Category: technology

Will 2021 be a Better Year for the Channel than 2020?

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By: Chris Martin, EMEA and SAARC Channel Leader, A10 Networks

In the digitally accelerated COVID-19 environment of 2021 what are the top channel trends that organizations are facing? Here is my take on the channel’s outlook in 2021, and what we can expect to see in the year ahead.

Certainly, the experience of the first and now second lockdown, demonstrates how a gradual economic recovery hinges on a viable resolution to COVID-19, a vaccine, and the continued need for government intervention. The good news is that a vaccine is now being rolled out and that has certainly fueled hope that there will be some return to normality in 2021.

Expect a period of consolidation

Where the channel is concerned, over the next 12 months, we will see a period of consolidation and growth. Every vendor will be looking at how they have adapted their working practices, both internally and with partners, especially during the peak months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Applying these reflections and any learnings should make for a far less turbulent year in 2021. In fact, most organizations have accelerated their digital transformation plans, which has hopefully led to opportunity and growth for the channel.

However, partners may have seen revenue decrease in traditional, mainstream technology as business requirements change. Therefore, partners should focus on developing new technologies and solutions for their customers that are suitable for a completely different way of working, particularly as the pandemic is still very much an issue. Even with a vaccine on the horizon, the environment won’t change that quickly.

Therefore, where will the growth opportunities lie?

The key growth areas for the channel will be around helping customers with cloud migration and the adoption of 5G, including addressing concerns such as network security, IoT proliferation, and lack of agility and visibility throughout the IT infrastructure.

I believe we will see the scope of partnerships change and adapt as 5G brings innovation and access to new revenue streams. There will also be significant growth opportunities in vertical sectors. This will result in vendors focusing on those partners who have specialist skills in these areas, in order to help develop the best customer solutions.

Key technologies in demand

The technologies that will drive channel demand in the year ahead are those that ensure always-available application delivery and security, both on-premises and in the cloud. Enterprises will be looking for technology that enables seamless migration, both to the cloud and between cloud-native infrastructures and hybrid solutions.

Cybersecurity and defense solutions that protect customer networks from increasingly sophisticated attacks that threaten network availability will be in high demand. Likewise, the increased use of automation, AI/ML and DevOps tools that help to simplify IT operations will grow. Technology that helps to secure multi-generational networks throughout the transition to 5G and cloud-native architectures will also see growth. And finally, organizations will be looking for solutions that help protect their investments throughout the ongoing business/digital transformation process.

Naturally, as organizations shift to remote working environments, there will be an increase in using a hybrid approach; we will see a balance of traditional on-premises combined with the use of public cloud resources. The COVID-19 pandemic is a once-in-a-generation event that has been the catalyst for irreversible change; organizations will be exploring all avenues for how they can migrate a portion of their mission-critical data to cloud technologies. This will place additional emphasis on management across on-premises and cloud infrastructure and cybersecurity.

Challenges on the horizon

As I mentioned above, working practices have been irreversibly changed by the COVID-19 pandemic, with remote working set to be the norm in the future. This has, however, introduced an extended surface area for cyberattacks, which in turn makes cybersecurity a key concern for enterprises and a focus for the channel going forward.

What this means is that the enterprise perimeter has not only expanded but it has become much more distributed as many employees are no longer working inside the traditional network perimeter. Therefore, organizations need to reassess and rethink the way they defend their networks, users and data. Likewise, service providers will be experiencing increased demand to provide higher security and availability for their subscribers now that employees and children are working and schooling at home.

Unfortunately, there is not a one size fits all approach and this is where strong partner relationships are essential to find the best solution to fit the need. Some organizations will place the onus on scalability, flexibility, and an efficient multi-cloud transformation. On the other hand, some organizations will need advice on how they can make a smoother and more secure transition to a remote workforce.

Keeping businesses and people connected

As we begin the new year, businesses will be thinking about several key focus areas:

  •  Where can we make efficiency gains?
  • How can we manage costs?
  • How do we ensure that we invest in the right areas?
  • How can we automate more and reduce business risk?
  • How can we remain flexible and agile to change quickly when we need to?

