EdgeScout Remote Management Solutions FAQs
Device Assets are for simple devices with low data needs. If you are slightly over the specified limits, you could divide your sites into two to three smaller Device Assets.
Data volume is monitored automatically. If you exceed your purchased data, you will be notified. RRAMAC or your distributor can make recommendations on how to reduce your data volume. If the data volume cannot be reduced, you will need to pay for the additional data as you purchase new assets or renew existing assets. You will not be billed for past overages.
Equipment assets are intended to cover a single piece of OEM equipment or a single end user production line. Most equipment assets fall between 50 and 250 tags, but we do not enforce a hard limit on the tag count. It’s important to keep in mind that each asset has a single line entry on the dashboard display. Each asset also has one main status display. It would not be beneficial to define an entire production facility as a single equipment asset.
In most applications, our outbound connection connects the edge node device to our server. This is a device specific connection that does not allow browsing of the local network, so there is no need for the local IT department to block access to other devices.
EdgeScout typically does not use VPN, so no incoming or outgoing firewall holes are required.
No. Our system does not require any incoming ports to be open. The data connection is made by the edge node from the equipment location to our server using https messages and TLS security certificates. The security certificates assure that the connection will be made only to the designated data server. If you are going through the local network to the internet, we can use an outgoing open port or we can connect out using your local proxy server.
No. Only the cloud server has remote access to the equipment.
Yes. Some customers feel strongly that allowing write access or program downloads is unsafe for their equipment or industry. For these customers, the EdgeScout hosted server acts as a “data diode.” In other words, data is allowed to move from the equipment to the cloud server allowing authorized users to see reports, but no data is permitted to go from the outside world into the remote equipment.
Yes. The customer owns the data, we do not. We can provide download options to obtain the data and/or reports.
No. Unlike traditional VPN solutions, the user accounts do not reside at each site. Customers use a single login to access all of their sites. The customer has administrative rights to their assets and can add, delete, and modify users for their equipment. If an employee leaves the company, an administrator can delete them from the entire system with a few mouse clicks.
Some of our customers choose to make edits to HTML pages, but there are some limitations on what you will be able to change. We typically provide configuration options so that you are self-sufficient in deploying individual projects.
We provide a complete working solution rather than a do-it-yourself toolkit. However, we are able to build in user configured options. For example, many OEMs require a configuration tab where they can specify specific equipment parameters. A pump station OEM might want to select the number and types of pumps, configure tank ranges, and enable/disable other features. These settings will change the screens and reports to match the configured settings. Other typical user defined fields include email/text notifications, trending chart pens, data report ranges, etc. Some of our customers get a bit deeper into defining and modifying the applications. It’s a matter of understanding what type of flexibility is required by the customer and building those options into the asset model.
Yes. We can provide a custom branded website using your company logo as well as fonts and colors to match your company website or marketing collateral. We can use a unique URL so that there is no reference to our company or logo. In addition, we specialize in developing branded smartphone apps and getting them published on the Apple and Google Play stores.
We do not require a PC at remote sites. PCs require a significant amount of maintenance, so we typically use an industrial device called an edge node. The edge node performs local data collection, stores data, and forwards it to the hosted server. If a particular application requires a PC for other reasons, then we can most likely use that PC as our edge node.
In most cases we can cover a broad range of configuration options with a single asset model.
No software licenses are required. The asset subscription fee includes software use fees, data storage, maintenance, and support.
No. We do not charge user fees, and we do not put a limit on how many users can access your data. You are able to control secure access to as many users as you like.
EdgeScout is a turnkey solution, so we typically do not require software development hours from the end user’s or an OEM engineering department. We will have meetings with your engineers to help guide us to a solution that will work with existing equipment and provide them with configuration options, but we do not require them to develop programs or applications.
Although some of our customers choose to use VPN, this is not what we typically recommend. VPN solutions were designed to allow a user to log into their companies private network. With VPN, the incoming connection could come from literally anywhere in the world. Once connected, the user could potentially start browsing the customer’s network.
Our connectivity is an outbound connection from the edge node device to our server. There is no ability to browse via the edge node. Customers logging into our server have access only to the data collected via the edge node, and only to the specific nodes assigned to their user account. Customers log in using signed security certificates and two factor authentication. This security and authentication process is similar to the technology used when logging into an online banking account.
Our goal is to provide a website and/or smartphone app for your equipment that is intuitive enough to not require training. We can put together training on how to use EdgeScout as part of a project if desired. General training videos are an addition that RRAMAC is currently developing.
Yes. EdgeScout is a turnkey solution that is maintained and supported by RRAMAC.
