Satellite use cases

These IBM Cloud Satellite uses cases are hypotheses that are designed to explore the solution’s applicability for areas within various industries. These hypotheses are based on the following cross-industry capabilities of Satellite.

Use IBM Cloud services wherever they are needed.
- Scenarios where data must be processed close to the source, such as IoT, data lakes, and analytics (to meet latency requirements).
- Scenarios where restrictions are placed on cross-border data movement (countries without public cloud data centers).
Use IBM Cloud services to assist operations on-premises or at remote locations.
- Remotely delivered IBM Cloud managed services are especially useful in supporting frequent upgrades and function modifications that require Kubernetes and Red Hat OpenShift skills.

Benefits of using Satellite

Review some key benefits for using IBM Cloud Satellite.

Reasons to use Satellite.
Benefits	Description
Bring your own infrastructure to IBM Cloud.	With IBM Cloud Satellite, you can bring your own infrastructure that is in your on-premises data center, in public cloud providers, or in edge environments to IBM Cloud by creating a Satellite location. With this setup, you can run your workloads in the physical location of your choice to meet legal requirements, compliance standards, data speeds, and network latency requirements while securely using IBM Cloud services. For more information, see Setting up Satellite locations.
Securely access IBM Cloud services.	Every Satellite location is securely connected to IBM Cloud through an encrypted TLS tunnel that is provided with the Satellite Link component. By using this TLS tunnel, you can securely access IBM Cloud services in your location and use them with the same security and compliance standards as in IBM Cloud. For more information, see Connecting Satellite locations with services outside of locations by using endpoints.
Control and monitor network traffic to services.	With Satellite Link, you can control network access to apps, services, and servers that run in IBM Cloud, public cloud providers, or in your on-premises data center. Configure these apps, services, and servers as sources for your Satellite endpoints. All network traffic that is sent through an endpoint is automatically captured and can be reviewed by the user.
Consistently deploy Kubernetes resources across multiple locations.	Use a single dashboard to manage the deployment of Kubernetes resources across cloud, on-premises, and edge environments with Satellite Config and gain global visibility into your apps and Kubernetes operations. For more information, see Deploying Kubernetes resources across clusters.
Centralize your monitoring and logging.	IBM Cloud Satellite is integrated with IBM Cloud Monitoring, IBM Log Analysis, and IBM Cloud Activity Tracker. You can view the metrics and logs for the apps that run in your location, the IBM Cloud services that you use, or the events that happen in your location from a single location.

For more information about Satellite, how it works and the service benefits, see the Satellite product page.

Common use cases for Satellite

This use case is applicable to all industries.

Deploy Red Hat OpenShift environment as a managed service wherever it is needed

Frequent version upgrades and function modifications that require Kubernetes and Red Hat OpenShift skills are performed remotely through IBM Cloud managed services. The same services can be deployed wherever they are needed to process data close to its source to reduce latency.

Pain points:: It is hard to secure and maintain skills for running Red Hat OpenShift internally. There are limitations with where the services can be used as data must be loaded to the cloud to use managed services.
Satellite enables:: Remotely delivered IBM’s managed services eliminates the need to secure Red Hat OpenShift skills internally. You can deploy services wherever they are needed, on-premises or in remote locations.

Finance use cases for Satellite

These use cases are applicable to the finance industry.

Leverage mainframe data for customers who are restricted from moving data to the cloud

The on-premises platform is delivered remotely by IBM Cloud as a managed service. Cloud Pak for Data is run on this platform for analyzing and leveraging the mainframe data as is, on-premises.

Pain points:: Certain data cannot be placed on cloud for security reasons. Thus it is a challenge to maintain and manage data analytics systems.
Satellite enables:: Analytics platform that was previously only available on cloud to be deployed on-premises at a customer site to bring mainframe data to life.

Provide a unified environment for developing, verifying, and running containers for customers on third-party clouds

IBM Cloud Managed Services that are required for developing, testing, and running containers are deployed on third-party clouds for a unified container platform. Red Hat OpenShift and container application versions can be managed from one single location.