The organizations that understand these challenges and are ready to capitalize on growth opportunities will be those who have already transitioned, or are in the process of, transitioning their businesses to remote operations.

However, there are many threats associated with moving to a distributed environment. These include extended or unplanned downtime, data breaches, and data loss, which can all cause reputational and financial harm. The channel is in the unique position of having access to the tools, people and support necessary to keep businesses, and more importantly, people, connected. Vendors that act as enablers for all channel parties to accelerate this shift will reap the rewards of a prosperous channel environment in 2021.

Zain KSA accelerates the deployment of its second phase of 5G Network rollout throughout the Kingdom with Infovista

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Zain KSA, one of the leading telecom operators in the Middle East region and a prominent player in Saudi Arabia’s telecom space, is bringing unprecedented change to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with the deployment of its 5G network in its second phase using Infovista radio planning portfolio.

In line with Saudi Vision 2030 and in order to support the comprehensive digital transformation of the Kingdom, the plan for the spread and geographic expansion of Zain KSA’s 5G network aims to deliver the new 5G services to every corner and spot in Saudi Arabia and, therefore, to ensure that citizens and residents alike have access to the latest, most advanced and efficient internet services, which will undoubtedly reflect positively on the way they work and live.

Consequently, Zain KSA rolled out its 5G network in its first phase on Oct 2019, and was ranked first in its 5G rollout in the Kingdom, the Middle East, Europe, and Africa, and fourth globally. It is also recognized by ICT government authorities as the number one operator for covering all Saudi’s administrative regions, having the largest 5G reach within governorates, and covering to date 50 cities enabled by more than 4,700 towers.

This high level of commitment drove Zain KSA to select best of breed technologies. In order to optimize and roll-out its second phase of 5G network at a fast pace, where it selected Infovista, the leading provider of network planning, testing, performance and application control solutions for that mission.

Leveraging crowdsourced dataset, including a large volume of social media data, for traffic map creation, Infovista radio planning solution helped Zain KSA reach an unmatched level of accuracy when it comes to precise planning for densification in order to successfully introduce 5G in new cities of the Kingdom. As a result, Zain KSA maximized and accelerated the deployment of its innovative 5G network.

Eng. Abdulrahman Al-Mufadda, Chief Technology Officer at Zain KSA, said: “As we accelerate the rollout of 5G services in the country with new cities being covered, we want to ensure we deliver best-in-class experience in the location of our customers and to better serve them. As well as provide residents and citizens alike with tools for innovation and development that will benefit the diversification and the competitiveness of the national economy.”

Faiq Khan, managing director, East Europe, Asia and Africa at Infovista said: “We are committed to helping Zain KSA deliver in its second phase the incomparable 5G experience to its customers throughout the entire Kingdom. Our innovative, market-leading radio planning software and optimization solution aims to support the fast and complete deployment of Zain KSA’s 5G network as well as help Zain KSA in creating a paradigm shift in the telecommunications infrastructure by leveraging network automation capabilities.”

To reliably provide the best subscriber performance, capacity and coverage, Zain KSA benefits from the Infovista advanced End-to-End 5G planning capabilities, which covers radio to transmission in a synchronized and automated way.

Fortinet Extends Availability of Free Self-Paced NSE Cybersecurity Training Courses to Further Build Industry’s Workforce

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Fortinet® (NASDAQ: FTNT), a global leader in broad, integrated and automated cybersecurity solutions, today announced that all self-paced advanced security training courses will remain free beyond 2021. Fortinet is committed to developing a diverse cybersecurity workforce by continuing to offer free security training for anyone around the world.

Rob Rashotte, Vice President, Global Training & Technical Field Enablement at Fortinet said,“With over 800,000 registrations for our free training offerings in 2020, it has become clear that Fortinet’s NSE training is fulfilling a huge need for all levels of security professionals. As such we are committed to continue offering the entire catalogue of self-paced Network Security Expert training at no cost until we see the skills gap trend reverse. Together with our ecosystem of academic and commercial training providers as well as government and NGO partnerships, we will continue  to provide the industry with a diverse, equitable and inclusive pipeline of security professionals.”

