Great Solutions: Superior Wi-Fi for Assisted-Living Healthcare Facilities throughout California

With 18 facilities and 1,900 beds throughout California, Generations Healthcare is one of the largest providers of assisted-living services in the United States.

Its CloudCommand-powered network provides outstanding Wi-Fi to more than 1,300 wireless devices used by hundreds of staff and visitors connecting 24×7.

“CloudCommand enables us to remotely manage a single Wi-Fi network that operates in 18 locations from San Diego to north of San Francisco,” said IT Administrator Pat Cosby. “We monitor activity in real time and troubleshoot problems from our desks.  Most of our facilities have no on-site IT support, making this kind of management critical.  CloudCommand provides a tremendous service at an unbeatable price.”

Generations Healthcare provides a protected primary network for staff.  Visitors and patients access the Internet via a separate guest network.  Network administrators track devices individually and can make network-wide modifications with the click of a mouse button.  Alternately, they can adjust settings at  individual sites and even add/remove individual users.

Generations Healthcare leverages the CloudCommand-powered platform through D-Link’s popular DAP-2555 AirPremier wireless acces point.

D-Link offers a full suite of cloud-managed Wi-Fi products powered by CloudCommand, including the DAP-2555, the DAP-3525 Outdoor AP and the DAP-2565 Plenum AP.

Solution at a Glance

• 70 access points provide robust connectivity to staff and visitors.

• 18 facilities successfully use a single network that spans nearly 500 miles.

• More than 1,300 connecting destaff and visitors connect to the primary and hotspot networks.

• The administrator efficiently manages the entire network from anywhere by logging into the browser-based CloudCommand dashboard.

• Business-grade features enable the administrator to track connecting devices, monitor network traffic and edit or update access points on an individual basis.

• The network delivers real-time SMS alerts notify the administrator to issues occurring anywhere on the network.

CloudCommand’s Unbeatable Combination of Features, Usability & Affordability

Our CloudCommand platform delivers the first and only Wi-Fi solution specifically designed to meet the needs and budgets of SMBs and MSPs that support them.

The combination of enterprise-type features, remarkable usability and unprecedented affordability make CloudCommand the preferred networking platform for SMBs, schools, medical offices and hospitality businesses around the United States and world.

Our recent CloudCommand 2.0 release offers even more rich functionality and control.  Some highlights:

Configuration & Updating

• Self-Configuring Access Points. Self-configuring equipment deploys in minutes instead of hours or days. Simply plug the equipment into a live Ethernet connection with Internet access and in less than three minutes, it is ready for use.

• Group Configuration, Network-Wide Roaming. Seamlessly configure access points across multiple locations and empower connected users to roam easily with no need to reconfigure devices.

• Remote Reset and Reboot. Access points can be remotely reset and rebooted to solve basic connectivity problems with no need for on-site presence.

• Automatic FW Update with Group Updates and Scheduled Updates. All complications related to upgrading the firmware on your access points disappear: when an update is available, it can be pushed it to all access points at the click of a button.

Security

• Private Network with WPA2-PSK Encryption. A secure Wi-Fi connection enables trusted wireless devices to safely connect to your business Local Area Network (LAN).

• Enhanced Security with Individual Device Authentication. Patented, two-factor Individual Device Authentication (IDA) technology enables administrators to identify and secure each connected device individually via a self-service process leveraging email or text messaging. Know who is on the network and what their activity levels are.

• Site Survey & Rogue AP Detection. Learn what other Wi-Fi network are broadcasting near you and use the information to identify access points that may be connected to your network without being authorized before they become security threats. The same information can also be used to optimize your channel selection.

Management

• Remote Cloud Management. With cloud management, Wi-Fi networks across multiple locations can be monitored and administered in real time through the Internet.

• Real-Time Alerting. The system can provide real-time SMS or email alerts if critical elements of the system are disrupted.

• Auto RF Management with Auto TX Power and Auto Channel Selection. Simplified automated management of radio frequency parameters means no need for planning or manual configuration in simple environments.

• Networks Broadcasting Schedule (Weekly). Select on a daily and weekly basis when your Wi-Fi networks should broadcast, thereby limiting security exposure and unauthorized bandwidth usage.

• VLAN Tagging. Each SSID can be associated to a VLAN tag for VLAN partitioning. If VLAN tags are used across the Ethernet network, each SSID is independently connected only to the resources associated to the assigned VLAN.

