What is a NuvlaBox?

NuvlaBox is a simple and secure private cloud solution that offers easy and affordable access to the benefits of cloud computing. It is a plug & play device with remote management and application update capabilities. It can be easily and securely deployed by a non-technical operator. The NuvlaBox’s ability to work both autonomously and as a remote controlled connected device gives great flexibility, supporting a diverse set of deployment scenarios.

NuvlaBox Standard v2

NuvlaBox Standard v2

Key business benefits

  • Built-in security. All services are configured for secure operation and all communication is encrypted.
  • Secure web access to the applications running in your NuvlaBox.
  • Reliable. All deployments are fully automated to avoid human error. The appliance will restart all applications in case of an unexpected power outage.
  • Plug & Play device. The NuvlaBox is pre-configured; the user simply has to plug it in to have an operational machine.
  • Central control point. Using a user-friendly web interface the NuvlaBox can be controlled via a simple dashboard.
  • Remote updates mean reduced costs. No need to send an engineer or expert on site for software updates.
  • Supports hybrid cloud deployment scenarios. Workloads can be easily moved between private and public clouds, providing flexibility and potential cost savings.
  • Reliable local connectivity. Once powered up the NuvlaBox creates its own local WiFi network, which can be used by any device.
  • Flexible WAN connectivity. The NuvlaBox can be connected to the wide area network using many popular connectivity technologies, including Ethernet, mobile, WiFi, and satellite.

Usage Scenarios

The NuvlaBox platform has been designed to bring the flexibility and ease-of-use of cloud infrastructures to Internet-of-Things (IoT) and Edge Computing platforms. Incorporating NuvlaBox machines into these platforms improves their reliability, performance, and security. A wide range of scenarios can benefit from NuvlaBox systems.

Smart Grid

All industrial control systems acquire equipment monitoring and performance data. They use this data to control operations and to ensure that the industrial plant is working correctly. Unfortunately, these platforms are static, limited by the hardcoded algorithms embedded into the system. They cannot quickly react and adapt to changes within the industrial environment.

Through the SCISSOR project, co-funded by the European Commission, SixSq has demonstrated how cloud technologies including the NuvlaBox can provide a SCADA platform that can react rapidly to changes and evolves as the knowledge of the industrial platform improves. The platform benefits both from the remote management possible from SlipStream and the NuvlaBox, while allowing for autonomous operation in cases where remote locations are temporarily isolated from the rest of the platform.

Smart Cities

Communities can markedly improve the life of their citizens and streamline their operations by taking advantage of the vast amount of data provided by public transport systems, traffic monitoring, environmental sensors, and the like.

NuvlaBox deployments can improve these “Smart City” platforms by:

  • Avoiding large data flows over low-bandwidth connections, though local analysis of data.
  • Protecting data with privacy concerning by limited the diffusion of such data to a local area.
  • Remove silos of information allowing the platforms to increase performance by understanding the correlations between different data sources.

SixSq, through the CityZen initiative , has shown how lighting systems can adapt to changing traffic conditions to increase safety and energy efficiency.

DevOps

Cloud technologies can drastically speed up DevOps processes. Cloud infrastructures allow new resources to be created on demand and to be available within minutes. Deploying test and production services onto those infrastructures can allow quick testing of full systems and the quick, incremental upgrades.

The NuvlaBox can fulfill this role for applications of a limited size or for those applications that require access to real sensors or controllers. Given the small footprint of the NuvlaBox and its ability to run autonomously, development and operations personnel can build confidence in an (updated) application before deploying it to a public cloud.

How does it work?

The customer can decide which applications should be pre-installed in the NuvlaBox. The boxes are then shipped directly to the customer’s location. Once on site, simply connect the NuvlaBox(es) to a power supply and a network device. The NuvlaBoxes can then be locally or remotely operated. When connected to the network, new applications can also be downloaded and installed on any box, remotely, at the click of a button.