Fortinet’s free training initiative provides learners with the following:

  • Access to more than 30 free security courses: These courses are on topics ranging from secure SD-WAN to operational technology (OT) security to cloud security with more courses expected to be added throughout the year. Additionally, pre-recorded lab demos by cybersecurity experts are available for on-demand viewing.

  • Preparation for NSE Certification exams: Most of the free courses are from the official curriculum for the Fortinet NSE Certification Program. Fortinet’s Certification Program is an eight-level program that has issued more than half a million certifications.
  • Continuing professional credits: Through a partnership with (ISC)2, individuals can use their free training completion – as well as any NSE training course – to gain Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credits for CISSP and other (ISC)2 designations. Learners earn one credit for every hour of NSE Training Institute training they do with Fortinet.

Increasing Access to Cybersecurity Knowledge

As the pandemic led to the exponential increase of teleworkers, the need for securing remote networks and users became a top priority for organizations. IT teams already challenged with finding security professionals due to the skills gap were faced with an even greater need for expertise to securely transition to a remote workforce.

One way Fortinet responded to this need was by opening its entire Network Security Expert (NSE) Training Institute catalogue of self-paced courses free of charge in April 2020. In doing so, Fortinet provided IT and security professionals the opportunity to learn new skills, reskill or upskill their security knowledge. Since opening these courses to the public, there have been more than 800,000 registrations. Through the course of the year, Fortinet saw an increase in registrations for its cyber awareness training – consisting of the NSE Certification Program’s training levels 1-3 – its mid-levels 4-6 designed for a technical audience and levels 7-8 for advanced expertise.

As the need for enterprise-wide cybersecurity awareness has become such a critical priority for so many organizations, Fortinet also introduced the free Information Security Awareness and Training service. The service leverages the NSE level 1 training and packages it together with a library of awareness assets and administration tools. The service provides organizations with a low barrier, zero cost solution to get started on an enterprise-wide cybersecurity awareness program for all employees. 

A More Diverse and Inclusive Cyber Workforce of the Future

NSE Training Institute partners with global leaders like the World Economic Forum, academic institutions and nonprofits to deliver cyber training to students, veterans, women, minorities and other untapped resources. NSE Training Institute’s extensive ecosystem of public and private partnerships further enables Fortinet to address the skills gap by increasing the access and reach of its award-winning NSE training curriculum.

GMG Sports prepares for digital commerce boom with new omnichannel strategy

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Gulf Marketing Group (GMG)—one of the Middle East’s leading family-owned holding companies—is gearing up for a continued surge in eCommerce demand across its GMG Sports division, in which online sales have more than doubled in volume between 2019 and 2020. The company has now deployed an expanded omnichannel ecosystem that enhances customers’ accessibility to leading sports brands through digital and mobile-commerce platforms.

GMG Sports is currently the largest sports retailer in the MENA region with an international footprint of over 550 sports retail stores, including homegrown brands such as Sun and Sand Sports as well as being a distributor for global brands like Nike, Columbia, Timberland, Vans, and more. The new omnichannel retail ecosystem is now being used by Sun and Sand Sports across the region, with other GMG Sports brands to leverage the same ecosystem in the near future.

While many entities within GMG Sports have had online offerings in the past, the events of 2020 have motivated many consumers to further embrace eCommerce shopping, particularly in retail.  As part of its own digital transformation, GMG Sports has brought new technologies and investments into three key areas: the customer journey, access to inventory across stores, and customer care.

Mohammad A. Baker, Deputy Chairman and CEO of GMG, noted: “As a group, we have always embraced new technology to deliver more engaging and rewarding experiences to consumers. This latest project recognizes that individuals today want even greater access to their favorite stores and brands quickly and conveniently, whether in the shopping mall, via their laptop, or on the go with their smartphone. By strengthening our omnichannel approach, our customers can expect a more consistent and personalized shopping experience backed by intelligent technology.”

