an outage that lasted more than 15 hours and took down emergency services and other critical infrastructure.

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?

Contact ZPE Systems for a free demo of the Nodegrid edge management and orchestration platform.

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5G cellular technology is used for internet of things (IoT) deployments and operational technology (OT) automation across many different kinds of organizations, including city governments, global logistics companies, and healthcare providers. 5G access is provided by a radio access network (RAN) using mobile towers and small cells, but deploying these networks is challenging due to numerous factors, including poor public opinion. This post provides an introduction to radio access networks before discussing 5G RAN challenges, solutions, and use cases.

Table of Contents:

What is a Radio Access Network (RAN)? What is 5G RAN? 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) challenges A new approach to 5G deployments Smart cities Global asset tracking & logistics Building automation

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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Gartner’s SSE Magic Quadrant for 2023 identifies 10 key vendors currently providing secure service edge capabilities for the enterprise market. In this guide, we’ll summarize the common factors shared among leading SSE vendors, discuss what separates them from niche players, and share advice for connecting your edge network to SSE solutions via an SD-WAN on-ramp.

Table of Contents:

What is Security Service Edge (SSE)? What is the need for SSE? What is the SSE Magic Quadrant? What has changed since the 2022 SSE Magic Quadrant? Key takeaways from the 2023 SSE Magic Quadrant SD-WAN: An on-ramp for SSE What to look for in an ideal SSE on-ramp Why Nodegrid is the ideal SSE on-ramp

What is Security Service Edge (SSE)?

Security service edge (SSE) is a cloud-centric security methodology for protecting edge network traffic. It rolls up technologies like Firewall-as-a-Service (FWaaS), Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), and Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASB) into a single service. These technologies offer threat protection, security monitoring, access control, and data governance.

What is the need for SSE?

With the frequency and severity of ransomware attacks and other cybercrimes increasing daily, security is a major priority for any organization. To protect your enterprise from cyber threats, you need to be able to extend your security policies and controls to all the remote and geographically distributed systems at your network edge. Historically, that meant backhauling all remote traffic through your primary firewall, which would inevitably cause performance issues for everyone on the network. This is frustrating and can greatly impact the business when much of your remote traffic is destined for cloud and web resources that aren’t even on your enterprise network.

SSE solves this problem by taking advanced enterprise security technologies and making them available as a cloud-based service. You can use SD-WAN with intelligent routing (more on that later) to send remote and branch office traffic through your SSE stack. This allows you to apply consistent policies and controls to your enterprise and edge traffic while reducing bottlenecks and increasing overall network performance.
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Learn more about SSE:

• Understanding Key Components of SSE (Security Service Edge)
• Top Security Service Edge Use Cases & Benefits for Enterprises
• Security Service Edge (SSE) Implementation Guide for Enterprises

There are many reasons why an SSE vendor would be considered a niche player, including that the market hasn’t caught on to them yet due to poor marketing or sales strategies. However, one common caution among niche players is a failure to fully integrate SSE components, which means customers must use multiple dashboards to manage a single SSE solution. Another common issue is poor support during sales, implementation, and operation, leading to frustration among enterprises with less experience in edge networking and security.

On the other hand, the leaders of the SSE Magic Quadrant share a few common characteristics as well. For one, they have strong marketing and sales outreach, a clear vision, and a roadmap for the future. This vision is essential because it allows enterprises to ensure their goals and strategies align with where their SSE vendor is headed.

In addition, these solutions’ components are tightly integrated with a single, unified management platform for more accessible and efficient operation. Magic Quadrant leaders invest in and implement new security features frequently, bug-free, and with adequate documentation and support. That means customers can stay ahead of emerging security threats without worrying about breaking their existing setups.

What has changed since the 2022 SSE Magic Quadrant?

There are three major changes to Magic Quadrant this year.

• Palo Alto Networks moves from Challenger to Leader: In 2022, Palo Alto extended its Prisma Access SSE solution to better integrate with Prisma SD-WAN, enhance its proxy and ZTNA components, and add SaaS Security Posture Management (SSPM).
• McAfee splits its cloud business into Skyhigh Security: Early in 2022, McAfee enterprise split into two, with its cloud business now known as Skyhigh Security. This split disrupted Skyhigh’s growth and market share and moved this SSE offering from the Leaders quadrant to the Visionaries quadrant.
• Versa leaves the SSE Magic Quadrant: Versa no longer ranks in the top 20 organizations in Gartner’s market momentum index (MMI), so it isn’t included in the 2023 Magic Quadrant.

Key takeaways from the 2023 SSE Magic Quadrant

• Most vendors prioritized improving their core capabilities and better integrating their product, rather than focusing on new features and other innovations.
• Vendors who fail to fully integrate their SSE offering into a unified platform are quickly losing market share.
• WFH traffic is less of a concern for enterprises than branch/edge sites, so SD-WAN access and integrations are critical.