Pain points:: It is hard to operate Red Hat OpenShift across locations and environments. Middleware and application versions and releases are inconsistent across environments.
Satellite enables:: Central management of Red Hat OpenShift services that are deployed at various locations, ensuring that the services are run with consistent versions and releases.

Extend IBM Cloud security and compliance for maintaining cloud security

The security and compliance that is delivered by IBM Cloud for Financial Services is extended to on-premises environments and third-party clouds to run multiple Red Hat OpenShift clusters securely. Adherence to security policies is automatically scanned and reported.

Pain points:: Red Hat OpenShift is built and run at various locations, making maintenance and management of security a challenge. It is difficult to apply the same security policies across various Red Hat OpenShift environments.
Satellite enables:: Central management of Red Hat OpenShift services deployed at various locations, ensuring that the same security policies are applied.

Insurance use cases for Satellite

This use case is applicable to the insurance industry.

Analytics platform on-premises

Streamline and enhance functions that are related to AI-driven analytics as well as data storage and updates through local data processing that is enabled by Satellite. These functions include knowledge searches on insurance sales terminals, customer data management, AI optical character recognition (OCR), product recommendations, quote creation, and maintenance efficiency improvement.

Pain points: Staff use terminals at the insurance sales offices to deliver timely and suitable advice and to help address customer issues. They need a more sophisticated search system with appropriate up-to-date information to be able to discover relevant answers from the diverse range of content.
Satellite enables:: Sophisticated AI-driven knowledge search system at the customer site and data processing where the data resides, eliminating the need to move data to the cloud. Data is processed where the data resides, eliminating the need to move data to the cloud.

Manufacturing use cases for Satellite

These use cases are applicable to the manufacturing industry.

Internet of Things (IoT) service platform

An IoT service platform can be delivered on cloud or on-premises to meet the user’s (manufacturing plants) requirements. The IoT service platform can be distributed, managed, and controlled remotely for users (manufacturing plants) that are restricted from connecting to and using cloud.

Pain points:: For plants with stringent security network requirements, it is impossible to deliver IoT services in the same way as cloud. For these plants, services must be built separately.
Satellite enables:: IoT service platform that was previously only available on cloud to be deployed within the customer’s plant, benefiting from use of cloud-like services.

Enable the digital transformation of on-premises legacy systems at steel mills and other manufacturing plants

Satellite enables legacy host systems at each site to run on digital transformation service platforms, built on containers through integration. Additionally, Satellite drives digital transformation at the isolated sites that cannot take advantage of cloud and container technology.

Pain points:: Systems with strict on-premises requirements, such as z/HOST and sensitive data, prevent the move to the cloud. Many applications cannot tolerate network latency. Lack of container skills in an on-premises environment hampers digital transformation of site applications.
Satellite enables:: A digital transformation service platform built on containers that was previously only available on cloud can now be deployed within the plant. It also enabled the delivery of cloud-like quality control, such as image analysis, and data lake related services at the plant.

Establish a service platform for point of sale (POS) or multi function printer (MFP) systems

When you provide platform-based management services and data services to store POS systems nationwide as well as MFP systems in corporate offices, it can be difficult to integrate with these customer systems. Using Satellite enables platform services to be delivered to a site that meets customer requirements.

Pain points:: It is hard to build a service platform that can provide a function for collecting the latest data and other added value to deliver services that leverage data from POS and MFP equipment. Customers have unique requirements for their system environments, preventing cost effective rollout of the same services.
Satellite enables:: It enables delivery of services to both cloud and on-premises environments according to customer requirements, making it easier to integrate with customer servers. A similar experience regardless of environment enables customers to distribute and manage applications that use the latest microservices anytime.

Accelerate the establishment of new global sites and plants

When companies establish a new global site, production line management systems and Supply Chain Management (SCM) systems that are used in existing plants can be distributed from cloud. Because servers are needed only at the new site, you can accelerate the system build and operations, and address skill gaps and security concerns.