Bhavna Buttan, Chief Operating Officer at GMG, added: “Incorporating more scalable digital solutions into our retail operations enables us to not only improve current customer interactions, but anticipate market needs and respond to them swiftly and effectively. That is essential to us as a growing business with demand for our products surging across the region.”

GMG Sports’ omnichannel ecosystem now uses a Salesforce commerce cloud in stores, with AI capabilities from Einstein helping to personalize customers’ experiences. Additional solutions by companies like Akeneo and Fluent are also integrated into the company’s SAP enterprise resource planning system. Customers of Sun and Sand Sports, for example, will be able to access inventory from across all stores as the solution is rolled out over the next 6-8 months. An additional marketing cloud system will also support seamless relationships between brands and customers.

In addition to the sports division, GMG also has a growing presence in other business verticals, including healthcare, food, education, real estate, and logistics. Across the holding group, it has successfully scaled homegrown brands such as Supercare pharmacies, food brand Farm Fresh, and logistics provider Trilogi. GMG has also introduced more than 90 international brands into the Middle East to date.

Three Cybersecurity Resolutions Every Business Needs in 2021

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By: Edwin Weijdema, Global Technologist, Product Strategy at Veeam

Being able to retain customer trust has never been more important – or more difficult – following the events of 2020. With so much disarray and widespread changes to working patterns, such as the mass migration to remote working, the job of keeping businesses secure has never been more difficult.

Between more sophisticated cybercriminals and immense pressure to ensure governance on compliance, 2021 is already shaping up to be a minefield. And as such, cybersecurity has risen to the top of most organizations’ agendas.

So, as we have just entered what promises to a complicated year, here are three cybersecurity resolutions every business should consider in the new year.

  1. Watch out – Dark Clouds are on the horizon

Businesses haven’t been the only ones accelerating their digital transformation this year – cybercriminals have been hard at it too.

There has been a sharp rise in ‘Dark Clouds’ as cybercriminals have migrated to the cloud, often for the same reasons businesses have – cloud allows them to avoid big up-front capital expenses, pay monthly for their shady businesses and scale up only when they need to. Coupled with the ability to access information from anywhere, it’s no wonder we’re seeing cybercriminals innovate.

This ranges from cloud-based caches filled with stolen user data such as email addresses and authentication credentials, to personal identifiable information (PII) such as scans of passports, driver’s licenses and bank invoices.

Data exfiltration has become so valuable it’s now the backbone of all cyberattacks. And it may only take one breach to ruin your reputation and relationship with your customers.

That’s why not having an effective cybersecurity program in place puts your business continuity at risk. Because, come 2021, you’re either going to be one of those proactive organizations aggressively looking to strengthen your systems ahead of time, or the other type of business not doing that – and becoming more vulnerable with every passing day.

  • Team up – cybersecurity has turned personal

Between collaborating cybercriminals, the upwards trajectory of data growth and the distributed workforce, the risk factor for every business is accelerating.

This is one reason why we expect to see most businesses increase their general IT spending by around 5-10% in the new year, despite the economic impact of the pandemic. And we expect most of that allocation to go towards IT security.

But even with these investments, it won’t be enough to cover all the potential threat vectors. So, businesses will still be forced to place strategic bets across their people, processes and technology in the hope of covering their weakest points.      

For example, will you invest in the education of employees (after all, people are always going to be the biggest weakness), or put that money into optimizing and securing processes by investing in a Security Operations Center (SOC)? Or, will new technology be the most effective investment?

It’s impossible for every business to get this mix perfectly right, so business leaders need to also strategize how best to avoid cyberattacks. Too often, businesses expect their security team to handle this. But most of the time, this leads to an over-reliance on IT professionals who are already stretched thin by constantly putting out fires. They don’t also have the time to develop this strategy.

That’s why making sure every member of the company plays in the cybersecurity challenge is key. For example, while employees may be a business’ biggest weakness, they also form the ‘human firewall’ and need to be equipped to do just that – which takes education.

But don’t let the collaboration end there – your entire ecosystem of peer-like organizations, experts, suppliers, vendors and even the government should be aligned and geared towards combating this threat.

