We invite you to visit us at HITEC 2021 stand, hospitality technology event at the DWTC, Dubai

The EZELINK annually participates in the biggest and prestigious Hospitality Technology Event, invites you from May 31st to June 2nd, 2021 to visit our stand at the HITEC, DWTC, Hall 4, Dubai, UAE

We present the exposition “WiFi6 and 5G Products specialized for Hospitality Industry”, the key element of which is a next generation high speed wifi platform for IoT and high speed wifi services. We also arranged a high-speed guest wifi based on our 5G CPE as a demo for the 5G wifi you will be able to enjoy 500MB+ speed of internet using your mobile devices at the venue.  

HITEC Dubai has fast become the Middle East’s premier hospitality technology conference and has joined forces with the region’s premiere hospitality trade exhibition, The Hotel Show for its 2021 edition.

A separate section of the stand will be devoted to solutions for technological communications for hotels technology upgrade and meeting future demands. Our experts will answer all your questions.

We will be glad to see you at our stand!

Smart City & WiFi Around the Globe

In 2020, the world will spend $ 124 billion on the smart city industry. Citizens can already receive documents, make appointments with doctors and pay fines online.

In the future, a lot in smart cities will happen automatically: the application of the polyclinic based on the data from the fitness bracelet will register for a medical examination, and the city services will clear the trash can according to the data from the sensors. Artificial intelligence will identify people with weapons in the crowd, and the fire brigade will go to the scene before the call of eyewitnesses – on a signal from video cameras.

Digital ecosystem already exists in large cities. Foreign experience shows that free Wi-Fi can change city life, infrastructure management and provide new opportunities for private and public companies.

Environment Specialist, Dubai

Wi-Fi is an integral part of the digital infrastructure that is being deployed in major cities around the world. Most often, its development is hampered by the lack of investment and the unpreparedness of cities for technological changes.


Tourists and startups choose Wi-Fi

The rise of Wi-Fi could turn cities into technology hubs – fast public internet is attracting young entrepreneurs. Wi-Fi also affects tourist activity. The quality of public Wi-Fi is one of the main factors in the satisfaction of tourists. For these reasons, in Taiwan, two years after the launch of free Wi-Fi for citizens, guests of the island were given free access to the public network.

Some countries use free Wi-Fi as one of the gentrification tools. Together with other measures – the creation of public spaces, subsidies for small businesses – this helps to increase the attractiveness of the sleeping areas.

Now the city authorities and businesses are investing in it, which makes money on advertising in the networks. But in the future, operators of “home” Wi-Fi may join the creation of public networks. Companies are implementing projects in which city residents provide a small portion of their home Wi-Fi power to urban networks, and users switch between these points, moving between houses.

By the way, US residents with free access to such points for 60 days to help people stay connected during the coronavirus pandemic.

Wi-Fi manages road traffic and utilities

Wi-Fi allows you to plan urban infrastructure based on anonymized aggregated data. Like many Internet resources, the network can predictably determine the user’s approximate age, gender, and interests. And if in the district, for example, there are many young people with children, the authorities can plan the construction of new kindergartens.

One of the main areas that Wi-Fi can transform is transportation. Networked video cameras, touch sensors, smart toll terminals and other gadgets help analyze public transport traffic and suggest new interchanges, adjust the number of buses, move stops, etc.

In Singapore, Wi-Fi is available almost everywhere. It is he who is used by city services to manage the life of the city. To control traffic on the roads, an intelligent transportation system operates here , which relies not only on a network of gadgets installed on the roads, but also on sensors, cameras and GPS devices that are in taxis.

Moreover, the system makes it possible to adapt the urban environment for people with disabilities – for example, it automatically identifies them at crossings and increases the green light time.

Wi-Fi is also powered by other services that enable cities to collect big data, reduce costs and improve service efficiency – smart parking and smart lighting, smart video surveillance, and automatic water and power supplies.

