This is one of those conversations initiated when a PR person notices I cover a topic. The Edge is an important part of the network today. So George Westwater, Senior Director of Software Engineering at Progress, sent some notes.
[Note: Progress (formerly Chef) is a configuration management tool written in Ruby and Erlang. It uses a pure-Ruby, domain-specific language (DSL) for writing system configuration “recipes”.]
When it comes to managing applications at the edge, organizations, including manufacturers, must consider three dimensions for optimal edge management and security: configuration, continuous compliance, and secure software supply chain. They must ensure that their solution is uniquely tailored to address the requirements of remote edge computing. This approach is critical across many industries, including automated warehouses, automotive manufacturing, retail, and restaurants becoming an integral part of their operations.
When organizations start a project, they often focus on a single dimension of the problem, such as improving application deployments, improving application security, addressing changing regulatory/compliance requirements, or increasing the security/handling of remote devices. To be truly successful though, organizations ultimately find they require a comprehensive, integrated approach to seamlessly address the management of all three dimensions of edge management. Organizations must adopt this approach to successfully adopt continuous compliance, efficient software packaging, secure delivery, and configuration drift prevention.
Edge devices are vital in modern manufacturing but are prone to security vulnerabilities and configuration inconsistencies. Organizations must adopt a robust framework for building, packaging, delivering, and running software in remote locations. This approach provides package authenticity, and runtime protection and reduces testing time. It also enforces edge device compliance by collecting and correcting configuration drift and delivers secure software updates. As a result, it effortlessly adapts to various topologies, meeting business and regulatory requirements.
As part of a single and long-established Progress DevSecOps framework that supports application infrastructure across virtually any cloud to any edge, Chef’s Edge Management allows organizations to meet configuration, continuous compliance, and secure software supply chain requirements that enhance operational reliability and security for edge device.