Cybercriminals are already working together on a large scale, sharing information about critical vulnerabilities, breached systems and targets extremely fast. So, don’t fight alone; work with contacts in your local law enforcement agency – for example NESA, The National Electronic Security Authority in the UAE, to figure out how to best utilize risk management models and resiliency plans.

By ensuring you follow government regulations, the increased alignment and information sharing between the government and private organizations will help speed up the identification of threats and lead to faster resolutions. 

  • Gear up – look to hybrid security and intelligent backup to stay ahead

Technology is always going to be the heart of your cybersecurity fight, but no one product is going to maximize your cybersecurity state – you need to invest in your desired outcome. To do that, organizations need to look for software-defined models integrated with external services – a hybrid security approach.

This includes cloud-based software such as PenTesting-as-a-Service (PtaaS), Scanning-as-a-Service (ScaaS), Network Defense-as-a-Service (NDaaS), Disaster Recovery-as-a-Service (DRaaS) and Backup-as-a-Service (BaaS).

A hybrid security approach which has your internal security teams connected to external cybersecurity experts and law enforcement will keep you the most secure, while also helping raise the experience level of your security teams. 

Conversely, backup should play a bigger role within organizations. It not only gives organizations the ability to restore and forensically analyze data in the event of a breach, but in a world that’s becoming more critically reliant on ballooning data stores to improve customer experience, backup can help better utilize it.

We’re already seeing some organizations combine application owners, backup, analytics and security teams in a new (virtual) data management team. This way, they can tackle the challenges around exposed data, service level expectation and risk growth in the most beneficial and economical way.

Ultimately, for businesses to really keep up with their growing data and continue to derive useful insights from it, they will need to invest in tools powered by Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to speed up data extraction and analysis processes.

As these technologies are also significant weapons in cybersecurity as well aiding in data-driven decision-making, their adoption is expected to grow at a rapid pace and will add tremendous intelligence and power to the fight. 

At its crux, the takeaway here is that in getting prepared for the cyberthreats of 2021, you will also be putting your business ahead of competitors and boost your productivity.

So, don’t just choose a supplier or buy a new product – build an ecosystem that will stand by your side when the cybersecurity battle starts to heat up.

A warm summer rain in winter: The new head shower GROHE Tempesta 250

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Gentle, delicate droplets of water caress the skin and cover it completely: GROHE’s new Tempesta 250 head shower now ensures a warm summer rain in your own shower – even in winter. Relax under its full face Rain spray and generous diameter of 250 mm, confident that your luxurious shower is also eco-friendly, thanks to the water-saving EcoJoy function. The technology limits the flow of water to a sustainable 9.5 litres per minute without compromising performance. Pure water enjoyment while doing your bit for the planet – a perfect combination for 66% of Germans who are searching for a shower which assists them in being sustainable in their day-to-day life.

In addition, the head shower GROHE Tempesta 250, which is manufactured at the own shower competence center in Lahr, Germany, impresses with its slim design and elegant chrome finish. This stunning design has already been awarded the renowned iF Design Award 2020 and the internationally renowned ICONIC AWARD 2020: Innovative Architecture.

GROHE Tempesta 250 is available in a round or a square design as a single head shower, in a set with shower arm, or as a complete shower system. Its minimalist design allows it to be integrated into any modern bathroom and its universal connection makes it easy to install on all standard shower arms – a simple upgrade for a relaxing, sustainable shower enjoyment.

explorare & GROHE, shower study, June 2020; Germany, Great Britain, France, Netherlands, Denmark, Russia, Egypt, total of 3,500 respondents. 40% of Germans even feel bad about the environment when taking a long shower.

Blending Interactivity with Health and Education

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BenQ 4K UHD 86” Education Interactive Flat Panel Display

By Shereen Shabnam

The highlight of my 2020 reviews was BenQ’s 86″ Germ Resistant Education Interactive Flat Panel, RP8602, designed for an engaging and healthy teaching and learning environment.

