Create Adaptive Edge Solutions for Government Environments

Introducing Monkton’s three-part Cloud Based Edge Capable (CBEC) architecture to make any mission performance ready

Change is the only constant. This adage is certainly true of missions that live on the Edge. 

Today’s solutions must be able to run in a variety of environments. Most importantly, they need to run in disconnected, Edge-based missions, like those that happen in the air, in a remote location in another country, or the middle of the ocean. A Cloud Based Edge Capable (“CBEC”) architecture offers the advantage of a trusted and verifiable process for building secure, cloud-based solutions that consume and generate data on the Edge—whether via mobile, laptop, satellite, IoT, or other devices.

CBEC is fundamental to the delivery of all Monkton solutions and works best when baked in from day one. After years of delivering prototype Edge solutions for government environments, Monkton created and refined a three-part approach to CBEC that enables customers with Edge capabilities at the onset of every project.

Part 1: A hands-free management approach with Functions as a Service (FaaS)

Developing solutions first in the Cloud powers instant problem solving.

Leveraging technologies like FaaS, a cloud computing model where developers can deploy individual pieces of code as independent, serverless units, makes for more efficient, scalable, and cheaper operations as there are no worries about managing underlying infrastructure. At Monkton, FaaS allows us to exclusively focus on developing secure solutions for our customers so they can easily migrate to the Edge.

Previously, maintaining a software application required managing and provisioning an operating system server and web host, which takes a ton of time and money. With FaaS, the physical hardware, virtual machine operating system, and web server software management are handled automatically by the cloud service provider. FaaS also gives customers a way to develop, run, and manage application functionalities without worrying how to maintain complex infrastructure.

Part 2: Tap into ready-to-use tools with Platforms as a Service (PaaS)

PaaS is a bit like having a ready-to-go toolkit in the cloud for developers. PaaS provides a platform for building complete applications, offering flexibility, customization, and support for full-stack development. This allows developers to focus on crafting robust and innovative applications while relying on the platform to handle infrastructure-related aspects.

With its ability to support agile practices like experimentation for rapid deployment, Federal agencies and enterprise organizations alike can gather feedback and insights to make more informed decisions and iterate faster. And, thanks to robust security features like data encryption, granular access controls, and compliance certifications, users also have unparalleled levels of security and compliance to build a CBEC architecture. This ensures sensitive information is protected and fully complies with regulations. PaaS platforms also frequently provide built-in monitoring and auditing capabilities, allowing organizations to easily track and analyze security events and performance metrics.

Part 3: Embrace a “code-is-code” mentality

The "code-is-code" mentality refers to the perspective that, regardless of the programming language used, the principles of writing code remain consistent and transferable.

The foundation of a successful CBEC architecture is to assemble code that runs in a variety of environments—meaning wherever your mission takes you. This breaks the monotonous, and expensive, cycle of developing singular, time-intensive solutions. At Monkton we use Docker, Kubernetes, and Amazon Elastic Container services to develop transferable alternatives to solve immediate needs across various environments.