• Extended Usage Reporting and Graphing (30 days). View upload and download bandwidth usage on your wireless network on a per-connected device and/or access-point basis for up to 30 days. You can use this tool to optimize the placement of your access points based on their actual usage.

[Next: Learn about CloudCommand 2.0's Hotspot features]

Oregon Solution Provider Grows Services Business by Adding Managed Wi-Fi

Solution provider Compex2 of suburban Portland, OR, successfully grew its services business by managing Wi-Fi networks powered by CloudCommand, and as result responded to its customers’ wireless needs, expanded its business and improved its profitability.

Originally a PC shop selling hardware and networking devices, the firm has gradually moved into managed services as it builds a reputation in the Willamette Valley as a go-to expert for supporting the full spectrum of a customer’s IT needs, particularly in the healthcare industry.

In the past two years, HIPAA compliance has become a critical issue for President Matthew Middlestetter’s customer base.  So too has the management of mobile devices appearing on office networks.

When it came time to upgrade a healthcare facility’s wireless network, Middlestetter sought a solution that would meet his customer’s connectivity, security and reporting requirements while staying within their budget limits.  Consumer solutions were inadequate.  Enterprise solutions were too expensive.

CloudCommand-Powered Wi-Fi  

What Middlestetter needed was a wireless network that offered business-grade functionality at a price point his customers could afford.  What he discovered was a CloudCommand-powered solution through OPEN Networks.

The CloudCommand platform delivers cloud-enabled networking functionality that transforms business connectivity overnight - affordably empowering small businesses, healthcare organizations, school districts and more with  features and management controls which until now only existed in expensive enterprise environments.

Even better, Middlestetter immediately recognized that CloudCommand-powered networks offered him the opportunity to effortlessly expand their managed-services business into the wireless category.

Wi-Fi Success and Recurring Revenue

In a single afternoon, Compex2 deployed and began remotely managing a network of 14 access points supporting a state-of-the-art medical facility in Oregon’s capital of Salem.  Tasks such as device provisioning, troubleshooting and capturing real-time network usages reports became as simple as clicking a mouse button.  As the Wi-Fi network administrator, Compex2 bills for its management services on a monthly per-access point basis.

The experience proved incredibly successful.  So successful that in a matter of weeks, Compex2 began deploying CloudCommand-powered networks into additional healthcare facilities around the Willamette Valley.

Today, it has a half-dozen sites under management with more to come.  Administration is handled by a Compex2 administrator though a single user interface.  The efficiency is unbeatable, and Compex2 is earning dependable, recurring revenue from a new line of business.

“With no previous wireless experience, we successfully built a managed-services business around CloudCommand in a matter of months,” said Middlestetter.  ”Our customers are extremely pleased with their networks.  Our administrator remotely handles all their needs with efficiency, and we have a steady stream of revenue.  In 2012, we expect our Wi-Fi management business to double.”

Provider Benefits

• Build Profits:  Recurring Revenue & Profitability through Cloud-Based Managed Wi-Fi
• Develop a New Line of Business:  Opportunity to Manage Wi-Fi for Existing and New Customers
• Be a Hero to Customers:  Real-Time Customer Support through Remote Management
• Improve Efficiency:  Simultaneous Management of Multiple Customer Sites

Learn more

EDUCATION Solutions: Forestville Central School District in New York

The Forestville Central School District (FSCD) near Buffalo, NY, relies on a CloudCommand-powered network from Amer Networks to deliver secure Wi-Fi to its student body, staff and administrators.

The district’s 14-unit installation supports several hundred users at multiple locations and provides administrators the tools to manage and monitor connectivity.

Leveraging CloudCommand’s patented Individual Device Authentication (IDA™), Technology Coordinator Murphy individually identifies, secures and monitors every device that accesses his network.  He maintains a separate guest network for public events.  Murphy has assigned additional administrators to the manage the network in case he’s unavailable and he receives real-time alerts when issues arise.

“Every public school district needs to take a serious look at Amer Networks’ CloudCommand-powered solution,” said Murphy.  ”It was designed for the budgets and needs of the education market.  It not only delivers excellent Wi-Fi, but gives me multiple tools to manage my network.  We saved money and we got the network we needed.”

Article: Connecting to the 21st Century with Cloud-Managed Wi-Fi

A 100-unit installation of a CloudCommand-powered Wi-Fi network received great local coverage in the Sand Mountain Reporter (Ala.).  Our partner, Amer Networks, delivered the solution to the Boaz School District in northeastern Alabama.