Installed with proficient cloud features including cloud whiteboard, the plug and play RP02 enhances class preparation participation and fosters collaboration beyond locations and platforms. The smart IFP is also packed with advanced air quality sensors, germ-resistant screen, and eye-care solutions for a healthily, smooth and fun teaching and learning experience.

Real-Time Collaboration for Learning and Student Engagement

Being married to an educator and having a child in University, the favourite feature in my household was the Cloud Whiteboard and Sticky Notes for Classrooms.

The panel is packed with teacher and student friendly features. BenQ’s EZWrite 5 software is the leading annotation solution for interactive and collaborative classroom scenarios. Teachers and students can enjoy enhanced interactivity by using EZWrite Cloud Whiteboard to collect, categorize, edit, and share notes between the IFP and mobile devices.

EZWrite 5 comes with dual pens that allow two users to write or draw simultaneously with different colors, making it ideal for lively classroom activities.

The panel is perfect for creative education as EZWrite 5 has a brush mode that is ideal to inspire creation in art classes. Users are guaranteed to enjoy an effortless experience that feels like writing and drawing with actual pens and brushes.

EZWrite’s handwriting recognition feature allows users to instantly convert written text, numbers, forms, and drawings into easily legible digital text without having to switch modes. Teachers can directly open EZWrite 5 with a simple tap of the IFP’s NFC sensor and immediately begin creating vibrant notes with various colored pencils, backgrounds, and palm erasers. This quick and convenient access streamlines teaching flow and helps keep students focused.

EZWrite’s built-in Floating Tool empowers teachers to write on top of any app, video, website, document, or image. Whether using Windows, Mac, Chrome, or Android, a teacher can take notes on top of any on-screen content and save them.

We also like the X-Sign Broadcast that can push alerts, messages, and announcements during class. Unlike traditional classroom messaging systems, X-Sign Broadcast ensures immediate message delivery as well as group notification.

We enjoyed using the panel a lot more using InstaShare, designed for seamless wireless presentation and collaboration during lectures and meetings. It allows the smooth streaming of visual, audio files, and Full HD quality videos. Users can also mirror and control all digital content across the devices including BenQ IFP, PCs, tablets, and smartphones, empowering contributors to enrich their sessions with a variety of multimedia resources.

A Healthy Learning Environment & Boardroom

During this pandemic, health matters. BenQ IFP ensures classrooms and boardrooms can embrace innovation without compromising the health users by providing air quality sensors, smart eye-care technology, and germ-resistant screen.

BenQ Air Quality Sensors provide real-time data on key environmental parameters by detecting temperature, humidity, and monitoring PM 2.5 and CO2 concentration level.

The Smart Eye-Care solution also functions intuitively with the help of the embedded motion sensor. For a smooth and comfortable viewing experience, the RP02 series is equipped with short-range PIR buttons, which will automatically activate Flicker-Free and Low Blue Light features by detecting the movement of users close to the screen.

The Germ-Resistant Screen is empowered by a multilayer coating of the non-toxic, enduring nano ionic silver agent that kills most germs accumulating on screen surfaces and prevent cross-infection or epidemic in classrooms.

The ionic silver’s antimicrobial feature remains effective even after thorough cleaning or long periods of use. For a smooth and comfortable viewing experience, the RP02 series is equipped with short-range PIR buttons, which will automatically activate Flicker-Free and Low Blue Light features by detecting the movement of users close to the screen.

Verdict

With all the innovative and interactive health and education features, we love the BenQ Interactive as it provides the ultimate device management solution for productivity in the classroom and in the boardroom.

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Fortinet Recognized as a Visionary in the 2020 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Wired and Wireless LAN Access Infrastructure

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Fortinet is the Only Company to Converge Network Security and the LAN Edge

News Summary

Fortinet® (NASDAQ: FTNT), a global leader in broad, integrated and automated cybersecurity solutions, today announced its position as a Visionary in the 2020 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Wired and Wireless LAN Access Infrastructure.

