Best 5 edge computing platforms (2024)

thomas feenstra helin
Thomas Feenstra
October 31, 2024
6
minute read

We’re bringing you a list of the best edge computing platforms to use when you’re operating large amounts of industrial assets.

A traditional cloud-based system just isn’t enough for industry anymore. Modern businesses generate massive amounts of data from IoT devices, remote operations, and real-time applications, but sending everything to the cloud is slow, expensive, less efficient and is hurting your bottom line. The solution? Edge computing.

This need is even more pressing for industrial companies managing capital-intensive assets like fleets of offshore vessels, drilling platforms, or solar and wind farms. The more critical the data, the more essential edge computing becomes.

Which is why we’re bringing you a list of the best edge computing platforms to use when you’re operating large amounts of industrial assets. 

List of the best edge computing platforms for industry

  • Helin
  • Microsoft Azure IoT Edge
  • Sensia
  • Siemens Insights Hub (previously MindSphere)
  • AWS IoT Greengrass

Comparing the best industrial edge computing software tools

As far as industrial operations are concerned, processing data closer to the source is crucial. It solves any latency and speed issues, minimizes network bandwidth, is more reliable and scalable. To top it off, it’s also much more cybersecure.

Which is exactly what you need when you're trying to coordinate a global offshore fleet, like Boskalis does. But which edge computing platform can facilitate this kind of scale? To help you choose the right platform for your use case we’re listing the 5 tools we think you should consider.

The list isn’t in any way exhaustive, nor necessarily ranked in any particular order. It’s also a work in progress, so if you have any edge computing platforms you think we should add, feel free to let us know.

1. Helin

Helin – that’s us by the way – goes beyond ‘edge computing’ and is a full ‘edge intelligence’ platform designed specifically for the heavy industry businesses that operate capital-intensive assets, in sectors like renewable energy and maritime. 

What do these businesses have in common? They need to run applications locally, on industrial assets, like vessels, solar parks, or offshore drilling rigs. Meaning they need access to the right infrastructure. 

Our edge intelligence platform lets them run applications at the edge, which supports this large-scale technological infrastructure and lets these companies manage hundreds of industrial assets, without them having to manage the complexity of the entire architecture. Helin takes care of that for them.

Which, in turn, enables them to optimize things like fuel efficiency and power generation and run advanced vision systems in real-time. All at an incredibly low latency and with little to no strain on the network, as we can set priorities in the data aggregation and streaming to the cloud, which limits unnecessary bandwidth usage.

Note: while most edge applications are all too often still installer-based, Helin offers containerized edge applications that run on your host system and aren’t dependent on installers. This is beneficial in several different ways, including that there’s a reduced risk of conflicts with existing system components.

Key features

  • Full edge computing infrastructure
  • API for integrating 3rd party (EMS) systems
  • Open infrastructure to deploy any (3rd party) application
  • Out-of-the-box industrial protocol integrations
  • Containerized applications
  • Highest level cybersecurity
  • High-fidelity telemetry data
  • Remote access and over the air updates
  • Standardization of all data streams, regardless of industrial protocols

Website

https://www.helindata.com/

2. Microsoft Azure IoT Edge

Microsoft Azure IoT Edge is a cloud-based service that extends the capabilities of Azure IoT to the edge of the network, enabling devices to process data locally while still benefiting from cloud computing. It allows businesses to deploy and run AI, machine learning, analytics, and custom logic directly on IoT devices, reducing latency and enabling faster decision-making.

An added benefit of IoT Edge is that it integrates with other Azure services such as Azure Machine Learning, Azure Stream Analytics, and Azure Functions. With IoT Edge, businesses can  improve their IoT solutions by bringing intelligence and automation closer to the physical world. 

This leads to more responsive and efficient operations across industries like manufacturing, retail, and energy.

Key features

  • Secure communication between modules, devices, and the cloud
  • Compliance with ANSI/ISA-95 standards for network isolation
  • Integration with Azure Defender for IoT for threat detection
  • Support for various SDKs (C, C#, Node.js, Python, Java)
  • Remote management and monitoring
  • Docker-compatible containers

Website

https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/products/iot-edge/

3. Sensia

Sensia focuses on automation solutions for the energy industry, and oil and gas in particular. It uses real-time data and advanced analytics to make operations more efficient and safer. 

