by Gary Mintchell | Nov 12, 2025 | Cloud, Data Management, Edge, Operations Management
Industrial IT developers increasingly incorporate standard IT infrastructure. Rather than send platitudes about the mythical “IT/OT Convergence,” some actually just do it. Integration with Kubernetes exemplifies one such technology.
This news comes from edge orchestration developer ZEDEDA. The short list of benefits from edge orchestration solutions with Kubernetes.
- Simplifies edge operations by delivering consistent app management across distributed locations, minimizing expensive manual intervention at each site
- Automates large-scale edge infrastructure and application deployment—enforcing desired state for thousands of edge clusters, even with unreliable network connectivity
- Optimized AI processing close to operational data sources reduces expensive data backhaul to the cloud
ZEDEDA announced the first full-stack edge Kubernetes-as-a-Service solution that extends a cloud-native deployment experience to distributed edge environments. This new solution, ZEDEDA Edge Kubernetes App Flows, automates the edge application lifecycle—from packaging and configuration to delivery and observability—eliminating the need to manage cluster and application orchestration infrastructure. Edge Kubernetes App Flows supports the bare-metal and GPU compute required for edge AI applications, such as automated detection of manufacturing flaws and predictive maintenance.
Built on ZEDEDA’s proven edge platform, the new integrated Kubernetes solution extends the platform’s zero-trust architecture and offline resilience—keeping tens of thousands of devices and Kubernetes instances running continuously, even in demanding field environments with physical vulnerabilities and intermittent connectivity.
ZEDEDA Edge Kubernetes App Flows combines GitOps-based delivery with ZEDEDA’s zero-trust edge platform—letting organizations focus on applications, not infrastructure.
Key capabilities include:
- Application Definition and Marketplace: Deploys customizable application definitions consistently across distributed edge locations.
- Application Packaging and Distribution: Builds and distributes manifests tailored for edge requirements.
- GitOps-Based Continuous Delivery: Automates deployments through approved Git workflows for full auditability.
- Adaptive Observability: Monitors deployment and performance, even with intermittent connectivity and limited bandwidth.
ZEDEDA Edge Kubernetes App Flows is built on and integrates with all the leading security and scalability capabilities of ZEDEDA’s proven edge platform, including:
- Zero-Trust Security: Continuous validation of edge devices, applications, and communications.
- Offline Resilience: Graceful handling of intermittent connectivity and disconnected operations.
- Edge Scale: Support for tens of thousands of clusters and unattended edge devices.
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by Gary Mintchell | Oct 13, 2025 | Cloud, Manufacturing IT, Software
Another example of a long-term partnership between a large software company and a smaller, innovative software company. This one links AVEVA (think former Wonderware and Schneider Electric) and TwinThread. I cannot believe I haven’t written more about TwinThread before. I know I’ve talked with the founder/CEO Erik Udstuen, whom I knew at Mountain Systems and GE. They were early into the race for a specifically industrial cloud platform.
This news concerns something called an Advanced Analytics solution. This solution targets improving operational efficiency, product quality, and energy usage. They say this underscores the value of AI-powered analytics in driving smart, sustainable industry.
AVEVA Advanced Analytics is a no-code, cloud-native Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution designed to transform raw industrial data into actionable insights. When integrated with CONNECT —AVEVA’s industrial intelligence platform—and our hybrid offerings AVEVA PI Data Infrastructure or AVEVA Operations Control, the complete solution empowers industrial teams with real-time, predictive analytics to make informed, proactive decisions.
Key Benefits Realized by Customers:
- Improved Product Quality: Manufacturers have achieved up to 100% first-pass yield, significantly reducing scrap and rework.
- Increased Uptime: Deployment has led to a 12% rise in equipment uptime, improving overall production efficiency.
- Energy Optimization: Clients report an average 4% reduction in energy consumption, supporting both cost reduction and sustainability goals.
- Accelerated ROI: Several organizations experienced a tenfold return on investment within their first year of adoption.
Making a bow toward competition featuring innovative pricing opportunities for customers, the note: AVEVA Advanced Analytics is available through the flexible and scalable AVEVA Flex subscription program, making it easy for businesses of all sizes to adopt cutting-edge analytics, and scale up to build upon successes.