  • Gartner defines a vendor in the Visionaries Quadrantas one that “demonstrates an ability to increase features in its offering to provide a unique and differentiated approach to the market. A Visionary will have innovated in one or more of the key areas of access layer technologies within the enterprise (for example, security, management or operational efficiency). The ability to apply differentiating functionality across the entire access layer will affect its position.”
  • Fortinet believes this placement, coupled with the cybersecurity provider’s legacy as an innovator, is further reinforcement that Fortinet and its Security-driven Networking strategy delivers a unique and differentiated approach to the infrastructure market. 
  • Fortinet’s Security-driven Networking approach to wired and wireless networking provides customers with a feature-rich offering that is secure by design and not by add-on, integrates into a larger platform to reduce complexity, and increases features without additional licensing to best address IT’s long-term TCO goals.

John Maddison, EVP of Products and CMO at Fortinet said, “LAN Edge connectivity is foundational to digital innovation, but complexity often makes it difficult to support and secure. Fortinet technology simplifies management while increasing the security of the network by tightly integrating an organization’s network infrastructure and security architecture.  We believe that our ability to execute our Security-driven Networking approach enables us to offer customers a simplified, secure, accelerated network and user experience. More, we also believe our Security-driven Networking approach is why Fortinet is placed as one of two companies in the Visionary Quadrant in the 2020 Gartner Wired and Wireless LAN Access Infrastructure Magic Quadrant.”

Highlights

Fortinet’s vision is based upon the key tenets of:

  • Reduced Cost: Fortinet LAN Edge solutions reduce overall TCO and eliminates overlays by bundling features into FortiGate Next-generation Firewalls without the need for licenses. No additional license or cost is required to enable LAN Edge management, and even Network Access Control (NAC) features can be enabled and leveraged without the need for additional costly licenses.
  • Simplified Management: Fortinet LAN Edge solutions simplify management by utilizing a single management platform for LAN and network security. IT cycles are minimized by having a consolidated location to manage various aspects of the network.
  • Reduced Complexity: Fortinet LAN Edge solutions reduce complexity by centralizing LAN management and security functions into the FortiGate Next-generation Firewall. A single view of complex LAN networks makes for easier management with less worry about unintended disruptions​.

Fortinet’s approach enables a unique take on the LAN edge that leverages FortiGate Next-generation Firewall capabilities as a network controller, offering consolidated visibility and centralized management and reporting to ease management and simplify deployment and provisioning.

Fortinet Solves Customers’ Biggest LAN Challenges
Fortinet has been named a Gartner Peer Insights Customers’ Choice for Wired and Wireless LAN Access Infrastructure [1] for three years in a row. This Gartner Customers’ Choice recognition is based on the ranking of vendors by verified end-user professionals – both the number of end-user reviews and the vendor’s overall user rating are considered when determining these rankings. Fortinet believes that this additional customer validation further highlights that Fortinet’s simple, secure, and scalable approach to LAN Edge resonates with customers. Building off the power of Security-driven Networking and our industry-leading FortiGate Next-generation Firewall, Fortinet offers a LAN Edge solution that can scale to any deployment’s needs, from campus to branch to the remote worker.

  • Campus Networks: Fortinet’sLAN Edge solution creates a single consolidated configuration reducing the chance for error, and a common platform for day-to-day management of network and security. Security-driven Networking eliminates the need for additional “bolt on” solutions to integrate management and security functions.
  • SD-Branch: Security-driven Networking approach to LAN Edge allows consolidation of the three main components of the branch network (SD-WAN, Firewall/Security, and the network layer) into a single standard platform for all branches. This simplifies remote oversight and administration of distributed sites to a single converged solution per site.
  • Teleworker: Fortinet’s Security-driven Networking approach to LAN Edge works forremote wireless Access Points as well. Leveraging a central FortiGate at headquarters reduces configuration and management complexity for IT while allowing remote users to have the same experience as connecting at a corporate office.

