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Cradlepoint NetCloud Container Orchestrator

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With several significant Cradlepoint NetCloud Manager updates released in recent months, it is now possible to run a lightweight edge application on your Cradlepoint router using NetCloud Container Orchestration. Westbase.io has put together the following article to summarise this new service which is available for advanced NetCloud licence users.

“Edge computing” refers to the local hosting of software directly on the edge device, but which is still deployed and managed through the cloud. This enables organisations to essentially cut out the delay caused by the data’s round-trip between the originating device, cloud-based IoT platform, and then the device with the resulting action. By processing the data locally, intelligent decisions can be made immediately instead. Cradlepoint has long supported this capability with its Software Development Kit (SDK).

To better deliver to this need however, Cradlepoint recently released the NetCloud Container Orchestrator which enables lightweight applications to run inside secure and isolated containers on Cradlepoint endpoints. Using this, customers can deploy and run Open Containers Initiative (OCI) compatible Docker container workloads. The Container Orchestrator also provides an ability to monitor and manage these workloads from NetCloud Manager.

Containers may be deployed at both an individual Device or Group level. Available for NetCloud Advanced License users, the following router models support NetCloud Container Orchestrator:

The NetCloud Container Orchestrator supports Docker Compose, which is a tool for defining and running multi-container Docker applications. With Docker Compose, customers can use YAML to configure and start application services.

To learn more about the NetCloud Container Orchestrator and access the technical how-to guide, please visit the link to the Cradlepoint website below:

Use Cases: IoT and Edge Computing

Connected devices and automation enabled by the IoT are helping to streamline processes, improve operational efficiencies and increase productivity – helping businesses to reduce costs and increase output. To truly maximise these benefits though, enterprises require an infrastructure that can appropriately support, process and act on the large amounts of data which are generated by the IoT systems. And this is where edge computing, and the use of NetCloud Container Orchestrator, come into play by better handling the data at the edge.

An application example where edge computing may be used to this effect is smart street lighting. When movement is detected by a sensor on the streetlight this data needs to be processed to affect the outcome that the lights are turned on. Vice versa, when no movement has been detected for a period of time, a decision needs to be made that the lights should now be turned off. This data and its resulting decisions are best processed at the edge for rapid response and minimal data usage. This enables the organisation responsible for the lighting to just draw the data they need from the system, rather than having to process every byte for every time the light switches on or off; streamlining the handling of IoT data.

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Westbase.io is the leading Cradlepoint distributor in the UK and EU. Contact your account manager to find out more today: +44 1291 437 567 or +31 35 799 2290 or hello@westbase.io.

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