Combined offering makes it faster and easier to collect equipment telemetry data at the edge, contextualize it and send it to the Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud for asset monitoring and predictive maintenance
Belden Inc. (NYSE: BDC), a leading global supplier of network infrastructure and digitization solutions, is pleased to announce an integration of its CloudRail software functionality with AWS IoT SiteWise. CloudRail, which Belden acquired in 2023, enables cloud-based device management that allows users to roll out, manage and update edge devices globally. Its fully managed solution pre-processes data locally before sending it to any cloud. This integration brings together AWS’ data services and CloudRail’s protocol management software for brownfield and greenfield data acquisition, providing customers with a complete data solution.
The combined solution enables customers to effortlessly connect their industrial assets and sensors to the AWS cloud using CloudRail’s proven software capabilities. CloudRail is designed to streamline and standardize the discovery, acquisition and normalization of data from any industrial environments, delivering it in a ready-to-use format. The collected data is then seamlessly ingested into AWS IoT SiteWise Edge for local processing, monitoring and storage, while also being synchronized with AWS IoT SiteWise in the AWS cloud for enterprise-wide visibility and advanced analytics.
Key benefits of the CloudRail and AWS IoT SiteWise Edge integration include:
- Accelerated Time-to-Value: CloudRail’s plug-and-play access to over 12,000 sensor definitions, combined with data normalization capabilities, significantly reduces the time and effort required to connect industrial assets to AWS IoT SiteWise, enabling customers to start leveraging their data within hours instead of weeks.
- Simplified Edge-to-Cloud Data Flow: With a single, unified solution, customers can seamlessly acquire, process and transfer data from the edge to the cloud, eliminating the need for complex integrations and ensuring data consistency throughout the journey.
- Scalable and Secure Device Management: CloudRail’s cloud-based device management capabilities enable customers to securely roll out, manage and update thousands of globally distributed edge devices from a centralized platform.
- Broad Asset and Protocol Support: CloudRail’s extensive library ensures compatibility with both modern and legacy industrial equipment. Modern machines can seamlessly connect via standard protocols like OPC-UA, while brownfield scenarios benefit from retrofitting old assets with secondary sensors. Additionally, Modbus enables efficient connectivity for devices such as energy meters.
“The integration of CloudRail with AWS IoT SiteWise Edge provides our customers with a powerful and streamlined solution for industrial data acquisition and analysis,” said Matthew Wopata, Global Product Line Management Leader for Data Software Applications at Belden. “This marks the latest way Belden and its brands are helping companies around the world gather data at the edge so they can leverage it to improve processes and increase efficiency.”
Setup of the CloudRail integration is streamlined for users: In a drop-down selection in the AWS Console, users can simply add CloudRail’s software as a data source for their IoT SiteWise Edge gateway. To set up the sensors, smart meters and OPC UA servers as field devices, users are directed to the CloudRail Device Management Cloud (DMC). Everything else is automatically done within AWS. This allows end users to benefit from the simplicity of the CloudRail solution without the need to deploy physical edge gateways.
CloudRail’s new integration with AWS IoT SiteWise Edge, the latest collaboration between Belden and AWS, is now available to customers. To learn more, visit the Belden booth during the AWS re:Invent show, set for 2-6 December in Las Vegas. To learn about additional edge-to-cloud solutions from Belden, visit hall 10, booths 120 and 121 at the SPS 2024 trade fair 12-14 November in Nuremberg.
Learn more about the CloudRail and AWS integration.