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by Gary Mintchell | Mar 28, 2025 | Cloud, Edge, Generative AI
The third of Siemens pre-Hannover news releases concerns Xcelerator Edge with Microsoft Azure IoT Operations.
- Siemens Industrial Edge works seamlessly with Microsoft Azure IoT Operations, making OT and IT data planes fully interoperable for manufacturing
- Edge and cloud data integration enables adaptive production through AI- and digital-twin-powered solutions
- Industrial customers benefit from improved machine performance, product quality and reduced machine maintenance
Siemens announces an extended collaboration with Microsoft in the context of Siemens Xcelerator, Siemens’ open digital business platform, to simplify the integration of information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) for enterprise customers. By combining Siemens Industrial Edge with Microsoft Azure IoT Operations, customers will benefit from complementary solutions that enable a seamless flow of data from production lines to the edge and to the cloud. This edge-to-cloud data integration enables AI- and digital-twin-powered solutions to improve machine performance, product quality, and reduce machine maintenance.
A core component of the Azure adaptive cloud approach, Azure IoT Operations is designed to seamlessly integrate on-premises industrial edge solutions, like Siemens Industrial Edge, with the cloud, ensuring a continuous flow of data for smarter operations.
In this way, the powerful OT data plane provided by Siemens Industrial Edge works easily with Azure IoT Operations, to create an interoperable OT and IT data plane for manufacturing. The data layer from Siemens Industrial Edge effectively addresses mission-critical production applications such as virtualized control, low-latency closed-loop AI, executable digital twins, or production line-level analytics. It allows manufacturers to deploy responsive, reliable, flexible and secure applications to optimize their operations, reduce costs, and increase uptime and quality. By coupling with Azure IoT Operations, industrial producers can easily leverage this OT data in cloud-based, data-driven use cases to optimize production across sites and gain insights from advanced analytics.
by Gary Mintchell | Jan 28, 2025 | Cloud, Enterprise IT
I wrote about a company new to me from The Netherlands thanks to a media relations person I’ve known for quite some time. Leaseweb Global provides cloud services and Infrastructure as a Service. They are back with an announcement regarding adding NVIDIA L4, L40S and H100 NVL GPUs to its infrastructure portfolio.
Through this offering, Leaseweb notes it is meeting the compute needs of a wide variety of sectors – including the Artificial Intelligence (AI), Media & Entertainment and Gaming industries – at a price point that enables significant cost savings when compared to the wider marketplace.
Available across Leaseweb’s entire global network, spanning the European, North American and Asia Pacific regions, the expanded GPU offering supports customers with a scalable, efficient deployment framework optimized for high-performance computing (HPC), ranging from AI model training and video analytics to graphics processing and video rendering functionality. Leaseweb’s new NVIDIA GPU solution aims to help customers improve their operations, reduce costs, and enhance computational speed for demanding workloads. The announcement also underlines Leaseweb’s commitment to meeting the demand for powerful infrastructure solutions with industry benchmark performance chips that can be deployed within hours to ensure high availability service provision.
This marks the next step in Leaseweb’s journey to providing a complete AI offering for its customers, which will include integration into Leaseweb’s public cloud and broader set of infrastructure solutions. By providing a comprehensive, scalable solution for a wide variety of workloads, Leaseweb is reinforcing its position as a trusted partner for organizations focused on balancing price with performance and availability. With further plans to integrate this offering into its broader solutions suite, the company is strongly positioned to become a leading provider of GPU infrastructure, supporting customers as they invest in these transformational technologies.
“This announcement represents an important step for customers where GPU availability is increasingly important and will give organizations around the world the price/performance flexibility they need, as soon as they need it,” commented Liat Mendelson Honderdors, Principal Product Manager, AI and GPU at Leaseweb.
“Our customers value Leaseweb’s extensive industry expertise as they plan and deploy infrastructure for their most processor-intensive workloads. With considerations ranging from price and performance to data sovereignty and compliance, Leaseweb’s solutions and state-of-the-art global network means we are ideally suited to helping our customers grow their business and expand into new markets, even at hours’ notice. By incorporating best-in-class NVIDIA technology into our infrastructure portfolio, we’re laying the foundation for a broader solution set that will continue to evolve with customer needs,” Mendelson Honderdors concluded.
by Gary Mintchell | Jan 15, 2025 | Cloud, Enterprise IT, Operations Management, Technology
Technology advancements and innovations plus applications solving bigger problems have led my work, research, and writing from virtual PLCs to virtual servers. That’s why I have loved technology ever since I was 14 and soldering resistors, capacitors, and coils into circuits.
