Zyxel is now offering basic cloud network management for $0 a year
Hsinchu Taiwan, 25 June 2018 — Zyxel Communications today introduced free licensing for its enterprise-grade Nebula platform, giving small businesses and prosumers a huge leg-up in jumping over the barrier to entry to cloud-based networking.
The 16-member Nebula family is fit to be deployed in any enterprise scenario—and it’s growing all the time.
Launched in 2016, Nebula is a 100% cloud-based networking and management solution that can centrally and remotely manage wired, wireless, and security devices with zero-touch provisioning from a single pane of glass. The growing suite of compatible devices already includes 16 products: eight APs, five switches, and three security gateways.
Hello cloud networking, goodbye annual fees
“Since we launched Nebula, we’ve seen that a lot of small businesses are reluctant to make the jump to cloud-managed network infrastructure,” said Crowley Wu, senior AVP of Zyxel’s Networking Business Unit. “They’re worried that besides investing in new hardware, they’ll have to pay steep licensing fees every year just so they can manage it.”
“The free license combined with the affordable compatible hardware shatters this barrier to entry,” he said. Though free, the license is far from basic: it comes with a rich set of management and analysis tools for use on the browser-based Nebula Control Center (NCC), including detailed traffic and usage breakdowns as well as site-wide management settings.
For administrators, particularly MSPs, who need greater control and insight, there’s the Professional Pack License. It allows users to examine network topology, view and share more summary report and change log data, and have tech-support inquiries answered directly by the NCC team online. An extensive lineup of new advanced features, including configuration cloning and VPN topology, will be added in the coming months.
An optimized interface for easier work
The NCC’s fresh look starts from the landing page, where users are greeted with an easy sign-up option, two-factor authentication for increased peace of mind, and a tutorial for first-timers.
Once you’re logged in, the interface gives a cleaner, user-friendlier experience. Its new setup process features a wizard to let you add a device, quickly establish WiFi access for guests, and start managing your network within minutes, while a sleek new AP dashboard presents an at-a-glance view of all APs and wireless clients.
Introducing the Security Pack
Nebula’s upgrades extend beyond setup and management. The new Security Pack delivers triple-layer protection for networks, with a one-year subscription handed free to every new Nebula Security Gateway user plus free upgrades offered to current users of the gateway’s IDP service.
The first arrow in the pack’s quiver is IDP, which proactively identifies and fends off intruders as well as prioritizes, throttles, and blocks applications to boost productivity and prevent bandwidth abuse. Second is content filtering, with measures including URL and HTTPS domain filtering preventing access to malicious and inappropriate sites. Finally, its antivirus acts as a bulwark against malware.
Nebula’s upgrades come after Zyxel rolled out the latest compatible device earlier this month: the NWA1302-AC access point. It followed the addition of the NSG200 security gateway in January.
The new Nebula is live—to try it out right now or for more information, visit: https://www.zyxel.com/nebula
About Zyxel Communications
Focused on innovation and customer-centric technology and service, Zyxel Communications has been connecting people to the Internet for nearly 30 years. Our ability to adapt and innovate with networking technology places us at the forefront of the drive to create connectivity for telcos and service providers as well as businesses and home users.
- 150 markets served
- 1,500 passionate associates
- 700,000 businesses working smarter with Zyxel solutions
- 100 million devices creating global connections
Today, Zyxel is building the networks of tomorrow, unlocking potential, and meeting the needs of the modern workplace — powering people at work, life, and play.
Zyxel, Your Networking Ally.