Last week, we looked at the reasons for cloud adoption over the past two decades and how it came about, and the key industries adopting cloud technology. Today we’ll examine the benefits of running cloud applications and how they make sense in the mining industry.
Why would we want to run cloud applications?
1. It allows mining companies to concentrate on their core business instead of maintaining IT infrastructure
Running IT centers can be expensive both in terms of infrastructure requirements and in terms of the staff required to maintain them. Hardware and software must be upgraded and replaced regularly and these processes, whilst necessary, take time from the core mining business.
2. It provides cost savings over provision of in-house technology
Because cloud infrastructure companies provide similar resources to many large organizations, they have massive economies of scale which can be passed on to customers. Their storage networks, backup systems, network redundancy, failover capabilities and contingency services are scalable to allow all of their customers to benefit from these services.
3. Resources can be scaled as needed
Since most cloud applications run on virtualized infrastructure, the provision of more CPU resources, greater amounts of storage, more network bandwidth and so on can be completed instantly through software configuration. In contrast to an in-house data center, machines can be added or removed as they are needed providing both the ability to meet needs at peak times as well as saving money when the resources are no longer needed.
4. It is more secure and less prone to risk and outages than local data storage
Nearly all major data centers are located in areas that are physically secure and protected from major risks.
They usually have redundant power supplies, air conditioning systems, multiple network links, failover sites and backup systems that can be expensive to maintain privately.
In addition, because the data isn’t physically sitting at the mine site it is better protected from the many risks run by on-site machines.
5. Better and faster recovery from failure, resulting in greater uptime
Most major cloud storage providers allow data to be backed up to low-cost disks or offsite tape storage. The option of backing up to disk means that in the event of data loss a restore is quick and simple.
6. It can provide a single environment for integration of services
The programming interfaces between web applications are frequently standardized and because web applications are universally available, it can be straightforward to provide interfaces between different applications.
7. Similar user experience and working methods across applications reduces the learning curve and barriers to adoption
The standardization of web interfaces and similarity in conventions across web applications can reduce the barriers to adoption of new technology and reduce the learning curve and training time required for new users.
8. Ease of provisioning for new users
The management of resources required for adding new capabilities or new users to a cloud environment is very flexible. Generally, the services used for tasks such as password management are common across applications, meaning that there is just one point of management where hardware, software resources and security changes need to be made.
9. Big Data and the Internet of Things
Another recent development is the ability of instrumentation, whether it’s fleet logs, processing plant machinery or remote monitoring stations to provide a constant stream of data, commonly known as the Internet of Things. Cloud computing provides the computing power to apply machine learning and make use of big data analytics, which provides valuable business information allowing timely decisions to be made, improving safety or performance.
Most mining machinery produces a continuous stream of data which can be monitored to support predictive maintenance of vehicles and plant machinery, decreasing expensive failures and increasing productivity.
10. Democratization of Data
In order to take full advantage of the data available, everyone in the organization needs to be able to access a single version of the most accurate data. This is impossible when it is sitting on a user’s PC. Universal access to data means that all decisions, from where to dump the latest haul load, to how to design the pit shell, are made on the most up-to-date data.
11. Real Time Mining
The single data point offered by cloud computing enables mines to go from discontinuous to continuous process monitoring and quality management. This can result in improvements in process efficiency and resource utilization, with the aim of increasing energy efficiency and facilitating improvements in environmental performance.
Studies suggest that some deposits which are currently considered economically marginal could become viable through continuous monitoring processes.
12. Remote Operations
The remote management of mining processes with minimal personnel on site is becoming increasingly considered. This is useful for a number of safety and health reasons as well as improvements to the efficient running of the mine. Processes such as remote vehicle dispatch and self-driving vehicles can be run effectively from city center locations, thousands of kilometers away from the mine site where there is ready access to skilled resources.
In Part 3, we will look at the barriers to entry for Cloud Computing in mining and ways in which these can be overcome.
View Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4 of this series.
Charles Elliott
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- Solutions to Blending Problems in Industrial Minerals - July 31, 2018
- Part 4: Cloud Solutions - July 3, 2017
- Part 3: Cloud Computing Issues & Benefits - June 21, 2017