Their platform allows companies to control and optimize production processes on-site, processing data locally with edge computing. This helps operators make faster decisions and keep things running smoothly, even in tough or remote locations.

By using edge computing, Sensia brings the power of real-time data processing right to the source, without relying on constant cloud connections. This is especially useful for managing remote assets like wells and pipelines. The result? Lower data costs, quicker responses, and more secure, reliable operations for energy companies.

Key features

  • Integration of edge devices with cloud-based analytics and visualization
  • Data analytics and IoT integration (for oil and gas operations)
  • Real-time data collection and processing at the edge
  • Supports both on-premises and cloud deployments
  • Advanced automation and control systems

Website

https://www.sensiaglobal.com

4. Siemens Insights Hub (previously MindSphere)

Okay, bear with us, here. Siemens Insights Hub (which was previously called MindSphere) is part of Siemens’s Industrial Operations X platform. Together, these combine to provide an adaptable edge computing and IoT solution for industrial automation. 

Using Insights Hub gives manufacturers real-time visibility into asset performance and can optimize processes directly at the edge—where the data is actually generated. Again, like with the other edge computing solutions we mentioned, there are several benefits to this setup.

Response times are faster and efficiency is better since the data is processed locally rather than being sent to the cloud, which reduces latency.

Key features

  • Support for various industrial protocols like OPC UA and Modbus TCP
  • Centralized management of edge devices, applications, and users
  • Built-in security measures for edge devices and data transfer
  • Remote updating of edge apps and security patches
  • Local preprocessing of high-frequency data

Website

https://plm.sw.siemens.com/en-US/insights-hub/

5. AWS IoT Greengrass

AWS IoT Greengrass is an ‘open-source edge runtime and cloud service for building, deploying, and managing device software’ serving industrial businesses like Yanmar, Seafloor, DTEK and Weissbeerger.  

Greengrass enables users to manage device fleets and deploy applications, all remotely, to streamline IoT network operations while focusing on optimized data transfer to the cloud. Users of this edge computing platform can use it to manage and operate device fleets in the field using MQTT or other messaging protocols.

Key features

  • Supports MQTT and other messaging protocols
  • Collect, aggregate, filter and send data locally
  • Prebuilt / custom modular components
  • Transmit only high-value data
  • Over the air updates
  • ML inference

Website

https://aws.amazon.com/greengrass/

How to choose the best edge computing platform

There’s no decisive answer to the question of whether any of the edge computing platforms on this list are best for your specific requirements. As with so many things in life: it really depends on the circumstances.

That being said, there are definitely some factors you should take into consideration when picking your next industrial edge computing platform:

  • Does it offer out-of-the-box industrial protocol integrations?
  • What level of support and training do you get from the software vendor?
  • How does the platform secure and encrypt your data?
  • Does it ensure that you’re compliant with all relevant regulations in your sector?
  • Is the platform set up for future success, i.e. will it support future scale?

Ultimately, a lot depends on your business’s specific requirements, what type of industrial assets you handle and which industry you operate in. But if you carefully assess the factors above, we’re sure you’ll be able to select an industrial edge computing platform that works for you.  

Why Helin’s industrial edge intelligence platform is your best bet

In the meantime, and especially if you operate in the renewable energy, offshore or maritime sectors, we think you’ll find Helin’s industrial edge intelligence platform to be a great fit. As opposed to the other, somewhat more generic solutions in the list above, Helin was built specifically with the unique challenges of these industries in mind.

In these sectors, specifically, demands on high-performance and scalable edge computation and monitoring are growing. Our platform gives you: a low-overhead middleware ecosystem to unify your industrial data and deploy advanced analytics in a secure and scalable way.

We’d be more than happy to talk to you about how Helin’s industrial edge intelligence platform can support your use case. Get in touch with one of our experts and we’ll show you exactly how Helin can support your business.

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