Official Outdoor WiFi Partner for KISS 2021 New Year’s Eve Event at Atlantis

KISS New Year’s Eve concert broke 2 Guinness World Records, playing and streaming to a global audience of two million with more than 500,000 live streams.

EZELINK extended the WiFi coverage across the 23 floors of Atlantis, where the live audience watched the performance in a socially distanced fashion from the comfort of their balconies.

Deployment of temporary but robust WiFi infrastructure via highly optimized outdoor access points enabled the attendees to enjoy the WiFi during the music festival and stream live with their friends and family. Our network engineers with our Global Network Operations Center meet all the internet and WiFi requirements, exceeding clients’ expectations.

The two Guinness World Records they broke were: The highest flame projection in a music concert – the minimum for this record title is 35 meters – and the most flame projections launched simultaneously in a music concert – the minimum for this record title is a total of 66 heads. instagram takipçi satın al

DHA Dubai Healthcare Authority HSIA solution across 30 Clinics & 5 Hospitals

The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) was created, in June 2007, by Law 13 issued by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, Ruler of Dubai, with an expanded vision to include strategic oversight for the complete health sector in Dubai and enhance private sector engagement.

EZELINK enhanced patient and visitor experience (DHA) with the smart Wi-Fi, while collecting
valuable users’ data. To Provide Internet access via Public Internet Access Provider
Filter (PIAP) while able to monitor network activities, use of centralized
management system for simple administrative tasks across multiple venues.
Controlling bandwidth intelligently to enhance internet experience. Analyze valuable
collected data for superior customer engagement.

Bay Avenue Public WiFi enhanced the user shopping experience

Public WiFi

Indoor/outdoor Mall WiFi, serving up to 25,000 visitors every month

Brand Recognition

Branded captive portal to promote the brand, along with gathering user information

Bandwidth Management

User login interval, maximum allowed logins, daily bandwidth quota and number of logins.

Challenge

The key challenges during the project were outdoor installation on the facade to cover walkway outside the mall, work permits and strict timing as per the mall management guidelines. The project carried out during the high risk time of Coronavirus (COVID-19) to prevent the employee’s exposure and contamination of work environment high level of safety measures taken until the completion of the project.
170K
Square Feet
Roaming
Indoor/Outdoor
25,000
Visitors per Month
24/7
NOC Services

Dubai Retail partnered with EZELINK for high capacity indoor/outdoor wireless coverage and branded user experience for their prime retail project of Bay Avenue, located in the convenient and popular district of Business Bay.

Bay Avenue is a unique retail destination within the thriving Business Bay district. It serves a community of over 25,000 people living and working in the Executive Towers, covers more than 170,000 square feet across two levels, 191 retail and F&B outlets including cafes, restaurants, shops and essential community amenities.

PROJECT SCOPE

  • Free Public WiFi
  • Indoor/Outdoor WiFi Roaming
  • User Data Collection
  • Bandwidth Management
  • 24/7 EZELINK NOC Services

Solution

EZELINK initiated the work with detailed site survey, providing a thorough analysis of the wireless environment, the existing IT infrastructure and the architectural structure of Bay Avenue. The analysis confirmed the challenges, including the competing private networks throughout the building.

Considering these requirements, the report concluded that ceiling-mounted EZELINK AC600P access points for indoor coverage and outdoor EZELINK AC1350 access points and Managed PoE+ Switches will provide an ideal solution.

The Mall WiFi network was deployed with 32 indoor access points, 14 outdoor access points to cover the outdoor area. EZEMALL solution specifically designed for the shopping malls and commercial areas, deployed to obtain the customers insights, capturing the user interests and contact information gives the mall management opportunity to target its customers with exclusive special offers and promotions.

The solution is fully managed and supported by the EZELINK, 24/7 helpdesk to deal with any end user technical queries. The project is delivered on a short turnaround during the most challenging time. After delivery also ran post installation audits, optimization testing, and made the rectifications.

