ATOS
from something , even if it ’ s remote , and then we need to connect it so that the whole data chain makes sense ,” he asserts . “ That ’ s why I decided to create that offering and then that line of business within Atos . We take the data from wherever it is needed , but ultimately we start with the end goal , which is to make money with what we ’ re creating .”
Atos ’ approach under Langer ’ s guidance has been to develop a platform that – while complex – delivers a comprehensive solution to customers at what the company describes as the Far Edge : edge computing infrastructure deployed in a location farthest from the core data centre and closest to the users . “ We ’ ve been able to develop the whole platform so that it can be a giant black box that we deliver to the customer ,” he explains . “ We ’ ve got the right hardware and the whole data platform . We ’ ve been partnering with a few companies out there , but I ’ m pretty happy that now we have an offering that makes sense . That offering is pretty complex , but at the end of the day we now have a good opportunity to make money with data which , as we all know , is the new oil .”
Atos supporting customers on their edge transformations The edge is – like Atos ’ black block solutions themselves – a complex environment . At the heart of Atos ’ strategy for edge transformations is recognising these complexities , and simplifying these journeys for clients .
Highlighting the challenges of managing devices in diverse and remote locations , this complexity is twofold .
“ First , the device is in the field , and not in a data centre anymore ,” Langer explains . “ As a result , you cannot have your IT department available 24 / 7 , ready to look at why a box is blinking red , instead of green .
“ You have to have automation and the right level of decision – making that is automated by the management platform , so that you can be successful in deploying edge deployments ”
ARNAUD LANGER GLOBAL MANAGING PARTNER – EDGE & IOT , ATOS
“ Secondly , you have a different scale of management . If you have a complex infrastructure in a data centre , it ’ s a few racks . At the edge , you ’ ve got thousands of locations and therefore you have all sorts of diversity in the field . One location will be cold , the other one will be hot . One location will have cellular network available , the other one will be cable only .”
The scalability , diversity and management of edge devices call for a nuanced approach , emphasising automation and foresight to avoid repeating past mistakes .
“ You have to have automation and the right level of decision – making that is automated by the management platform , so that you can be successful in deploying edge deployments ,” Langer says , advocating for a thoughtful approach to edge deployments . “ Otherwise , you ’ re going to have the exact same issues that we had 15 years ago when we started with IoT .”
108 April 2024