The Importance of an Always-On Network in Transportation
The transportation industry is like one giant, global ecosystem full of millions of intricate parts, which, when disrupted, can have ripple effects on all of the organisms it touches.
Outages can severely slow operations and impact visibility, but an out-of-band network can ensure business continuity even during a disruption. The case for a network that never sleeps is strong as we move towards more widespread digital transformation. Todd Rychecky, Vice President Americas, Opengear, shares how an always-on network can benefit the transportation industry as it shifts gears into the future.
The transportation industry is like one giant, global ecosystem full of millions of intricate parts, which, when disrupted, can have ripple effects on all of the organisms it touches. A vital component of the supply chain and global economy, transportation is made up of brokers, shippers and warehouses who must maintain timely communication to ensure that the wheels of society continue turning. There are four principal sectors of transportation and trade – air cargo, which carried 6.7 million tons to the U.S. from foreign countries in 2019, freight rail, which spans 140,000 miles and delivers for almost every industry, and trucking, which is responsible for the most overland freight movement in the U.S. and was worth 732.3 billion in 2020.
Supporting something this colossal – including all mission-critical applications – requires companies to use resilient networks, the foundation of operation efficiency. Yet, to keep up with the growing demands of consumers, the transportation industry’s activity will double by 2050, which will entail massive digital transformation via new technologies to streamline operations, reduce cost and improve service. Nevertheless, these technologies – like IoT sensors and cameras – will need reliable connectivity, something most organizations don’t have with their current infrastructure. To meet future needs, transportation companies require secure, always-on remote access to simplify network management and ensure business continuity even during an inevitable disruption.
Network Outages Delay Operations
To uphold security, compliance and performance, the network engineers of air, freight rail and trucking companies rely on several applications, including Transportation Management Systems (TMS). New applications constantly get added to networks, but TMS creates a standardized process that allows operators to efficiently manage all transportation activities across the entire enterprise and supply chain. Unfortunately, because operators rely so heavily on TMS when there is any network outage, it becomes impossible to access these systems, resulting in a complete disruption of overall operations.
Outages are caused by many things, with ISP carrier issues, human error or a data breach being the most common. Should a disruption occur, trucking fleets – for example – have to ask their roadside assistance provider to dispatch an engineer to meet the truck at a company warehouse. Until the issue gets remediated, all of the vehicle’s IoT sensors are offline, affecting the driver and cargo’s safety, compliance and the truck’s arrival time. Moreover, without telematics devices, the driver can’t take the fastest route to the warehouse, where they’ll have to wait for the engineer to find and fix the problem before continuing.
Unfortunately, not every organization takes a proactive approach to network disruptions and is left scrambling when one does occur. A few years ago, I received a call from a major global airline with two large data centers and numerous remote locations when they experienced an outage. The disruption led to planes having to be rerouted with significant revenue loss. An out-of-band solution would’ve prevented many of the complications they experienced.
Working with an Out-of-Band Network
To maintain access to essential applications within the network even during an outage, engineers can separate and containerize the functions of the management plane via an out-of-band network. An out-of-band network operates freely from the primary in-band network – and as an ideal independent management plane, it provides secure and reliable access during provisioning, day-to-day configuration, and – most notably – emergency access when the primary network is down.
Likewise, with an out-of-band network, engineers can always access and manage remote infrastructure, which allows them to identify and remediate network issues remotely without having to send a tech on-site or interrupt transportation operations. And by deploying devices that enable an independent management plan at remote sites like airport hubs, truck cabs and inside freight containers, transportation companies will have the necessary presence and proximity to manage, access and remediate issues throughout their distributed networks.
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Visibility and Regulatory Compliance
Not only must transportation businesses overcome the challenges of distributed networks, so too must they overcome harsh environmental conditions while facilitating a continual flow of data. Similarly, every part of a transportation network is complex, with different configurations, each having its unique difficulties and moving pieces. To be economical and safeguard drivers and cargo, these companies need complete visibility of their infrastructure for real-time, critical and actionable insights, which is only possible through a robust network management system. By joining Smart Out-of-Band with Failover to Cellular, transportation organizations gain the bandwidth necessary to access critical applications (during outages), ensure business continuity and sustain visibility of their entire network wherever their vehicles, rail freight, or air cargo might be.
Additionally, cargo supply chains must comply with regulatory requirements, especially when international movement is involved. Luckily, new legislation passed in the U.S., including certain countries, permits the allocation of funds to transportation businesses to upgrade current devices and install advanced ones to support the ever-evolving needs of the supply chain. With Smart Out-of-Band and Failover to Cellular, transportation networks can meet compliance guidelines while minimizing costs and enhancing operations.
A New Mindset Toward Digital Transformation
Digital maturity within the transportation industry is growing – IoT devices will increase to 27 billion connections by 2025. To stay competitive, traditional companies will turn ultimately to new business models and adopt modern technology. But regardless of these efforts, there must be a mindset change, as well. To effectively enable digital transformation, businesses need to begin looking at their infrastructure and platforms not as individual, disconnected pieces but as one unified and connected system.
Do you think an always-on network is essential on the road to digital transformation? Share with us on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook. We’d love to know what you think!
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