Result

The shopping mall attracts huge number of visitors every day, with up to 25,000 shoppers visiting every month, free public wifi enhances the shopping experience by covering the entire venue and providing uninterrupted internet access especially in sitting and recreational areas. The mall visitors can enjoy connecting with loved ones using social media apps, sharing the pictures, streaming videos and browsing the websites

Guest wifi solutions
Enterprise wifi solutions
Wifi6 wireless solutions
Outdoor wifi solutions
Hotel wifi solution
Cloud managed wifi solutions
Office wifi solutions

Bay Avenue WiFi Products & Solution

AC1350 Outdoor Wireless Access Points

AC600 Indoor Wireless
Access Point

Wireless Access Gateway & Bandwidth Management

Wireless LAN Controller

Looking for a better WiFi Solution?

Connecting your shopping mall visitors with WiFi while they shop, eat and drink.

Sumitomo financial Group Office WiFi and real time network reporting

Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, with banking operations as a foundation, offers a broad array of banking, credit card, leasing, information, investment securities, and other financial services. The Management was looking for a secure and smart Wi-Fi with high-performance and zero connectivity issues throughout the corporate building. EZELINK provided the IT team with a cloud-based system that simplified the deployment, management, and reporting processes related to Wi-Fi devices.

EZELINK office access points and wireless controller streamlined the deployment and management and enabled the IT team to monitor Wi-Fi performance and generate real-time reports. Extended Wi-Fi coverage to the building’s ground floor lobby, outdoor courtyard and lounge allowed employees to use their mobile devices and laptop computers when they are not physically in the office

EZELINK industry-leading office wireless infrastructure that works securely with RDP, to simplify the firmware upgrade process.

Wireless Gateway Access to IT team provided with centralized management of access points, devices, usage, and reporting. Our team resolved the issues such as slow (or no) Wi-Fi access in certain areas and dropped connections. Enhanced Wi-Fi connectivity and performance of in-office and outdoor hotspots enabled smooth live streaming of company events on mobile devices.

5G in one hand: why did the authorities offer operators to create a consortium

To develop 5G, it is necessary to create a Guest wifi solutions unified national network on domestic equipment, it follows from the concept developed by order of the Ministry of Communications. Market participants categorically opposed such an approach.

The Ministry of Digital Development, Telecommunications and Mass Media (Minkomsvyaz) invited the largest mobile operators – Wifi6 wireless solutions MTS, MegaFon, VimpelCom (Beeline brand) and T2 RTK Holding (Tele2) – to join a consortium to build a unified national mobile network fifth generation communications (5G). This recommendation was prepared by the Radio Research Institute (NIIR), which developed the 5G Concept by order of the Ministry of Outdoor wifi solutions Communications. On Friday, November 30, this document was discussed at a meeting held in the department with representatives of operators (at the level of vice presidents) and the head of the LTE Union, which brings together the Big Four operators. About this RBC told two market participants. The information was confirmed by Oleg Ivanov, Deputy Minister of Digital Development, Telecommunications and Mass Communications. “A constructive dialogue took place.

RBC analyzed the concept prepared by NIIR (conclusions from it were confirmed by several market participants) to figure out how it is supposed to develop 5G and what alternatives are there.

1. What will 5G give users?

After the introduction of 5G, users will receive services based on holograms and multimedia with the effect of presence, virtual and augmented reality, the Internet of Things (Internet of Things, IoT), tactile Internet. Among the most popular at the first stage Wifi solution , simultaneous translation from a foreign language, a “smart” home, and control of drones are mentioned.

New networks will be able to pass more information at greater speed. The speed towards the subscriber will be 10 Gbit / s, from the subscriber to the base station – 5 Gbit / s. This is 10-100 times higher than in existing networks. At the same time, up to 100 million subscriber devices per 1 sq. km The battery life of devices with low power consumption, such as IoT sensors, will increase to ten years.