Connecting to the 21st Century: Boaz Schools Upgrade to Cloud-Managed Wi-Fi Network conveys the key value propositions of a CloudCommand cloud-managed networking platform:

1. Business-Grade Features: “I can go in and see if a student is watching a ton of YouTube videos instead of doing his homework,” IT Director Wayne Caudle said. “It’s a fully managed system. I can even manage it through my cellphone.
2. Consumer Usability: “Students and staff effortlessly connected across campuses and between buildings,” he said. “Teachers can immediately start expanding their lesson plans to make technology a more integral part to their classroom instruction.”
3. Unprecedented Affordability: Caudle and three assistants installed the new system, saving the school system thousands of dollars. The cost of the network totaled about $30,000. “Amer’s solution costs a fraction of competitive alternatives,” officials said. “(It) was considerably less than an established competitor’s quote to install Wi-Fi in just two locations.”

Read the article.

Press Release: Delivering Cloud-Based Wi-Fi with Robust Functionality and Unprecedented Affordability to an Entire School District

    

    

Amer Networks’ Cloud-Managed Wi-Fi Combines Robust Functionality and Unprecedented Affordability to Deliver Mobile-Device Connectivity to Boaz City Schools

Breakthrough Wi-Fi Solution Makes Digital Classrooms a Reality
in Northeastern Alabama School District

Toronto, Canada and Palo Alto, Calif., July 28, 2011 – Amer Networks, a manufacturer and global distributor of networking, storage and security products, and PowerCloud™ Systems, the leading software platform provider for cloud-managed networking services, today announce that the Boaz City School District in Boaz, AL, has upgraded its wireless network to Amer’s cloud-managed 802.11n wireless solution powered by CloudCommand™.

The multi-site installation demonstrates the district’s commitment to delivering digital classrooms and a 21^st century learning environment to its 2,500 public-school students as well as Amer’s ability to provide an affordable Wi-Fi networking solution designed to meet the specific needs of the education market.

Key Facts

• Boaz City School District is completing a 100-unit installation of Amer’s cloud-managed Wi-Fi networking solution, the WAP223NC access point, which delivers 802.11n coverage, business-grade features, remote-management capability and hotspot functionality to all five city schools and two administrative offices.
• The Wi-Fi network will serve nearly 3,000 students, staff and visitors who can access the Internet from classrooms, libraries, cafeterias, gymnasiums, common areas, staff offices and even school parking lots.  Remote-management capabilities from the cloud enable a single IT administrator to manage all seven locations in real time, reducing network down time and eliminating most service calls.
• Amer’s WAP223NC is the only Wi-Fi access point designed specifically for the education market and it is powered by CloudCommand, a cloud-managed networking platform developed by PowerCloud Systems that radically reduces customers’ total cost of ownership by managing networking equipment through the cloud.
• With CloudCommand, Boaz education officials gain features such as: full-campus coverage; remote management; enhanced security with Individual Device Authentication (IDA); the ability to establish a single network across multiple locations; SMS alerting; and hotspot functionality that enables administrators to moderate network usage on a per-student basis.
• Prior to Amer’s installation, each school operated an independent Wi-Fi network using Linksys and Apple hardware that was unable to handle the surging demand for wireless connectivity.  Officials note that many students bring two or more mobile devices to school each day and all network users expect fast, uninterrupted connectivity.  The district is committed to delivering a 21st century digital learning environment and considers secure Wi-Fi connectivity a top priority.
• Amer’s solution costs a fraction of competitive alternatives.  The total cost for the Amer access points and cloud-based services for all seven district locations was considerably less than an established competitor’s quote to install Wi-Fi in just two locations.

Comments

Wayne Caudle, Boaz City School District IT director:
“We prepare students for success in the 21^st century and that requires a digital-classroom environment with great Wi-Fi connectivity as its foundation.  Our high school students bring laptops to class and many use smartphones and even tablets on campus.  Robust connectivity is a must-have, and Amer Network delivers a Wi-Fi solution that can manage this increasing demand.”

“Amer’s cloud-based solution exceeded our operational requirements from Day One.  Students and staff effortlessly connected across campuses and between buildings.  Teachers can immediately start expanding their lesson plans to make technology a more integral part to their classroom instruction.  Features such as enhanced security and network monitoring enable us to provide an online environment that is safe, controlled and powerful.” 

