Extending AWS IoT SiteWise with EasyEdge Industrial Connectivity

Connecting legacy industrial equipment to modern cloud platforms remains a significant challenge. Factories operate with diverse PLCs, machines, sensors, and communication protocols, making it difficult to collect and integrate operational data consistently across sites.

EasyEdge simplifies this challenge by extending AWS IoT SiteWise Edge with industrial protocol connectivity, data acquisition, and local processing capabilities.

Through its native integration with AWS IoT SiteWise Edge, EasyEdge enables industrial organizations to connect heterogeneous OT systems without developing custom integrations or deploying separate protocol converters for supported equipment.

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How EasyEdge and AWS IoT SiteWise work together

EasyEdge and AWS IoT SiteWise provide complementary capabilities within the industrial data architecture.

EasyEdge acts as an industrial data source for the AWS IoT SiteWise Edge Gateway. It connects to industrial equipment through protocols such as Siemens S7, Modbus, and others, acquires operational data, and supports data processing and conditioning at the edge.

AWS IoT SiteWise Edge receives this data for local monitoring, storage, and access, while AWS IoT SiteWise provides cloud-based industrial data organization, monitoring, and integration with other AWS services.

The integration separates responsibilities clearly:

• EasyEdge: Industrial protocol connectivity, data acquisition, and edge-side processing.
• AWS IoT SiteWise Edge: Local industrial data collection, monitoring, and storage.
• AWS IoT SiteWise: Cloud-based industrial data organization, monitoring, and integration with AWS services.

This architecture helps organizations connect legacy industrial assets while maintaining a consistent path from factory equipment to cloud applications and analytics.

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Supporting Siemens Energy's Connected Factory initiative

The value of this integration is demonstrated by Siemens Energy's use of AWS IoT SiteWise within its Connected Factory platform.

As described in the official AWS blog, Siemens Energy operates heterogeneous manufacturing environments with different equipment types, industrial communication protocols, and connectivity requirements.

EasyEdge was integrated with AWS IoT SiteWise Edge to facilitate the collection of industrial data from legacy PLCs, including devices using Siemens S7 and Modbus.

Its intuitive configuration environment and native AWS integration help factory teams connect equipment with minimal configuration, reducing the complexity and onboarding effort associated with heterogeneous industrial environments.

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Key benefits of the integration

1. Reduce the need for third-party protocol converters

EasyEdge provides connectivity to a broad range of industrial protocols, reducing the need for additional protocol conversion software or custom integrations for supported systems.

2. Simplify industrial data acquisition

The integration enables industrial teams to configure equipment connections and data flows through EasyEdge, making operational data available to AWS IoT SiteWise Edge.

3. Accelerate factory asset onboarding

Reusable industrial connectivity capabilities and centralized configuration help reduce the effort required to connect heterogeneous factory equipment.

4. Support scalable edge-to-cloud deployments

Combining EasyEdge connectivity with AWS IoT SiteWise enables industrial organizations to extend data acquisition across factories while using AWS services for industrial data organization, monitoring, and analytics.

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Building the foundation for industrial data-driven operations

Industrial connectivity is an essential first step in Industrial Data Management.

By connecting heterogeneous OT systems and making their operational data available to AWS IoT SiteWise, EasyEdge helps organizations establish a more consistent industrial data foundation.

This integration demonstrates how industrial connectivity, local edge processing, and cloud-based industrial data services can work together to simplify data acquisition and support scalable digital transformation initiatives.

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Official AWS references

AWS Announcement – Extended Protocol Support for AWS IoT SiteWise Edge through EasyEdge

AWS officially announced the EasyEdge integration on November 9, 2023, explaining how EasyEdge extends industrial protocol support as a partner data source for AWS IoT SiteWise Edge.

Read the official AWS announcement

The Internet of Things on AWS – Official Blog

How Siemens Energy uses AWS for its IIoT platform and smart manufacturing

Published on November 11, 2024, this article describes Siemens Energy's Connected Factory architecture and how EasyEdge supports connectivity to legacy industrial equipment within the AWS IoT SiteWise environment.

Read the Siemens Energy story on the AWS Blog

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