Cloud and Edge Devices in Action: from Connectivity to Solutions in Veritas Automata’s HiveNet

Veritas Automata Fabrizio Sgura

Fabrizio Sgura

Chief Engineer

This isn't just about connectivity, it's about transforming the way decisions are made at the edge, pushing the boundaries of what's possible in diverse and dynamic environments.

Veritas Automata’s HiveNet stands as a testament to the seamless integration of cloud and edge computing, redefining the paradigms of connectivity and solution delivery. With a keen focus on industries such as life sciences, supply chain management, transportation, and manufacturing, Veritas Automata leverages the robustness of Rancher K3s Kubernetes to ensure unmatched efficiency across cloud and edge environments. This blog explores the intricacies of HiveNet’s architecture and its transformative impact, particularly within the life sciences vertical.

From a business perspective, Veritas Automata’s decision to name it HiveNet wasn’t arbitrary. It was a deliberate move to distribute decision-making to the edge. By moving the brain into a Kubernetes cluster on bare metal, HiveNet avoids cannibalizing cloud services, setting it apart from the conventional cloud providers.

A use case of HiveNet within the life sciences vertical is its application in vaccine distribution and integrity assurance. Leveraging the combined power of blockchain for secure transactions and Kubernetes-based infrastructure for scalable, flexible deployment, HiveNet facilitates the digital chain of custody for vaccines. From manufacturing through to delivery, each step is securely logged and verifiable on the blockchain, ensuring that vaccines are stored, handled, and transported under prescribed conditions.

This not only streamlines the distribution process but also significantly reduces the risk of counterfeit or compromised vaccines entering the supply chain, ensuring public health and safety.

Want the technical aspects?

At the core of HiveNet’s architecture is an open-source, Kubernetes-based infrastructure, augmented with the security and transparency afforded by Hyperledger Fabric blockchain technology. This foundation supports advanced application architectures, including ROS for robotics, XState for finite state machines management, and NATS for Raft-based distributed messaging. The integration of GitOps principles and OTA custom edge images via Mender enhances continuous delivery, fostering a dynamic, robust environment for cloud and edge-native applications.

Adopting HiveNet transcends mere technology implementation; it signifies investing in a strategic asset that elevates operational agility, security, and competitive advantage. For the life sciences sector, this means being able to respond more swiftly to market demands, regulatory changes, and global health challenges, all while maintaining the highest standards of product integrity and patient safety.

Veritas Automata’s HiveNet represents a pivotal shift towards a more connected, secure, and efficient future in digital transaction processing. By harmonizing the strengths of cloud-native computing, blockchain technology, and advanced edge capabilities, HiveNet offers businesses a powerful tool to innovate, secure their supply chain, and maintain a competitive edge in the digital age.
Step into the future with Veritas Automata’s HiveNet, where the realms of cloud and edge computing merge in a groundbreaking symphony of secure and scalable solutions. This journey is more than a technological leap, it’s a revolution across industries, powered by blockchain.

The Art of Orchestration: HiveNet’s Symphony of Cloud and Edge

Veritas Automata Fabrizio Sgura

Fabrizio Sgura

Chief Engineer

Veritas Automata Rodolfo

Rodolfo Leal

Software Engineering Director

Veritas Automata Roberto Galaz

Roberto Galaz

DevOps Engineer

The symphony is not just a fusion of cloud and edge technologies, it's a harmonious blend of trust, clarity, efficiency, and precision.

HiveNet's Foundation: Powering Innovation with Open Source

At the heart of HiveNet lies a foundation, built on open-source K3s Kubernetes and RKE2 – a pre-integrated cloud (AWS) and edge cluster (bare-metal) on the same control plane. This architecture is the cornerstone for the HiveNet Application Ecosystem, providing unparalleled flexibility and scalability.

Orchestrating the Cloud and Edge Dance

HiveNet for Blockchain – a jewel in HiveNet’s crown – simplifies the distribution of processes across roles, organizations, corporations, and governments.

This solution can manage chain-of-custody at a global level, seamlessly integrating with other HiveNet tools to support IoT and Smart Products within broader workflows. Imagine a symphony where each note is perfectly timed and in sync – that’s HiveNet for Blockchain, using the same Kubernetes framework as all HiveNet products. This ensures standardized solutions and efficient deployment of the platform core to the cloud, with the extended edge nodes running on smart devices such as embedded devices, edge computers, laptops–and soon, mobile devices–for enhanced workflow integration.

Hyperledger Fabric: Crafting Trust and Transparency

In the orchestra of blockchain technologies, HiveNet employs Hyperledger Fabric to meet data access, regulatory, workflow, and organization needs. This ensures a secure and transparent transaction management system and establishes a foundation for chain-of-custody applications.

Use Case: Smart Product Manufacturing

Let’s step into the real-world impact of HiveNet’s orchestration prowess with an example of smart product manufacturing: Picture a market category leader in the manufacture and operations of smart products for retail and food. The challenge was clear… finding a path to providing operators the ability to deliver successful interactions with consumers and delivery partners while producing valuable and auditable transactional data.
Veritas Automata took on this challenge by developing an autonomous transaction solution, starting in 2018.
Leveraging Hyperledger Fabric blockchain technology on Kubernetes with Robot Operating System (ROS) for hardware control and ML-powered vision, the HiveNet-powered robotic solution became a reality by 2020. Cloud services integrated seamlessly with bare-metal edge computing devices, creating a multi-tenant cloud-based K3s Kubernetes cluster.

The outcome? Over 20 IoT components in each system, autonomous interactions between the robotic system and consumers, synchronized workflow control, and separate cloud API integrations for each operator. Veritas Automata’s HiveNet solution delivered unparalleled capabilities, supporting the manufacturer’s business requirements and maintaining market category leadership.

Why Hivenet? Elevating Automation to a Symphony

In the grand symphony of automation and orchestration, HiveNet stands tall as a testament to Veritas Automata’s commitment to innovation, trust, and precision. The orchestration techniques showcased in smart product manufacturing exemplify the company’s ability to solve complex challenges logically and intuitively.
For ambitious leaders and executives seeking automation solutions in industries like Life Sciences, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, and Transportation, let the symphony of HiveNet elevate your organization to new heights.