Boost performance through your entire hybrid infrastructure

With the ability to increase speed, agility and resilience of business processes, the manufacturing sector has seen a growing trend towards adopting cloud-based technologies. 

As a result, customers today are moving to the cloud in unprecedented numbers. However, when customers embark on their cloud journey, they soon realise that – despite its benefits – moving systems to the cloud can lead to added complexity and cross-functional operational fragmentation. ​

With this in mind, adopting a cloud operating model can simplify operations and bring agility to organisations’ entire infrastructure. By extending a cloud operating model to the network – organisations can see the benefits of agility and IT simplification extended throughout an organisation’s entire IT operations.

To adopt a cloud operating model, manufacturing organisations can utilise tools such as Cisco’s Meraki Dashboard: offering a robust, cloud-based network management platform designed to enhance network performance throughout manufacturers’ entire hybrid infrastructure.

Providing a comprehensive view of an organisation’s entire network – all on one screen – Cisco Meraki Dashboard enables manufacturers to quickly analyse and troubleshoot network issues, improving operational visibility, enhancing partner collaboration and building supply chain resilience.

Cloud operating model provides a range of benefits for manufacturers

Cisco’s secure, intelligent solutions enable manufacturing businesses to reimagine what is possible, allowing organisations to embrace Industry 4.0 and the digital future of manufacturing with a new generation of smart cameras, software and other cloud-based smart spaces technologies in a way that is simple, scalable, extensible and secure.

With 51% of cloud professionals saying that they prioritise the adoption of end-to-end network visibility, and 34% of cloud professionals saying that their biggest challenge is maintaining operational consistency between the cloud and the network, Meraki Dashboard enables manufacturers to gain a better view of their increasingly complicated networks, with the tool enabling organisations to easily view diversified sets of devices across multiple locations.

With many manufacturers today having a mix of cloud-native and legacy applications, hosted in different locations, a cloud operating model can provide greater end-to-end visibility. By managing physical Cisco Catalyst switches in the Cisco Meraki Dashboard, manufacturers can operate in a more cloud-like way while maintaining the critical cost and control of on-premises technology, gaining more flexibility and efficiency on on-premises network and cloud infrastructures.

Meraki's monitoring capabilities can extend the reach of manufacturers’ Catalyst switches and access points, providing centralised insights into multiple manufacturing locations through a single dashboard. This empowers the manufacturing industry to derive maximum business value from their network infrastructure, reducing friction across operational teams by applying consistent processes and policies.

With the manufacturing sector continuing to be under threat from cyber threats – with manufacturing organisations representing 20% of all cyber extortion attacks in 2023 – adopting monitoring tools such as Cisco Meraki Dashboard also allow manufacturers to analyse and troubleshoot network issues in minutes, with the tool enabling rapid event detection and remediation.

“Technologies such as cloud and edge computing, network automation, security solutions and IIoT integration in solution approaches simplify end-to-end IT in the manufacturing industry,” comments Thomas Hopfgartner, IIoT Manufacturing Lead at Cisco EMEA. “This solution approach includes more efficient resource management, improved scalability and better protection against cyber threats.”

Manufacturers looking to adopt a cloud operating model with Cisco can benefit from a 30 minute technical consultation. For more information click here.

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