The choice is yours
With the new range of access points being launched this year, Zyxel is giving customers more choice than ever for network management – and presenting partners with good opportunities to provide managed services to their customers, says EMEA Wireless Market Development Manager, Patrick Hirscher.
Everyone likes to be given a choice. When it comes to networking, one area in which customers really like to have options is in the management of devices and network traffic. In the past, WiFi hubs and access points were always managed as stand-alone units or through an on-premises controller. A technician – or the user themselves – would set up the hardware and manage the devices ‘hands-on’ or through the controller.
In recent times, cloud-based options have become available and many of our customers now use the Zyxel Nebula platform to set-up, monitor and manage their WiFi devices from anywhere. It’s even possible to do this on a smartphone.
Faster response
If you are given the choice, you can decide on the way you want to manage your WiFi devices. With the new range of WAX and NWA series wireless access points that Zyxel will be releasing over the next few months, you will be given at least two and in many cases three options – stand-alone, via the on-site controller, or using Nebula.
On devices with Nebula Flex, you will be able to switch between on-site and cloud-based management at any time, so if you try it one way and find you are not entirely comfortable, you can switch back to the other method.
In our view, the Nebula option is the best one for most customers as it provides much more flexibility and means you don’t always need an expert on site to make changes. Most of our customers are now choosing to use Nebula for device management, as it means they can respond faster when changes are needed – which can be quite often with busy wireless networks.
Managed services
Nebula is also perfect for Zyxel partners who want to provide a managed service for their customers. With Nebula, it’s quite easy to monitor multiple networks through a single control panel, so it’s a great way to make use of network management expertise and, as much fewer on-site visits will be required, to keep costs down – both for the customer and the partner. Nebula is very easy to learn and to use, so you only need a minimal amount of training.
As I mentioned earlier, there will be different options on different access points and full details will be available as the new products are announced. The first additions to our range will arrive in April, and more will follow in the summer. They will, by the way, all support the new WiFi 6 standard. Whatever your requirements and whatever the size of your organisation, there will be a good option for you.
Of course, the way you choose to manage your network is entirely up to you. Many customers are now going down the managed services route, but what’s important is that you do have that choice – and that you know you can depend on the equipment and the management platform to give you the reliable performance and capabilities you need to make the most of your investment. With Zyxel access points, you can be assured that you can.
