Solution Brief
Edge Computing in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing
Edge Computing Eliminates Downtime and Data Loss in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing
Pharmaceutical manufacturers are rapidly transforming operations by implementing Edge Computing to ensure application availability and data integrity, and to provide local, real-time data processing required for Pharma 4.0 initiatives and GMP manufacturing standards.
Stratus Edge Computing platforms with built-in, out-of-the-box fault tolerance deliver reliability, compute power, and easy serviceability to improve production processes, support regulatory compliance, and eliminate data loss while delivering necessary cybersecurity and data protection.
Zero-Touch Edge Computing eliminates unplanned downtime and protects critical data
Continuous manufacturing, product quality, and regulatory compliance are predicated on application and data availability. Any unplanned application downtime or data loss has the potential to significantly disrupt operations, often requiring time-consuming documentation and restart procedures, or business costs.
Stratus Edge Computing platforms provide pharma manufacturing teams with the ability to deploy computing power closer to critical equipment and processes while delivering greater than 99.999% system uptime. With built-in high availability or fault tolerance, proactive health management, and ease of serviceability, Stratus Edge Computing platforms support any pharma manufacturing process, whether deployed on-machine at a bioreactor, to monitor a production line, or to run an entire manufacturing facility.
In addition, Stratus platforms simplify manageability. Teams can consolidate software applications onto a single Stratus system using virtualization backed by fault tolerance. The platforms are designed to be easily manageable by IT or non-IT staff. Importantly, the platforms can be deployed quickly, and staged and validated offsite, avoiding revalidation once deployed.
Reliable Edge Computing platforms help solve pharma industry challenges
Production monitoring & control: From blending and granulation to tablet pressing and filling, production processes in pharmaceutical manufacturing have precise requirements to ensure product quality. With real-time monitoring for example, during fermentation processes, manufacturers leverage Edge Computing to optimize conditions such as temperature, pH, and dissolved oxygen levels. By utilizing a highly available, redundant, and fault tolerant Stratus Edge Computing platform that ensures continuous uptime and minimal disruptions organizations can monitor and optimize their production processes, identify inefficiencies, and make real-time adjustments.
Regulatory compliance: It’s crucial for pharma companies to comply with strict regulations, which can be quite costly when not adhered to. With Edge Computing, companies have highly available, reliable, and usable data to ensure traceability via real-time data monitoring, audit tracking, and data portability, ensuring regulatory compliance, and avoiding damaging fines.
Stratus Edge Computing platforms meet U.S. FDA 21 CFR Part 11 audit requirements, helping companies stay in compliance with a complete record of data collected and transmitted including who collected the data and when throughout the entire manufacturing process.
Critical data collection and analysis: With massive amounts of data being produced daily, ranging from R&D data to day-to-day manufacturing safety or operational data, Stratus Edge Computing helps pharma companies collect, analyze, and secure this data close to the source. This allows companies to make quick and accurate decisions, benefitting the business and preventing data loss.
Cybersecurity: With Stratus Edge Computing, pharma organizations have an extra layer of security as critical data is collected and stored within the manufacturing facility and not on external networks. An edge platform provides full visibility of assets in real-time across manufacturing operations, which is especially helpful in tracking any abnormalities or potential data breaches. With virtualization, organizations can deploy cybersecurity software running concurrently alongside manufacturing applications all on a single Stratus platform. Our platforms also have built-in security features ensuring the integrity of the platform and protecting pharma manufacturers from unauthorized access.
Predictive equipment health: Pharma manufacturing equipment issues can severely impact product development and overall manufacturing processes. Stratus Edge Computing platforms run predictive health capabilities that accurately analyze sensor data such as centrifuges or chromatography systems and alert employees of any potential equipment failures before they occur, further reducing unplanned downtime.
Stratus Edge Computing: Simple, Protected, Autonomous
Stratus Edge Computing platforms are secure, highly automated, and easy to service, delivering redundant virtualized industrial applications quickly and easily, improving productivity and reducing risk. With an intuitive management console, an Edge Computing platform is easy for both local and remote staff to install and set up with flexibility and optionality. Stratus offers system support, system health add-ons, and managed support services to ensure health monitoring, keeping critical workloads running with minimal customer effort.
Stratus Edge Computing platforms offer pharmaceutical manufacturers:
Simple: Simple to install, deploy, and manage across applications and infrastructure
Protected: Protects physical assets, data, security, and reputation and reduces operational and financial risk
Autonomous: Operates autonomously with constant availability, minimizing unplanned downtime and enabling fully remote management
Edge Computing use cases in the pharmaceutical industry
✔ Real-time monitoring and control
✔ Predictive maintenance
✔ Supply chain management
✔ Enhanced data security
✔ Increased automation
✔ Cost savings
✔ Offline processing
About Stratus
Stratus delivers simple, protected, and autonomous zero-touch Edge Computing platforms for leaders who are digitally transforming their business-critical operations in order to achieve continuous availability and predictable, peak performance with minimal risk.