Here is a Dutch company (the product is available globally, of course) that has launched a “highly efficient” Virtual Private Server (VPS) solution.
Some of the year-end prognoses sent my way (many sort of self serving) predicted les reliance on cloud and a return to more on prem solutions. Perhaps this company provides help both ways.
Their blurb touts, “Powered by High Performance CPUs, Local NVMe Storage and Lightning-fast 10 Gbps Uplink Speed, Packages Start at Just €3.99/month.”
Leaseweb Global, a cloud services and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) provider, January 14 announced the launch of a new highly efficient Virtual Private Server (VPS) solution. Designed for businesses that need a combination of exceptional price-performance, fast local storage and easy deployment, Leaseweb VPS packages start at just €3.99/month to deliver affordable solutions that don’t compromise on quality.
Leaseweb’s new VPS solution provides customers with the flexibility to expand their infrastructure as their business needs grow. Delivered via a low-touch, self-service portal, it requires limited technical expertise for setup or management, enabling users to configure their server, monitor resources and manage snapshots with ease. This makes it ideal for businesses seeking a straightforward, scalable and efficient hosting service, as well as those looking for an entry-level solution to Leaseweb Public Cloud.
Technical specifications keep advancing.
With lightning-fast 10Gbps uplink speed, and powered by high performance processors and local NVMe storage, the Leaseweb VPS solution provides ample compute, RAM and generous traffic across all packages. In addition, built-in security and reliability features, including firewalls, DDoS protection and ISO-certified data centers, offer peace of mind and comprehensive protection for all customers. For those customers wanting to include backup, this is available as an add-on service.
“Our new VPS solution has been designed from the ground up to offer the ideal balance of performance, usability and cost,” said Mathijs Heikamp, Director Product Management at Leaseweb Global. “By combining the latest hardware, advanced automation and an intuitive self-service portal, we’re delivering a cloud infrastructure solution that can effortlessly adapt to customer requirements.”
Here is information about Leaseweb since this company is new to me—and perhaps to you.
Leaseweb is a leading Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) provider serving a worldwide portfolio of 20,000 customers ranging from SMBs to Enterprises. Services include Public Cloud, Private Cloud, Dedicated Servers , Colocation, Content Delivery Network , and Cyber Security Services supported by exceptional customer service and technical support. With more than 80,000 servers, Leaseweb has provided infrastructure for mission-critical websites, Internet applications, email servers, security, and storage services since 1997. The company operates 28 data centers in locations across Europe, Asia, Australia, and North America, all of which are backed by a superior worldwide network with a total capacity of more than 10 Tbps.
Leaseweb offers services through its various Leaseweb Sales Entities which are Leaseweb Netherlands B.V., Leaseweb USA, Inc., Leaseweb Singapore PTE. LTD, Leaseweb Deutschland GmbH, Leaseweb Australia Ltd., Leaseweb UK Ltd, Leaseweb Japan KK, Leaseweb Hong Kong LTD, and Leaseweb Canada Inc.
by Gary Mintchell | Sep 12, 2024 | Cloud, Manufacturing IT, Operations Management, Software
I seldom do case studies here. I don’t have time to do a proper set of interviews that would emphasize team rather than product. This one came from Rockwell Automation’s company Plex. Gathering appropriate data and displaying it in ways that boost decision making constitutes a recurring problem for operations management. This story details establishing real-time reporting, insight into inventory tracking, and visibility across production.
The client company, Advanced Vehicle Assemblies, LLC (AVA) is known for its unique, complementary manufacturing processes that enable the production of complex metal assemblies. Founded in 2021, AVA has expanded significantly and now ships approximately 52.2 million parts annually.
The problem statement from AVA CIO Rob Arrowsmith: data was not easily accessible, and functions difficult to learn.
The result: real-time data is accessible, and online learning resources are abundant and easy to follow.
[Note: what follows was written by Plex marketing. I did not edit out all the adjectives and adverbs. It is a good story of actually implementing a complex software application in a short amount of time.]