The Knowledge Hub Pioneers Innovative Digital Learning Experiences in Egypt with Help of Aruba Technology

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The Knowledge Hub Universities is a multidisciplinary educational hub hosting branches of world-class universities, each to participate with undergraduate courses in their areas of strength, providing an intellectually stimulating, enriching, and credible educational experience. TKH has deployed state of the art wired and wireless networking technology from Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company. The solution enables utilisation of the latest digital learning tools and connected campus security systems. It offers a convenient ‘Guest Portal’ for rapid, secure and controlled internet access and delights users with seamless roaming across the campus. Network performance issues or negative feedback from staff and students have been eliminated and the system enables seamless centralised management of networks across the entire campus.

TKH was established with the purpose of offering quality learning experiences, through the development of sustainable world-class educational institutions with state-of-the-art facilities to maximize community impact. The institution aims to be a hub for world-class education in Egypt through the use of cutting-edge digital learning tools, delivered in a convenient, secure and reliable manner.

“Our flagship initiative has been setting up a multidisciplinary educational hub that host branches of leading international universities, delivering the same academic programmes offered at their mother campus and thus leading to the same, exact qualification and degrees. Providing students with the same quality of experience is pivotal to this, and technology is a fundamental enabler of these world-class experiences,” explained Hossam Ismail, IT Network Lead.

Recognising that mobility and pervasive connectivity would be essential to implementing the innovations they intended to roll out at the University, TKH’s IT team selected Aruba as their networking technology partner. “We needed exceptional wireless coverage across the entire campus,” said Ismail. “To protect the digital identities and activities of our students and staff, security was also a key requirement and Aruba was a clear industry leader in both these areas. We will be introducing several internationally acclaimed educational institutions to the region and need to ensure our environment is flexible, scalable and built on open standards. Aruba ticked all these boxes.”

Starting with the first phase of TKH, consisting of different buildings with more than 60 classrooms, 20 lecture halls & workshops and 250 staff offices as well as recreational facilities and common areas, Ismail and his IT team worked closely with Aruba to implement Layer 3 switching and wireless Access Points (APs).

“We selected Wi-Fi 6 capable solutions because as a University, we are constantly introducing the very latest innovations to ensure our students & staff have rapid access to the cutting-edge digital technologies,” said Ismail.

To deliver secure access for professors and admin staff while providing convenient wireless connectivity for visitors and guests, and to facilitate bring your own device (BYOD) for students in a controlled and uncompromisingly secure manner, the University implemented Aruba ClearPass. Ismail and his team also decided to leverage Airwave Network Management to centrally monitor and manage the entire network so that the quality and integrity of services could be maintained at consistently high levels.

For Ismail and his team, the decision to partner with Aruba has paid dividends on multiple fronts – with world-class solution design and logistics support, the flexibility to repurpose investments, and a rapid realisation of ROI on the first phase, being highlights of the engagement.

Despite the impact of COVID-19 and logistical challenges, the implementation was completed within just 8-10 weeks.

To deliver its digitally oriented curriculum, TKH makes use of several digital tools including a Learning Management System (LMS). “The Aruba solution allows students and staff to have seamless, uninterrupted access to these essential learning tools. Moreover, through orchestrated and automated user and devices authentication via ClearPass, they can use these applications on their own personal devices which greatly aids adoption and utilisation,” said Ismail.

Also using ClearPass, his team has set up a ‘Guest Portal’ that conveniently authenticates staff and students based on the same credentials registered in the University’s Active Directory. Moreover, Aruba’s solution ensures compliance by automatically conducting a health check on all devices trying to connect to the network. “If any vulnerabilities are detected, the system automatically takes remediation steps such as performing operating system and software updates. This ensures that every device that connects to our network is authenticated and secure,” said Ismail.

Based on the ‘exceptional’ experience that the University has had with Aruba – both from a technical as well as a support perspective – Ismail and his team are keen to deepen their engagement. “From implementation through to daily operation, we have never faced even a single issue with our Aruba network. This kind of performance and reliability is rare with technology deployments,” he said.

TKH is already in discussion with Aruba to extend the network for the upcoming phase of the project which will involve expansion into a further five buildings. “Our students and staff are incredibly happy with the performance and convenience of our network and associated digital services. This gives us the confidence to keep introducing Aruba solutions and new innovations that set our University apart as a pioneer,” concluded Ismail.