2. What is a consortium for?

The total costs of the Big Four Hotel wifi solution operators for the deployment of 5G networks in Moscow by 2024, as noted in the concept, may amount to 41 billion rubles. with predominantly independent construction of networks, 29 billion rubles. – when using part of the infrastructure together and 19 billion rubles. – with the development of a unified national network. In cities with a million-plus population, we will talk about 163 billion rubles., 114 billion rubles. and 72 billion rubles. respectively.

Based on this, it is proposed to consider the scenario for creating a unified national network as the basis for the development of 5G in Russia. Operators will need to develop a legal form for the implementation of this scenario and create a consortium. He will be the holder of frequencies, will carry out activities for their conversion (the transfer of funds operating at these frequencies to other ranges so that Cloud managed wifi solutions can be launched). At the same time, the consortium will have to provide operators with access to the frequency resource for the construction of 5G networks “on a pre-agreed fair and non-discriminatory basis.”

3. On what principles and basis will the network work?

When providing critical services in 5G networks, such as telemedicine or unmanned vehicles, their quality must meet certain parameters, the document says. When providing 5G services, it is necessary to abandon the principle of network neutrality, which implies equal access speed to all services. “5G communication is based on managing the parameters of Internet traffic, including prioritizing subscribers and critical communications traffic, a large number of services that will be tied to 5G networks require the establishment of different priorities and the speed of access to resources,” NIIR experts say.

Now the law does not allow, but does not prohibit, operators from setting priority for individual subscribers, but the Federal Antimonopoly Service and the Council for the Development of the Digital Economy under the Federation Council spoke out against the abolition of the principle of network neutrality.

On the instructions of the Ministry of Communications, NIIR was to conduct an analysis of the information security of the 5G network, based on the use of Russian cryptographic algorithms and hardware, subscriber and network equipment, as well as software. NIIR indicated that the enterprises of the radio-electronic industry have time to develop the production of domestic industrial products for 5G. “The existing competencies, experience, scientific and technical, technological groundwork of Russian enterprises allows us to produce industrial products for 5G networks that are competitive with foreign products,” the document says.




The battle every day and hour: 2020 IT trends for hoteliers

Alexander Galochkin, founder and CEO of TravelLine (a developer of IT products and Guest wifi solutions ), tells how hotels can catch a wave of trends so that next year they will not go to the bottom

2020 may be a landmark for the hospitality industry. Those hotels that manage to catch the necessary trends and organically join them will receive a serious advantage over their competitors. For mobile and flexible hotels, the next year could be truly explosive. At the peak, there will be three hotel trends: the search for new online sales sites, personalization and dynamic pricing. Let’s analyze them in detail.

instagram türk gerçek takipçi satın al

New sites for sales appear

The IT giants Yandex and Google are entering into a serious battle for the hotel’s commission wallet . They have already launched new services with which guests can book rooms directly from the issuance – Google Hotel Ads and Yandex.Travel, which is built into Wifi6 wireless solutions

They work like this: a person is looking for a hotel in a search engine, search engines show him booking options at different sites. From the computer, the client sees them in a special block on the right side of the screen, from the phone – just below the advertisement in front of the rest of the search results. jetbahis güncel giriş

And if Google works as a classic meta-search engine, it sends the guest to the OTA website for booking (literally “Online Travel Agencies” – literally “online travel agencies”), in the travel industry it is commonly referred to as online aggregators of travel services like Booking.com, Expedia and etc. – “RBC Pro” ) or hotels, then Yandex plans to have the guest book directly from the Yandex.Directory page.

In both cases, the hotel will need to integrate Outdoor wifi solutions and its booking module with Google Hotel Ads and Yandex. Only those who use a serious IT system, and not a self-written program, can do this.

