February 6, 2024 Success in Smart Manufacturing with Managed SD-WAN 

Managed SD-WAN is the primary solution for any manufacturer looking to accelerate network reliability, digital transformation, and security.

Manufacturing is undergoing a pivotal transformation as Industrial IoT (IIoT) takes the industry by storm as intelligent device adoption rises to reshape the manufacturing shop floor. However, reliance on digital technologies and cloud-connected devices poses a serious challenge, as network failure can have catastrophic consequences. External factors, such as supply chain issues and trade policies, contribute an added layer of complexity, exerting an impact that extends beyond the realm of control for manufacturing firms.  

To meet these challenges head-on, the White House announced a proactive initiative to sponsor a study designed to aid in the development of a nationwide plan for smart manufacturing. The ultimate goal is to bolster the integration of new digital technologies and enhance the productivity and security of critical manufacturing systems.  

Current investments in software and technologies can overcome cybersecurity gaps and data availability to meet the demands of IIoT, it’s critical to understand the necessary tools to realize the benefits they can bring against unique obstacles. To that end, organizations should consider agile network infrastructures, which set the foundations for broader success in smart manufacturing. Managed SD-WAN, which is deployed and monitored by specialized IT teams and service technicians, can create an agile, connected network infrastructure that delivers the best experience for its employees and customers in three main ways: reliability, visibility, and workforce optimization.  

1. Improving Reliability 

To complete quotas, many manufacturing facilities run 24/7; operation delays or pauses can be catastrophic to the business. Such environments require a fortified, highly available network like managed SD-WAN that can monitor and bear the strain of constant network stress users and IIoT place on it. Network tasks include processing and connecting data across multiple locations with users across functional areas including the shop floor, quality control, warehousing, logistics, and more, which requires ready, simultaneous access to the system. 

Protection for data centers and cloud apps is needed, as well as effective data transmission between offices, so that the network can remain online and thwart threats that could potentially bring the infrastructure down pausing their operations. A managed SD-WAN is incredibly secure due to integrated security protocols – such as Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) – that enhance a team’s ability to address cyber concerns proactively. In addition, network segmentation restricts user access to only the data and applications that employees require. Administrators are, therefore, able to take data and quarantine it into sub-networks, which can allow for the containment of any data leaks or system breaches and protect the network infrastructure holistically. 

Finally, a managed SD-WAN is scalable, whereas a legacy WAN is not. It can grow in tandem with the organization and scale alongside performance.   

2. Enhancing Visibility  

According to research from Enterprise Management Associates, 50% of organizations chose network assurance as their top reason for adopting managed SD-WAN. This fact can be appreciated by manufacturers who choose managed SD-WAN because of the high data volumes that pass through their networks — requiring a degree of visibility and quality of service that can sustain demand, security, and performance. Managed SD-WAN is crucial when deploying technologies that optimize traffic routing and application performance, an essential component of application access and network control when employees worldwide need to connect. Controls can be integrated into a central interface, turning a previously complex environment into a system where network administrators can reconcile network interruptions and ensure quality performance due in part to SD-WAN. 

Latency is a well-known challenge to network administrators handling large volumes of data and traffic. SD-WAN enables IT teams to encapsulate real-time network performance insights, which helps manufacturing enterprises visualize problems to make educated, timely decisions. Because a managed SD-WAN provides visibility with business intelligence, manufacturers can closely monitor activity hubs and relay that data in real time. This capability allows seamless data exchanges that can be fully optimized through network functionality to mitigate delays from nearly any source.  

3. Workforce optimization 

Automation, powered by software that transitions operations from human to machine, has been around for a long time. Manufacturing enterprises already deploy software-based automation to improve their workforce productivity, with many other manufacturers planning to follow suit. A Gartner survey found that 70% of organizations plan to implement infrastructure automation by 2025. The most enlightening discussions on its potential focus on how AI and other technologies can further enable human intervention for challenges requiring time, energy, and skill. 

SD-WAN, for example, can complete many tasks autonomously and provide an unparalleled level of user experience control. Specifically, managed SD-WAN can eliminate data center backhaul latency and orchestrate the automation of central policy safeguards set by IT leadership. Additionally, automated systems within the network can identify and fix issues before teams notice something is wrong. Manufacturers leverage managed SD-WAN to support their human workforce with an automated network that can address issues holistically and provide speed, security, and cost control. 

SD-WAN can manage multiple connection types (MPLS, internet, broadband, wireless) while making them all visible in one holistic view and operating without the need for human oversight or interference. On the network, a managed SD-WAN possesses automation capabilities that can follow and execute limitless rules and commands in the cloud, affording IT teams time to address much larger problems and other critical operations. 

Managed SD-WAN creates the foundation for smart manufacturing 

SD-WAN is the front-leading solution for manufacturing enterprises to achieve the connectivity, network reliability, and security required for its transition to smart manufacturing. It ensures that system functions can contain both connectivity costs and operational expenses for ongoing network maintenance and support, especially when paired with automation capabilities and intelligent traffic management. Architectures that centralize SD-WAN can expect network-simplified solutions installed where the consumer needs them most. 

Manufacturing companies using a managed SD-WAN are paving the way for the industry to unlock efficient cloud storage, connectivity, and operationally sound communications capabilities, keeping their data secured and crucial information at the edge.

About the Author 
Eric Hyman is Vice President, Corporate and Product Marketing at GTT, a managed network and security services provider to global organizations. GTT designs and delivers solutions that leverage advanced cloud, networking, and security technologies.

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