Pain points:: With new global sites, a significant time is spent to build server environments for each site, deploying applications and developing an operations structure. Lack of skills due to inability to secure staff in the new region can delay go-live dates. The common application cannot be moved to the cloud due to latency and security issues.
Satellite enables:: It helps eliminate issues, including skill shortage and acceleration of deployment and go-live when you deliver applications to various global sites. Applications can be deployed and run on-premises, addressing security and latency concerns. With unified management, the same applications can be easily rolled out and operated.

Contain cost and speed for new services during development phase and move on-premises once established

Satellite enables applications to be deployed in accordance with the phase that the server or application is in. For example, platform applications can be easily deployed on-premises, following a growth in business or in response to heightened security risks.

Pain points:: Many businesses want to start small on cloud and move to on-premises after the business grows to a certain scale. They do not want to be locked into a single vendor, as cloud applications cannot be moved on-premises. They need the flexibility to deploy to distributed environments, including on-premises in response to the scale of business.
Satellite enables:: Applications that are initially developed and delivered on cloud can be moved as-is on-premises so that distributed deployment in accordance with the scale of business and acceleration in business speed and mitigation of various risks.

Deploy applications on-premises, scale out to the cloud only during peak times

Satellite enables applications to be deployed anywhere, on-premises or on cloud. This capability can be used to scale-out (autoscale) to the cloud during peak times such as new product releases to optimize cost.

Pain points:: Clients prefer to run on-premises from cost reduction perspective and distribute resources to the cloud only during peak times. The application deployment experience is inconsistent between cloud and on-premises. Clients also want to use scalable containers on-premises.
Satellite enables:: It enables delivery of container platforms that support DevOps and can be distributed anywhere. Same applications can be instantly moved to the cloud only during peak times, optimizing costs.

Distribution use cases for Satellite

This use case is applicable to the distribution industry.

Deliver and integrate store or warehouse digitization solutions for the distribution or retail sectors

Satellite delivers digitization solutions and integrate with store systems such as store computers and POS, warehouse systems. Leverage AI where applicable.

Pain points:: It is difficult to deliver and integrate store digitization solution. It is also hard to collect and leverage edge data. Data transfer and privacy concerns hamper the use of AI.
Satellite enables:: It enables easy delivery of store digitization solution as well as integration with POS data and store computers. IBM Edge Application Manager and Watson Machine Learning can be run on Satellite, allowing analytics at the source of data. Additionally, it allows the use and management of container-based applications for retail stores and warehouses.

Public sector or health use cases for Satellite

This use case is applicable to the public sector or health industry.

On-premises service platform

For hospitals that cannot readily connect to or use cloud, Red Hat OpenShift and IBM Cloud services such as IBM Watson are deployed as managed services within the customer site. These services then become available to use within the hospital environment, while the platform is distributed, managed, and controlled remotely.

Pain points:: It is difficult to use cloud services as hospital medical and patient records cannot be taken offsite from a security standpoint. It is also a challenge to meet data processing needs that emerges with increased use of wireless technology and local 5G in medical equipment.
Satellite enables:: Cloud platform services that were previously only available on cloud can be deployed and made available for use within the hospital environment.

Communications use cases for Satellite

This use case is applicable to the communications industry.

Multi-access edge computing (MEC) platform support service

Configure edge cloud distributed nationwide and use a single control point to remotely run and manage the platform for containerized applications and data.

Pain points:: With the widespread adoption of 5G, increased edge cloud needs can be expected, where data must be processed close to users and devices.
Satellite enables:: Edge cloud can be deployed to where it is needed to deliver platforms for running innovative new services that use AI. Managed services can remotely support the edge cloud platform.

Utilities use cases for Satellite

This use case is applicable to the utilities industry.

Expand the use of smart meters with Satellite

Deploy customer applications and IBM Cloud analytics services as managed services on the edge server that manages smart meters to not only manage electricity supply and demand, but also deliver services that are tailored to specific regions and households.

Pain points:: With the deregulation of the electricity industry, power companies must focus on providing added value and not simply supplying power. Power companies want to effectively use data that is collected from smart meters and use the data as a basis for delivering a diverse range of services.
Satellite enables:: The various data collected from smart meters can be used in real time by applications. Use of management-free IBM Cloud services enables easier data processing. Applications distributed across multiple sites can be centrally managed.