As for the pricing model, Google offers two options: CPC (pay per click) or CPA (reservation fee). CPC works like regular contextual advertising: there is a budget – there is a cost per click; you pay for everything, even if they are not converted to reservation.

In the case of CPA, Google begins to work Wifi solution as OTA. You pay a commission for the perfect reservation, regardless of whether the guest checked in or not. At the same time, you manage the interest rate yourself. How effective your work with Google will be depends on this. The catch is that if you choose a rate too low, then your hotel will most likely be shown in the backyards. On the first lines of Google displays those sites that bring him more benefits, in this case – OTA.

it works according to the percentage model and takes a commission only for those reservations for which guests stopped at the hotel. The ranking priority is given to the official hotel websites, so you won’t have to fight for attention with OTA.

Facebook announces the launch of its electronic payment system Hotel wifi solution Having chosen a convenient payment method, through the internal service, users will be able to transfer money to each other, donate to charity and make purchases on the Facebook social network and the Messenger application, and later on WhatsApp and Instagram

Facebook launches Cloud managed wifi solutions its own electronic payment service Facebook Pay, which can be used to pay on the social network of the same name, in the applications Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram. This is stated in the blog of the company.

Users will be able to choose a convenient payment method, and the service will save the payment information so that it does not have to be re-entered each time. In addition, the company will launch a chat to support those who pay for purchases through the payment service. To activate it, the blog says, in the page settings in the application or on the site, you need to find the Facebook Pay function.

Most credit and debit cards, as well as a PayPal account, can be linked to the service. According to the company, the new service is based on the “existing financial infrastructure and partnerships” and does not intersect with the cryptocurrency project Libra Assosiation. 

Facebook notes that this week the service will be available to users of social networks and Messenger in the United States. Through the payment system, they will be able to donate to charity, make purchases in gaming applications, purchase tickets to events, as well as make individual payments in the social network messenger and transfer money for pages and companies to the Facebook Marketplace.

The company promises that over time it will make the electronic payment service available to more users and will expand the number of sites where it is used by adding Instagram and WhatsApp there.

According to the statement, the service will help make payments safer by encrypting card data and bank accounts, as well as using the company’s system to track cyber fraud. For added protection, Facebook offers users to add their biometric data (for example, a fingerprint) or password, reminding them that they do not have access to such information and do not store it on servers.

The Ministry of Communications did not support the idea of ​​blocking instant messenger users

The Ministry of Digital Development, Telecommunications and Mass Communications of Russia (the Ministry of Telecommunications and Communications) considers the bill to block users of instant messengers and email to be technically unrealizable and does not support it. This was reported by TASS with reference to the deputy head of the department Alexei Volin.

The Ministry of Digital Development, Telecommunications and Mass Communications of Russia (the Ministry of Telecommunications and Communications) considers the bill to block users of instant messengers and email to be technically unrealizable and does not support it. This was reported by TASS with reference to the deputy head of the department Alexei Volin.

According to him, the legislative initiative “violates the principle of network neutrality.” The Ministry of Communications believes that if instant messengers or mail services see the correspondence of customers, then they will leave in large numbers to foreign sites or start using a VPN.

In early October, a group of senators led by Andrei Klishas , chairman of the Federation Council committee on constitutional law and state building, introduced a bill to the State Duma that would block email users and instant messengers from distributing prohibited information.

As conceived by the authors of the document, such measures should work primarily against telephone terrorists. According to statistics cited by senators, false reports about the mining of buildings annually cost Russia half a billion rubles.

The bill establishes the term “messenger service organizer,” which includes Viber, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Yandex.Mail, Mail.ru Mail, Rambler. Mail. According to senators, they should block their users from distributing prohibited information for 24 hours at the request of Roskomnadzor.