Wai Lee, CEO of Amer Networks:
“The Boaz City School District understands the critical role technology should play in educating today’s students.  We are thrilled to help advance their education goals by providing a cloud-managed Wi-Fi solution that meets their needs and budget.”  

CloudCommand technology is what enables our partner, Amer Networks, to deliver a cloud-based Wi-Fi solution that combines great features with such remarkable affordability.

Simply put, no other networking solution on the market can deliver this kind of value.

Visit the Amer/CloudCommand Microsite to learn how one partner leverages our cloud-managed networking technology.

Read the Release.

We Can Manage Multiple Sites, No Matter How Many APs They Have, from a Single Webpage

“To me, the relationship between us and PowerCloud has been so extraordinary that even if someone shows me a better solution, I’d be hesitant to jump on board because they are such a responsive, exciting and passionate company.” – Joshua Smith

That’s just one of the great things Joshua Smith of Los Angeles-based Untangled Solutions said about us in a lengthy Q/A interview with SearchNetworking.com that focused on the benefits our CloudCommand technology and how it is radically enhances the way MSPs like Untangled Solutions provide networking services to SMB customers.

• It’s almost a plug and play situation. Once (the access points) are plugged in, we can then access each access point almost instantaneously from our cloud-based console.

• We have a high-level overview of every site we have these cloud based access points deployed to. We can then manage each site, no matter how many APs they have, from one single login and webpage.

• Our big thing is we can offer our customers higher value and lower cost to both them and ourselves by not having to go to the location.

• (PowerCloud Systems) allows us to offer faster response time and more bang for our customers’ buck.

• Anything that makes an MSP’s job easier while maintaining or raising the value to our clients seems like a no-brainer to me.
  

We’re very excited about CloudCommand, a virtualized network controller platform that original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) leverage to quickly bring to market affordable, business-grade networking products for SMBs.  We’re equally proud of the new CloudCommand features our engineering team continues to roll out.

But what really makes our day is when a member of our user community becomes a CloudCommand evangelist.  Thanks, Josh! The whole Q/A is worth a read.

Read the Interview.

And That Is Good Business

Craig Tarkenton, director of technical services for AugustaIT in Augusta, Georgia, is finding the CloudCommand-powered DAP-2555 greatly reduces how much time his team at AugustaIT spends on routine management chores.

“CloudCommand makes it dramatically easier for AugustaIT to install or remove a user device such as a new computer, printer or smartphone.  I’m spending a lot less time on these chores and that’s good business.”

Craig is talking about CloudCommand’s patent security, Individual Device Authorization (IDA).  IDA offers two-factor security for your networks.  Anyone connecting to your network for the first time must enter a network passphrase.  Additionally his or her individual device must be whitelisted by the network administrator.  Once whitelisted, the  device can be individually tracked and monitored.  The administrator can suspend, deauthorize or reauthorize it any time.

Path to Increased Profitability

Ishak Kang, CEO of DotUI in San Francisco, is an early adopter of technology solutions.  When a major hotel in Monterey, California, renovated its popular sports bar with cutting-edge entertainment technology, it turned to Ishak.  And Ishak turned to us for the access points.

“DotUI is delivering the future to our clients today,” said Ishak Kang, CEO of DotUI, a leading technology integrator in the San Francisco area.  “DotUI is bringing smart building solutions to market to better manage resources.  We’ve moved far beyond desktop support and now manage a wide variety of devices for energy efficiency.  PowerCloud Systems has eliminated the problems associated with unreliable and unsecure Wi-Fi, giving us a trouble-free infrastructure to build on with confidence.”

Untangled Solutions: Early Diagnoses & Quick Cures Using CloudCommand

Untangled Solutions, Los Angeles’ leading IT consultancy for healthcare, has been testing a CloudCommand-powered wireless network.  Joshua M. Smith, one of Untangled’s leading strategists, says:

“I’m beyond happy with the performance and really appreciate the SMS alert feature.  When there is a network issue, the access point immediately texts our engineer’s cell phone, and he fixes the problem from his desk before the customer even knows something’s wrong.”

Josh is talking about the cool alert feature on the D-Link DAP-2555 powered by CloudCommand.  It notifies network administrators in real time via text and email when there’s an issue.  This is a powerful tool for managed service providers (MSPs), who control customers networks remotely using our cloud-based software.  Administrators receive an alert when an issue occurs, and in most cases they resolve it remotely (i.e., no truck rolls) before the customer even realizes something is wrong.