Herzog Technologies Inc. (HTI) on Sept. 19, 2016 launched a Cloud-based PTC (positive train control) system using technology from Red Hat, Inc., a provider of open-source systems.
HTI chose to build its new PTC system on a “private cloud” powered by Red Hat Enterprise Linux and managed by Red Hat Satellite and Red Hat CloudForms. The Enterprise Linux platform “allows for easier scaling for IoT (Internet of Things)-type network deployments and helps minimize the hosting footprint in Herzog’s datacenter, thanks to the flexible, stable foundation that it provides,” HTI said. Red Hat CloudForms, an “open hybrid Cloud management platform,” has helped Herzog transform its existing virtualized infrastructure into a private Cloud, through its on-demand scaling functionality. Red Hat Satellite helps Herzog maintain greater platform security and compliance with various regulatory standards, as well as manage its software lifecycle from testing through production. Herzog also worked with Red Hat Consulting to help bring its new offering to market.
HTI claims it has experienced the potential for more market opportunities by bringing a cloud-based PTC offering to a new customer segment, enabled by Red Hat’s “experience in delivering open, flexible technologies for the rail industry”; higher efficiency for Herzog’s “complex, hybrid IT environment,” provided by the management and automation capabilities of Red Hat CloudForms and Red Hat Satellite, and improved costs “thanks to the open-source nature of Red Hat’s hosted [systems] for rail via intelligent IoT networks.”
“The enterprise-grade foundation of Red Hat Enterprise Linux provides the backend to the complex IoT system required for the intelligence and dynamism expected of PTC, while Red Hat CloudForms and Red Hat Satellite help HTI with systems management and compliance,” HTI said. “Combined, Red Hat’s powerful open source technologies are helping Herzog provide railroads with the ability to more quickly adopt PTC technology, helping to enable safer and more efficient rail transportation. Railroads, particularly smaller carriers, may struggle to implement PTC due to the financial and technical burdens required to fully deploy a complete, on-premise [system], which can include large sensor networks and significant computing resources. To help meet the requirements of these railroads, we saw a need for a more cost-effective, open-source and Cloud-based PTC offering.”
“Our work with HTI shows how Red Hat helps organizations across industries move to the hybrid Cloud and embrace an IT environment that can drive real business value and results while remaining dynamic, highly scalable and more secure,” said Red Hat Vice President and General Manager, Platforms Business Unit Jim Totton. “By basing its cloud-based PTC solution on Red Hat Enterprise Linux and our hybrid management technologies, HTI can deliver the mission-critical reliability and flexibility needed to drive the sophisticated, intelligent networks to help modern railways enhance safety and transportation efficiency.”
“Red Hat realizes that we’re all working toward the same goal,” said HTI Technologies Director, Office Systems Travis Rolling. “Without Red Hat, launching this [system] would have been a far more complex undertaking, and we would not have been able to onboard new customers as quickly.”