In the “Digital Economy” decided to enter the Internet for the military enlistment offices

The most “expensive” direction of the Guest wifi solutions state program “Digital Economy” – “Information Infrastructure” – can be supplemented with projects such as high-speed Internet access to the network of military commissariats

By the end of 2021, as part of the Digital Economy program, a high-speed fiber-optic communication line (FOCL) to the Autonomous Region will be laid and 850 military commissariats across the country will be connected to the Internet. In addition, by 2024, 35 thousand medical and obstetric centers will have access to the Internet. Such plans are contained in the preliminary version of the federal project “Information Infrastructure”, which has developed a center of competence in the same direction. RBC has a copy of the project materials, their authenticity was confirmed by two members of the working group at ANO.

Another important initiative contained in the document is a proposal to change the goal stated in the program on the share of Russian data centers (DPCs) in the global volume of data storage and processing services, reducing it from 10 to 5%.


How the Digital Economy Program Has Changed


The government approved the Wifi6 wireless solutions program in the summer of 2017. At the end of 2017 and the beginning of 2018, action plans were approved in five areas of the program for 2018–2020 with a total budget of more than 500 billion rubles. Moreover, the direction “Information Infrastructure” turned out to be the most expensive – 436.6 billion rubles, of which 100 billion rubles. It is supposed to attract from the budget.


The Government, the Agency and others became founders of the Digital Economy ANO, which should form and coordinate the work of working groups and centers of competence in the areas of the program, evaluate the effectiveness of its implementation, prepare proposals for the development of the digital economy.


The preparation of the financial and economic substantiation of the project is still ongoing. The amount of funding compared with the approved version of the program will undergo changes due to the fact that the previously detailed action plan was approved until 2020, and the federal project is planned to be implemented until 2024.

The transformation of the Information Infrastructure area into a Outdoor wifi solutions project will definitely affect its financing, and a separate budget will be allocated. In addition, “the status of the project will increase,” as well as the level of responsibility of the performers.

More networks

How much the budget for the destinations will be affected by plans to connect Chukotka to the wired Internet, experts found it difficult to evaluate. Another large-scale project in this region – laying fiber-optic lines along the bottom of the Sea.

The construction of Wifi solution fiber optic links in should be considered as a strategic project – in the long run this decision will cost less for the state, since satellites have to be replaced when new communication standards appear. “With the change of 3G to 4G, traffic increased significantly, and it becomes increasingly difficult for a satellite to cope with increasing volumes of information,” he explained. According to Kuskov, partly the decision to conduct high-speed Internet on the peninsula can also be dictated by the fact that the region is important from the point of view of ensuring the country’s security.

It is also proposed to include in the federal project the items “Development and approval of a roadmap for implementing digital technologies in the work of the municipal services of the Ministry of Defense” and “Implementation of a roadmap for improving the efficiency of the property complex of the Ministry of Defense.” The Defense Ministry, the Ministry of Hotel wifi solution and Communications and the “organization selected by competition or designated as the sole contractor” will be responsible for both “cards”. A representative noted that the use of digital technologies to increase the efficiency of management and operation of the property of the Ministry of Defense “will still be diversified.”

The representative of the Ministry of Defense did not answer RBC questions.

At the same time, the provision of Internet to all military commissariats, as well as Cloud managed wifi solutions, will be carried out by the sole contractor on the basis of the state contract, the materials say. Earlier, the state chose Telecom as the sole executor for the project to eliminate digital inequality (connecting to the Internet settlements with 250-500 residents), connecting medical institutions to the Internet, and providing fixed-line services for government agencies. According to the representative of Telecom, the state will be the customer for new projects to connect Chukotka and new facilities in the country, it will determine the sources of financing, technical requirements, and the conditions for choosing performers.

The representative of the Ministry of Communications did not answer RBC questions.

When approving the preliminary version of the federal project, the working group recommended that bidding be provided for the provision of communication services and the use of service models when connecting to the Internet authorities, local governments and educational institutions. According to a RBC source close to the working group, business representatives want to provide competitive communication services based on the results of the auction, while Telecom expects to build the infrastructure by order of the appointment of a single supplier.