Overall, the biggest takeaway from the SSE Magic Quadrant is the importance of a seamlessly-integrated platform. A consolidated platform ensures complete visibility and control over your security service edge solution without needing to learn and operate multiple consoles.

On top of this, to use SSE’s cloud-delivered solution, you need a reliable way to send traffic from your branch and edge locations to the SSE stack. That means part of the architecture needs to include an access solution that can tunnel traffic from these locations to the cloud, such as SD-WAN. The access solution serves as an on-ramp to SSE, and requires a physical appliance for on-premises installations. This framework combining SD-WAN access with SSE is how SASE (secure access service edge) is built.

SD-WAN: An on-ramp to SSE

Security service edge provides the technology to protect your edge-based cloud-destined traffic, but you still need a way to get that traffic to your SSE platform. This is known as an SSE on-ramp, and it’s not included in any of the SSE Magic Quadrant solutions. However, one of Gartner’s selection criteria was the ability to integrate with SD-WAN technology.

An SSE on-ramp uses SD-WAN (software-defined wide area network) technology to route remote and branch office traffic to your SSE stack in the cloud. SD-WAN separates the control and management processes from your underlying WAN hardware and virtualizes them as software, making it possible to centrally control and orchestrate even very complex and distributed WANs. With SD-WAN, you can use intelligent and application-aware routing to connect your edge users directly to the SSE platform, cloud, and web resources.

What to look for in an ideal SSE on-ramp

The ideal on-ramp to SSE will support seamless integration with your SSE platform, and vice-versa. In addition, the right solution will provide additional capabilities like the ones listed below.

Why Nodegrid is the ideal SSE on-ramp

The Nodegrid branch and edge networking solution from ZPE Systems combines all the capabilities of the ideal SSE on-ramp in a single platform. For example, the Nodegrid Net Services Router (NSR) is a customizable, all-in-one device with available modules for storage, compute, serial console management, and more. The vendor-neutral NSR can host your preferred SD-WAN solution and supports easy integrations with SSE Magic Quadrant Leaders like Palo Alto Prisma Access, or you can use ZPE Cloud’s integrated SD-WAN app.

Thanks to the open-architecture, Linux-based Nodegrid OS, you can also extend Nodegrid’s capabilities with your choice of custom and third-party applications for security, monitoring, automation, and more. Plus, every device, application, and integration connected to the Nodegrid platform is brought under a single management umbrella for a unified and efficient orchestration experience. 

The Nodegrid platform from ZPE Systems rolls up everything you need in an SSE on-ramp and delivers it in one powerful, unified edge networking solution.

Learn how Nodegrid easily hosts and integrates Gartner’s picks for the 2023 SSE Magic Quadrant!

Contact ZPE Systems today!

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This article was written by James Cabe, CISSP, whose cybersecurity expertise has helped major companies including Microsoft and Fortinet.

MOVEit over SolarWinds — The largest and most successful ransomware attack ever recorded is happening. Right now. It’s attacking healthcare and financial institutions with high rates of success, and recently stole sensitive data of 4 million more healthcare patients. It uses something called CL0P ransomware, and the threat actor is a well-known criminal group with the name FIN11. Many organizations are finding it difficult to stop the attack because they have no way to access infected devices, take them offline, patch, or even replace them. So, what exactly is going on?

How did the ransomware attack start?

The ransomware attack began with several Accellion FTA customers, including those in industries like healthcare, legal, finance, retail, and telecom. Companies such as Jones Day Law, Kroger, Singtel, and many others had no idea that they had been attacked, because the initial breach was quiet and headless.

Their only indication came after receiving a threatening email aimed at extortion. 

In this email, the group threatened to publish stolen data on the “CL0P^_- LEAKS” .onion website, according to an investigation from Accellion. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) are releasing this joint CSA to disseminate known CL0P ransomware IOCs and TTPs identified through FBI investigations as recently as June 2023.

According to the investigation, four zero-day security holes were exploited in the attacks:

• CVE-2021-27101 – SQL injection via a crafted Host header
• CVE-2021-27102 – OS command execution via a local web service call
• CVE-2021-27103 – SSRF via a crafted POST request
• CVE-2021-27104 – OS command execution via a crafted POST request

And, the published victim data appears to have been stolen using a “WEB SHELL”. These web shells give remote administrative access to the web server and create a jumping off point to attack the rest of the internal network. Mandiant, a well-known cyber investigation arm of Google, added, “The exfiltration activity has affected entities in a wide range of sectors and countries” (Threatpost). Exfiltration is the unauthorized removal of important or damaging data from an organization.

However the biggest problem is that these web shells are what researchers call “PERSISTENCE”. This means that an attacker can remain in your network indefinitely to continue damaging and attacking your resources. Researchers call these “APTs,” or Advanced Persistent Threats.

Why is the ransomware attack still going strong?

