The internet of things is gradually taking over even the most basic aspects of our lives, with a plethora of devices connected to the edge and relying on the cloud to complete their services.

More specifically, industrial IoT has a large cloud overhead that requires extensive management and maintenance. Siemens Digital Industries Software offers an as-a-service solution for Industrial IoT called MindSphere, devoted to giving consumers the tools to make industrial decisions based on operational data. 

“We’re trying to make the integration as seamless as possible,” said Raymond Kok (pictured), senior vice president of cloud application solutions at Siemens. “It includes making sure that we drive the standards that are going to make this possible. That can be open standards like OPC UA when you look at discrete manufacturing, but can also be standardizing on certain technologies. What we’re seeing is Kubernetes and container technology that is out there is helping this conversation as well.”

Kok spoke with John Furrier, host of theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s livestreaming studio, during the recent Red Hat Summit. They discussed Siemen’s MindSphere, hybrid cloud strategies, the importance of having the right architecture and more. (* Disclosure below.)

Expanding MindSphere

Siemens teamed up with Red Hat Inc. and IBM to expand MindSphere’s reach, allowing organizations to run on-premises and in the cloud.

“When you talk about critical factory operations, many of these workloads that we’re talking about are close to the shop floor, and therefore any kind of large enterprise original equipment manufacturers that we work with, whether it’s an automotive OEM or an aerospace and defense OEM, they all have a hybrid cloud strategy,” Kok said.

The edge is rapidly growing, and managing complex data is an expensive but crucial task enterprises need to tackle. Without the right architecture, companies risk spending more money than necessary to utilize and manage their data.

“Every layer adds some value, and so therefore you have to have an open discussion, and that’s meaning an open discussion about what layers to use. That’s why at Siemens we follow that approach, meaning that we work backward from the use case,” Kok explained.

Addressing each consumer’s individual needs ensures the most accurate and efficient use of data, saving them money and time in the long run, he concluded.

Watch the complete video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of Red Hat Summit. (* Disclosure: TheCUBE is a paid media partner for Red Hat Summit. Neither Red Hat Inc., the sponsor for theCUBE’s event coverage, nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: SiliconANGLE