Less data

By 2024, the capacity of Russian commercial data centers should be 80 thousand racks (standard cabinets for equipment). The same indicator is indicated in the action plan, but in the new document, the target indicator for Russia’s share in the data storage and processing market is reduced from 10 to 5%. Market participants called the lowering of the bar logical, but point to the need to also reduce the goal for the number of racks. Last year, commercial data centers in Russia had 38 thousand racks. According to Dina Nurkaeva, director of strategic marketing at IXcellerate, in order to double this number, data center operators need to make serious investments, “the payback of which is in question.” “It’s not entirely clear where such a customer base could be taken from,” she said.

Another market participant says that the government’s reckoning that foreign customers will use seats in Russian data centers is unlikely to materialize. “Even at low prices, customers from Europe or the United States are unlikely to massively store their data in a data center in Siberia,” the source told RBC.

According to analysts of TMT Consulting, the Russian data center market in 2017 amounted to 23.6 billion rubles, which is 10.6% more than in 2016. This year, this market is expected to grow by 9% in terms of number of stays and by 13% in revenue. According to Tatyana Tolmacheva, iKS-Consulting partner, an indicator of 80 thousand racks can be achieved, but in the longer term.

Svetlana Savelyeva, head of the industry expertise development department of the Softline group of companies, noted that there is a tendency around the world to reduce the number of data centers and their space, consolidate computing resources and use cloud services of global providers (Amazon, Google, Microsoft).

SD-WAN for the financial sector

The introduction of Guest wifi solutions SD-WAN technology allows you to increase the efficiency of managing a geographically distributed corporate data network, simplify work through an affiliate network, and even provide additional services to customers.

In the period of digital transformation, when information technologies from a component supporting a Wifi6 wireless solutions are gradually turning into a tool for making a profit, the load on the IT infrastructure and, accordingly, the requirements for it increase significantly. The customer of the implementation of Outdoor wifi solutions (development of business applications and services) is increasingly becoming the company’s internal business units. Therefore, all IT-related processes must be controllable, scalable, manageable, and prepared for rapid change. instagram oto beğeni

The leaders of the digital transformation are companies in the financial sector. They follow the needs of their customers, who are actively migrating to the Wifi solution, for example, are increasingly using mobile applications to make payments. In addition, the IT infrastructure of modern financial institutions must comply with the requirements of market regulators (in particular, personal data legislation or the PCI DSS standard) and reliably protect users from external and internal cyber threats. All of the above factors greatly affect the complexity of the ICT infrastructure.

Effective management of a geographically distributed Hotel wifi solution data network (DSP) allows us to provide the SD-WAN (Software-Defined Wide Area Network) technology that is actively developing today. 

BACKGROUND OF TRANSITION TO SD-WAN

In business, speed is very important, including the quick launch of new products and services on the market. For example, so that regional offices can quickly solve problems, IT systems are “geographically redistributed” into such units where there are remotely working employees, as well as personnel with seasonal work schedules.

In the context of reorganization and takeover, banks cannot afford long down times due to the fact that new sites must integrate their IT systems and applications into the existing IT landscape. The time when the company had a few months and time windows allotted in advance to complete the KSPD switching, unfortunately, has irrevocably gone. Current realities of KSPD is a set of platforms connected using technologies that differ both in type (Ethernet, MPLS, LTE) and in logic (dedicated channels, Internet). At the same time, communication channels must provide access to at least two data centers to maintain the resiliency of the ICT infrastructure and quickly recover from failures. Do not forget about the purely technical requirements for the network associated with providing the necessary bandwidth, delays, packet loss,

SD-WAN FEATURES

The SD-WAN technology is based on a “smart” controller, which automatically redistributes traffic. In addition, the device allows you to centrally change the settings of Cloud managed wifi solutions network equipment in the branches, monitor the network status, download and quality of the channels in online mode, and eliminate any problems. This ensures transparency in the functioning of the data network and reduces the burden on IT professionals serving the network.

