| ‘In-Stat’ suggests that over 515 million Wi-Fi enabled Smartphone devices will enter the market in 2014. That’s just smartphones – now factor in tablets, TV’s, laptops and desktops and the sheer scale of incoming devices into wireless networks becomes difficult to comprehend. With this type of volume needing to connect, how do you handle administrator anxieties like ‘which devices are consuming the most bandwidth?’ or ‘are employees streaming music and video?’ or even more scarily ‘exactly who is connected and as a result are rogue devices leeching from our network?’ To ensure business can cope with this demand, GFI have released the cloud-based WirelessSentry (dubbed WiSe) – a product specifically designed to address the three primary objectives of effectively managing corporate wireless networks: monitoring activity and bandwidth, administering hardware, and ensuring security of users from ‘wireless threats’. To make it even easier, WiSe is also designed to be a vendor-agnostic tool, meaning it doesn’t matter what brand of router or access point you chose to deploy for your customers; so long as the software has administrative access to that network (via Wi-Fi or Wired), it is able to provide all of the management advantages outlined below. Key Features: - Compatible and cost-effective: GFI WiSe works with your existing hardware, so there’s no need to replace access points. As a result, the cost to effectively manage your wireless network is lowered.
- List of devices connecting to the wireless network: GFI WiSe provides a list of Wi-Fi devices (including laptops, smartphones and tablets) that are connecting to the wireless network. The list shows the access point and SSID associated with each device, as well as the time each device established connectivity.
- Bandwidth utilization: GFI WiSe reports usage information for each device connected to the managed wireless network. This lets administrators know which devices and access points are consuming the most bandwidth. Network usage is visible in three ways: by individual device, by access point, and by total network utilization.
- Network group management: GFI WiSe enables you to create multiple wireless network groups and manage them from a single console, supporting management of multiple locations and different clients. (Managed Service Providers: You could also use this design, to deliver wireless management as a service to your customers by setting up each customer as a ‘site’ within a single dashboard. Talk to us, if you’d like us to show you how).
- VIP monitoring: GFI WiSe enables you to mark certain devices as “VIP.” This ensures you receive instant alerts when those devices connect to the network, and that you know their location. With complete knowledge of the SSID, access point and device the VIP is using, you can ensure business continuity for executives on the move
- Rogue access point detection: GFI WiSe enhances security by detecting rogue access points in and around your wireless network via the wireless intrusion detection system (WIDS). Support staff are notified immediately, enabling them to quickly take action.
- Real-time alerts and detailed reporting: GFI WiSe enables wireless network managers and IT administrators to monitor their networks via the dashboard. In addition, support staff can receive real-time alerts for critical and warning events via SMS or email. Graphical reporting provides detailed network usage information that can be shared with stakeholders in your organization.
Key Benefits: - Save time with an easy-to-use cloud console
- Improve decision-making with detailed information about your wireless network
- Receive instant alerts to problems on your network
- Prevent down time by easily diagnosing and troubleshooting problems
- Lower total cost of ownership (TCO) by working with your existing hardware
- Protect your users and data without being a wireless security expert
GFI wise is priced per sensor. A sensor is simply an agent that needs to sit on a Windows Vista, 7, 8, or 2012 machine with administrator connectivity (i.e. device credentials) to the wireless network. The first sensor deployed will need to have access both wirelessly and wired. It is recommend that this should be a stationary desktop close to the access point with two WiFi adapters or have both a wired and WiFi NIC. If the desktop does not have a wireless NIC than you can simply install a wireless USB adapter. (For example, TP-Link have one that retails at just $59.00 plus GST). Once installed and active, you’ll have two options; Monitor mode or Discovery mode depending on the way you are looking to manage your network. Pricing per sensor starts at an NZD RRP of $319.75 plus GST and free 30-day trials are available here (and once you have finished testing on a machine – don’t forget to uninstall WiSe, so you can go back to using it as an everyday device). If you would like more information on how to better, more effectively manage the exponential growth of wireless networks in today’s market, give us a call or send an email to gfi@sofsol.co.nz. Soft Solutions Sales
Phone: 0-9-306 0450, Freephone: 0-800-733 233, sales@sofsol.co.nz |