The ransomware attack is still going strong because there’s no patch available. According to open source information, beginning on May 27, 2023, CL0P Ransomware Gang began exploiting a previously unknown SQL injection vulnerability (CVE-2023-34362) in Accelion’s appliance that is the backbone of a solution known as Progress Software’s MOVEit Transfer service. Internet-facing MOVEit Transfer web applications were infected with a web shell named LEMURLOOT, which was then used to steal data from underlying MOVEit Transfer databases. In similar spates of activity, TA505, which is the group responsible for the Dridex trojan and Locky ransomware, conducted zero-day-exploit-driven campaigns against Accellion FTA devices in 2020 and 2021, and Fortra/Linoma GoAnywhere MFT servers in early 2023.

What most organizations want to know is: How do you quickly respond to issues like these? How can you be properly prepared to respond to an issue you didn’t cause or didn’t expect?

Patching is a good response. However, it takes an average of 205 days to patch a recently known zero-day exploit like the MOVEit vulnerability. While patching alone is typically the ideal response, it isn’t automatic nor can it be done quickly.

Another approach involves removing the offending software or appliance, or cutting off access to the software or appliance. But once you remove this access, how do you continue normal operations, and how can you easily bring the software/appliance back online? Without adequate infrastructure in place, physically deploying to each site is not practical, especially for distributed organizations.

CISA and the FBI encourage organizations to implement the recommendations in the Mitigations section of this CSA to reduce the likelihood and impact of CL0P ransomware and other ransomware incidents. The Mitigations section describes many approaches, including patching, removing software/appliance access, and implementing a recovery plan. But all of these take too much time and too many resources, which leaves organizations vulnerable as they scramble to create an adequate response.

The great news is, organizations can cover all their bases without having to reinvent the wheel. This approach is recommended in one of CISA’s recent directives, and gives organizations somewhat of a silver bullet that allows them to quickly defeat ransomware and remain prepared for any future attack.

What approach does CISA recommend to address ransomware attacks?

CISA’s recent directive (23-02), which addresses the vulnerability of Internet-exposed management interfaces, calls for organizations to create an isolated management infrastructure (IMI) via out-of-band connectivity. This is a drop-in solution that the military, telcos, and hyperscalers/cloud companies use to respond to widespread ransomware and other issues impacting security and resilience. This approach — which ZPE Systems has perfected in the last decade with the help of Big Tech — gives organizations a completely separate control plane through which they can monitor and manage their entire IT infrastructure in a safe and dedicated fashion.

What is isolated management infrastructure?

Isolated management infrastructure consists of the hardware and software that create a management network that’s fully separate from other production and management networks. The key to this is in out-of-band connectivity, which is defined as connectivity other than TCP/IP. Out-of-band can include direct USB, serial, or even non-routed zero-trust connections to crown-jewel assets.

Essentially, the IMI gives an organization complete oversight and control of their widespread IT infrastructure, in a way that is secure and accessible only to their IT teams.

In this diagram, the production infrastructure (blue ring) sits at each distributed location. The out-of-band infrastructure for LAN (OOBI-LAN) is the green ring and surrounds the production infrastructure with one layer of isolated management. The OOBI-WAN (orange ring) is what provides a second layer of isolated management, which teams can access from a central or remote location, to gain access to the OOBI-LAN and ultimately the production infrastructure.

Knowing these assets and providing access across the organization can be easy and does not have to disrupt current operations. 

How can IMI stop the FIN11 ransomware attack?

In the ongoing FIN11 ransomware attack, Internet-facing applications are targets of the zero-day exploit. This means that no amount of security solutions can pre-mitigate the attack (i.e., there’s nothing you can do to stop it). This is where IMI shines.

Remember the OOBI-LAN/OOBI-WAN diagram? Here’s a zoomed-in view of the isolated management infrastructure sitting beside the production infrastructure. The IMI connects via serial, Ethernet, and USB to production gear, and provides the necessary functions (routing, storing golden images, hosting jumpbox tools, etc.) to recover from attack. But how?

IT teams can use OOBI-WAN to remotely access their OOBI-LAN and production gear. They can pull affected devices offline and bring them in for forensics, which takes place in an Isolated Recovery Environment (IRE). This means these assets and networks are still reachable by analysts and responders, but isolated from other vulnerable assets. This allows an organization to quickly and even automatically deploy tools and resources inside of this environment through devices like ZPE Systems’ Nodegrid.

To combat the FIN11 attack, organizations don’t need to unplug cables or shut their devices off. They can instead deploy their IMI as the framework for closing the attack surface while maintaining access and critical data to aid in recovery.

Get the blueprint for isolated management infrastructure

Don’t wait until the next attack to shore up your defenses. ZPE Systems has worked with Big Tech for ten years developing the isolated management infrastructure. It’s now available inside the Network Automation Blueprint, and walks you through how to implement your own IMI. Download the blueprint now to stay ready for any attack.

Get in touch with me!

True security can only be achieved through resilience, and that’s my mission. If you want help shoring up your defenses, building an IMI, and implementing a Resilience System, get in touch with me. Here are links to my social media accounts:

• James Cabe – CISSP on LinkedIn
• @how2cloud on X – James Cabe