AVA split from its former sister company in June 2020 and this transition kicked off an urgent search for a new ERP system. They were temporarily covered under a shared service agreement from their previous affiliation, but the end date was nearing. As a result, the company looked for an ERP solution that minimized hardware maintenance — a stark contrast to their previous experience — and could be implemented within their tight timeline.
Alongside the frequent maintenance required by the old ERP system, AVA also faced the fact that the old system did not include Manufacturing Execution System (MES) integration. The absence of real-time production reporting and inventory tracking led to reliance on manual processes, causing significant delays and a lack of trust in the collected data. As AVA aimed for rapid independence and organizational rebuilding following the split, the selection of a new ERP system became a critical aspect of their strategic focus.
As it navigated the landscape of ERP options during the summer of 2020, AVA conducted surveys, evaluations, and demonstrations to help identify their top priorities with the help of user feedback. Despite the tight timeframe, the culmination of this rigorous process led them to select Plex as their new ERP system in late 2020. This choice marked a pivotal step for Advanced Vehicle Assemblies, LLC as they embraced a new ERP system that promised to streamline operations, enhance efficiency, and support their journey towards becoming a thriving, independent enterprise.
Embarking on their ERP system revamp journey, AVA utilized the Milan, Michigan facility as their first Plex implementation site in December 2020. This location shared the outdated ERP system with AVA’s sister company, adding an extra layer of complexity to the transition. Knowing time was of the essence, Milan aimed to go live on Plex within 60 days.
To ensure a successful transition, AVA enlisted the support of Plex implementation services, who assigned a project manager to the Milan site. This project manager brought a deep understanding of the project’s parameters and the urgency of a rapid go-live timeframe. To bolster their efforts, the Plex team tapped on outside consultants to assist with the critical data cleansing phase as it was loaded into Plex. Employee training sessions and workshops were also prioritized, acknowledging the importance of preparing users for the impending changes.
As the go-live date loomed, an impressive collaboration unfolded, with up to seven Plex team members present at the Milan location during each shift. This emphasis on teamwork from all sides underscored the collective commitment to a successful implementation. Despite the challenge of a 60-day timeline, the Milan site successfully implemented Plex within the desired timeframe. Employees showcased resilience and adaptability as they mastered the main Plex functions, navigating the natural learning curve that comes with migrating to a new manufacturing solution.
The Plex implementation brought about a transformative wave of improvements for AVA, revolutionizing their operational landscape. One of the most notable enhancements was the establishment of real-time production reporting and inventory tracking. The newfound ability to access data in real time instilled a heightened sense of awareness of inventory for AVA, enabling employees to address issues promptly, fostering agility in their responses and elevating overall operational efficiency.
Furthermore, the implementation of Plex significantly augmented visibility across production. With operators more engaged and proactive on the shop floor, AVA witnessed quicker problem resolution. The benefits of Plex extended beyond the shop floor as it empowered AVA to successfully grow its business while maintaining a lean operational structure, minimizing the need for additional personnel to manage the Plex ERP system. Additionally, key Performance Indicators (KPIs) became more visible and dynamic, seamlessly integrating into Plex as native components rather than being extracted from external Excel sheets.
Plex also eliminated the necessity for financial consolidation software, streamlining processes and making contextual data easily available. The intuitiveness of the Plex system unlocked this accessibility, making it easy for users to navigate and find the information they need. The cloud-based nature of Plex, coupled with its highly configurable background settings, provided a foundation of flexibility that empowered AVA to continue to test and implement improvements. This adaptability positioned Plex as a transformative tool that not only met AVA’s original expectations for their ERP system but exceeds them into the present and future.
After the Plex implementation, Advanced Vehicle Assemblies, LLC has gone on a revolutionary journey marked by significant improvements across various facets of their operations. The shift from an outdated ERP system to Plex resulted not only in material improvements but also newfound capabilities and efficiencies. Perspectives have also evolved across departments, emphasizing the importance of collaboration and data utilization.
For AVA, the most significant achievement with Plex has been the ability to attain complete independence. Upon completion of the implementation, internal surveys affirmed the success of Plex as it earned high marks for reliability, speed, and ease of use. The adoption and integration of the software extends beyond that of the Milan, Michigan location, with AVA employees able to take on the remaining Plex implementations internally with little to no Plex support required on site.
As AVA looks towards the future, the success of the Plex implementation stands as a testament to the company’s resilience and adaptability, setting the stage for continued growth and operational excellence for years to come.
