CommScope advances cloud-managed networking

Cloud services platform delivers converged management, network visibility and service assurance.

Thursday, 18th June 2020 Posted 4 years ago in by Phil Alsop

CommScope has introduced RUCKUS Cloud, an AI-enabled network management as-a-service platform that enables enterprise IT and managed service providers (MSPs) to easily manage a converged wired and wireless network. Aided by machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) and built on a programmable microservices foundation, RUCKUS Cloud merges single-pane management with network visibility and service assurance. This allows IT teams to troubleshoot faster and proactively improve the user experience.

According to market research firm Omdia, the cloud-managed networking market is growing at a compound annual growth rate of 28.7%, with equipment revenues forecasted at $5.5 billion and software-as-a-service revenues forecasted at $1.8 billion by 2023. Overall, it is estimated that public cloud-managed networking deployments will account for 14% of enterprise networking revenue by 2023, and in the Wi-Fi segment, nearly a quarter of the installed base of access points will be managed through a public cloud platform.

“Networks are changing rapidly, with accelerating growth in users, network elements, devices and device diversity that’s driving a new level of network complexity, making it difficult for IT organisations to keep up,” said Matthias Machowinski, Omdia senior research director, enterprise networks. “Modern cloud-managed networking and ML/AI-based assurance tools provide automation and in-depth network insights, promising to give control back to the IT organisation and deliver greater efficiency.”

The RUCKUS Cloud platform is built using a microservices-based, controller-in-the-cloud architecture that ensures full programmability, scalability, high availability, and rapid fix and feature rollout. RUCKUS Cloud is tightly coupled with RUCKUS Analytics, yielding an integrated management and network intelligence cloud service that requires no on-premises hardware and features:

· Unified wired and wireless management - Intuitive, intent-based workflows expedite provisioning, management, and control from large venues to hundreds or thousands of sites.

· ML and AI - Analytics tools enable IT to react quickly to issues and stop network anomalies from rising to the service-affecting level.

· RESTful APIs - OpenAPI-compliant APIs allow IT to automate any network function, create custom dashboards and reports, and easily integrate RUCKUS Cloud into existing enterprise systems.

· MSP dashboard - Allows MSPs to offer branded services and manage multiple end customers.

· Network health monitoring - IT teams can define and measure performance against service level agreements (SLAs) that best reflect the requirements of their users.

· Remote client troubleshooting - Remote access to connection history and clearly identified points of failure facilitate a rapid response to user-reported network issues, regardless of client location.

· Planning and reporting - 12 months of included historical device- and element-level data helps IT make well-informed network planning decisions.

“Enterprise IT operations and managed service providers can realise significant efficiency and user experience gains,” said Pramod Badjate, senior vice president and general manager for CommScope’s RUCKUS portfolio. “These gains will continue to accrue as we introduce new ML and AI capabilities that will, over time, make the network more autonomous and self-healing.”

RUCKUS Cloud is a foundational element of CommScope’s vision for the enterprise in which every element of the distributed connectivity and power delivery fabric is monitored by a single analytics engine and managed from a single, cloud-based console. CommScope uniquely offers every element of this fabric, including Wi-Fi and switching, copper and fiber structured cabling, and in-building cellular connectivity.