Dell Reimagines Edge Operations with NativeEdge 2.0:

Edge computing is transforming the way businesses operate, innovate, and compete in today’s digital world. By locating computation and data processing closer to where data is generated, it is possible to make decisions faster and leverage AI applications at the edge. AI inferencing at the edge can drive better outcomes faster by enabling real-time insights, actions, and automation. However, the task of managing edge operations across diverse locations, devices, and applications can be daunting and expensive.

Dell’s new NativeEdge 2.0 platform is designed to streamline edge operations at scale and lay the foundation for efficient and consistent operations spanning from the edge to the multicloud environment through centralized management, secure device onboarding, zero-touch deployment and automated management of infrastructure and applications. NativeEdge deploys, secures, and manages end-to-end AI-based solutions that allow businesses to harness the potential of AI at the edge and deliver value faster.

New features and capabilities in NativeEdge 2.0 include:

• Blueprints that simplify and accelerate the orchestration of key ISV and AI applications with preconfigured settings.

• Application orchestration across hybrid environments extending the benefits of application deployment and lifecycle management to your entire infrastructure.

• Expanded edge environment support for greater flexibility of edge deployments.

• Enhanced security capabilities for robust protection and easy compliance of your edge data and applications.

• New subscription options for predictable budgeting.

NativeEdge Blueprints: A Comprehensive Automation Tool for Edge Solutions

Blueprints are a comprehensive, declarative automation plan that includes the complete configuration required for deploying an edge solution and automating application deployment across the entire edge estate. Blueprints automate the entire process of provisioning, configuring, deploying, and validating edge solutions to save time, effort, and resources, while also ensuring consistency and compliance across the edge environment.

Blueprints are used to define the application settings, infrastructure resources, network configurations, custom workflows, and scripts required for edge solution in a single file. Using a single command, developers or IT operators can then deploy the application leveraging the Blueprint across many edge devices, as well as across various development stages, from testing to production, by simply providing the relevant configuration details.  Blueprints likewise incorporate all post-deployment tasks, such as configuration updates and service alterations within the solution stack, to enable a significantly smoother and more streamlined DevOps experience at the edge.

Blueprints are being introduced for the most common and critical edge applications in manufacturing and retail, including Blueprints for Telit, Litmus and PTC for manufacturing, Dell Streaming Data Platform for analytics and Rancher Labs K3s for Kubernetes. The pre-validated Blueprints are designed to improve the performance, reliability and security of edge applications while accelerating time to value.

NativeEdge Application Orchestration: Now Across Hybrid Environments

NativeEdge 2.0 introduces seamless application orchestration across hybrid environments. With this feature, Blueprint can be used to deploy and manage edge applications not only on NativeEdge Endpoints (specialized Dell edge devices optimized for NativeEdge operation), but also on other Dell and non-Dell infrastructure to multicloud through vSphere virtualization and Kubernetes clusters. NativeEdge 2.0, also supports execution of Windows 11 VMs for NativeEdge Endpoints.

Enhanced Security with Zero Trust Enabling Technologies

NativeEdge 2.0 introduces support for vTPM (virtual Trusted Platform Module) and UEFI Secure Boot capabilities. vTPM is a virtualized version of TPM, a hardware-based security feature that provides cryptographic functions and secure storage for encryption keys, certificates, and passwords. vTPM allows use of TPM functionalities for VMs running on NativeEdge Endpoints. UEFI Secure Boot is a feature that ensures only authorized and trusted software can boot on NativeEdge Endpoints, preventing unauthorized or malicious software from compromising edge devices.