Ruckus Wireless has announced the availability of CloudManager for Xclaim, a 100% subscription-free cloud service to manage its Xclaim family of disruptively priced, cloud-ready, controller-free indoor and outdoor business-class WiFi access points (APs).
The Xclaim product line is a new line of entry-level enterprise WiFi products from Ruckus Wireless, aimed squarely at businesses requiring a cost-effective, industrial-strength solution that bridges the gap between poor performing and featureless consumer-grade products and more costly and sophisticated enterprise class solutions that often require dedicated in-house IT expertise.
CloudManager for Xclaim utilises the power of the Amazon cloud to provide a global management service for Xclaim access points, delivering multiple business features and benefits including:
* Remote management – CloudManager can be accessed over any wired, WiFi or cellular Internet connection. From the office, at home, or on the road, secure access to full management of an Xclaim access point deployment is just a click away.
* Multi-Site – management of one or more locations is possible from a single login to the CloudManager service, regardless of whether a business owner has a single location with one or more Xclaim access points, or multiple locations with one or more access points at each location. CloudManager brings them all together on a single screen.
* Scalability – CloudManager can support an unlimited number of Xclaim access points, either from a single location with one AP or up to thousands of locations with 100 or more APs per each location, with CloudManager providing easy management through a single pane of glass.
* Analytics history and reporting – CloudManager stores one week of historical Xclaim access point data, which can be viewed in real-time at any moment. In addition, CloudManager includes pre-configured management reports, which can be downloaded or emailed directly to third parties to facilitate records of week-by-week network performance.
* Access via any client – CloudManager uses a responsive web-browser interface, allowing access by the browser on any smartphone, tablet, PC or Mac, with the user interface automatically adjusting to help optimally suit the client device type, designed to ensure maximum user flexibility for managing Xclaim access point deployments.
* Backwards compatibility – CloudManager will work with all existing deployments of Xclaim access points. Up to now, customers have managed their Xclaim access points with the free, downloadable Harmony for Xclaim app, a custom-developed mobile application used exclusively with Xclaim access points, which works on both iOS and Android devices. Both existing and new customers can continue to use Harmony for Xclaim, or they can very easily convert to management in the cloud with CloudManager at no additional cost.
* Subscription-free – other than the cost of Xclaim APs, there are no other upfront costs, nor monthly, quarterly or annual recurring subscription fees. CloudManager is included in existing support forums and software upgrades for the Xclaim product line, both of which are also totally free for customers to access and utilise.
“CloudManager represents a major, strategic upgrade to our Xclaim portfolio,” says Biju Nair, vice-president and co-GM of the Xclaim product line. “We have had terrific feedback about the quality and performance of Xclaim access points since their launch last fall, and now CloudManager adds a significant boost to the management and control flexibility, something both our channel partners and customers have been craving for. We believe it will provide significant opportunities to further drive adoption in businesses looking for a robust, cost-effective, business-class WiFi solution.”
“The emerging cloud-managed wireless LAN delivery model is leading many enterprise network managers to evaluate if they can benefit from this architecture,” says Rohit Mehra, vice-president, Network Infrastructure, IDC. “With an ever-growing list of requirements and applications for enterprise networks, cloud-managed wireless LAN may be a strategic solution for some small and medium-sized businesses, particularly in the distributed enterprise realm. Network managers in this space should consider cloud-managed WiFi models like CloudManager for Xclaim alongside the alternatives.”