Endian Secure Digital Platform

“Secure digital platforms are the enabler for digital transformation,” says Endian CEO Raphael Vallazza. “They offer companies the ability to securely connect many machines and assets to the Internet and use customized software depending on their objectives, for example for data display and analysis.”

“Process visualization makes machine faults immediately visible,” adds Florian Blümel, Team Leader Sales at Bachmann Visutec. “Companies therefore additionally want secure remote access to be able to intervene immediately and avoid downtime. With the Secure Digital Platform management tool, we can centrally manage all connected objects. atvise analyzes the data obtained so that we can implement topics such as predictive maintenance for our customers.”

Container technology for rapid implementation

Endian Secure Digital Platform represents the technological link between IT security and Internet of Things. It consists of the Switchboard central management tool and the Endian 4i Edge X IoT security gateway. Equipped with a powerful Intel Celeron processor as well as 2 GB of RAM, the gateway is perfectly suited for data processing at the network edge. Furthermore, it offers the possibility to run containers and thus ensures a fast start-up of individual applications. The atvise visualization solution runs in a container on the Endian 4i EdgeX gateway.

Basis IT security

The platform is certified according to the IEC 62443 industry standard for IT security. It has been developed according to the security-by-design principle, in which the IT security aspect is taken into account in every function from the very beginning. Overall, the Endian Secure Digital Platform is equipped with several coordinated security functions: The connected machines and systems are protected by a firewall, and a deep-packet IPS/IDS system and Layer 7 filter functions are also part of the security concept. All data is secured during transmission by a VPN tunnel. This VPN tunnel works bilaterally and can therefore also be used for secure access to the machines.

Open standards

For maximum user-friendliness, Endian relies on a browser-based client. This allows remote access via any device, whether desktop, tablet or smartphone. Common protocols such as Modbus (TCP/RTU), S7 and OPC UA are used to collect SCADA data. These prerequisites were ideal for the integration of atvise: The visualization tool supports the full OPC UA range of functions, which enables seamless information exchange across multiple levels. atvise installations can be cascaded at the push of a button using OPC UA functions such as “Alarms & Conditions” or “Historical Access”.

The integration of touch gestures such as zoom or pan provide special user-friendliness. One of the most important plus points of atvise is the implementation of the graphic objects as vector graphics, which enables loss-free scaling. Engineering times can be drastically reduced thanks to object orientation and online engineering.

“Our atvise product portfolio focuses on openness, flexibility, scalability as well as security and when looking for a suitable technology partner, we found exactly these values in Endian,” adds Florian Blümel, Team Leader Sales at Bachmann Visutec. “Due to the consistent use of standards, our solutions mesh seamlessly. A proof-of-concept could be realized within a few minutes.”