The SD-WAN solution involves the automatic formation of a private network and the transfer of information on all types of available communication channels without loss of speed and quality of application work. For example, before, only an expensive dedicated channel was used to transmit voice or video without failures. Now thanks to the SD-WAN technology, you can use the Internet channel as the main one, and the LTE channel as the backup one. As a result, customers can save on paying bills from telecom operators and solve the issue of reserving VPN channels in a simple and cheap way.

Modern software-defined SD-WAN networks can optimize the cost of leased communication channels and achieve savings of up to 40%. Solutions of this class provide comprehensive security and transparency of the network due to the centralized management of ICT infrastructure. 

TASKS TO SIMPLIFY USING SD-WAN 

ATM Operation Reducing the cost of servicing ATMs.
Due to the large number of ATMs, the bank’s IT service, as a rule, either does not audit their settings at all, or allocates one or two specialists who perform the only task – compliance control (checking compliance with internal standards and legislative and regulatory requirements). When using SD-WAN, this task is solved automatically, since a single configuration of settings is replicated to all ATMs. It also eliminates the influence of the human factor (for example, errors in prescribing settings). 

Changing network settings as a result of changing ATM software.With the classical approach in a network that has, say, more than 2 thousand ATMs, three specialists who have access to them only during off-hours hours for these devices will be able to change network settings within one year. When using SD-WAN, due to the ability to duplicate settings, this process takes up to two months (coverage – 40 ATMs per day). 

Minimizing risks in theft of ATMs. SD-WAN technology allows you to quickly “disconnect” an ATM from a trusted network in case of physical theft.


Improving the safety of ATMs. Thanks to software-defined networks, the speed of applying security policies when detecting “holes” in ATM software is increased. Moreover, the development of a new configuration takes days, and its distribution to the entire fleet of equipment – in a matter of weeks. 

Improving the availability of the basic service (issuing / receiving money). Currently, ATMs are connected, as a rule, using one or two SIM-cards. In the halls of shopping centers, ATMs connected to different operators at the same time are often the only ones operating and they get all the revenue. SD-WAN technology allows the use of a “bundle” of LTE modems of several operators, thereby increasing the efficiency of ATMs.



Operation of payment terminals. 

Broadcasting of advertising and informational content. 
When using terminals as a means of displaying the advertising content of partners, it is necessary to provide a channel with a bandwidth significantly wider than for transactions in ATMs. The same “bundle” of LTE modems can help with this. 

Minimizing the cost of equipment in the terminal and its maintenance, reducing the cost of communication channels.The cost of equipment is reduced through the use of standard devices on the x86 platform instead of specialized routers. Cost optimization for communication channels can be achieved using the “bundle” of any available wired and wireless channels. The use of plug-and-play devices and the implementation of settings through the replication of policies helps to reduce maintenance costs. 

Replacement of obsolete equipment. 

Modernization of KSPD. Network equipment lasts an average of five to seven years, and then is gradually replaced. SD-WAN solutions from any manufacturer can be integrated into the existing territorial divisions’ KSPD, built on standard VPN technologies or dedicated channels.

When upgrading the ICT infrastructure, the implementation of SD-WAN should be considered in at least two cases:

  • the equipment was commissioned in 2012 or earlier, but due to the devaluation of the ruble in 2014, there was no replacement. As a result, the equipment becomes obsolete and the deadline for its removal from service by the manufacturer is approaching;
  • used standard routers (for example, Cisco 28xx and 29xx series) are already out of production or from technical support.

Mergers, Acquisitions and Reorganizations

The combination of IT systems of different banks is not uncommon today. The first step from which unification begins is to ensure network connectivity. 

Speeding up the integration of heterogeneous networks. 
SD-WAN is the best tool for combining several geo-distributed networks formed after mergers into a single unified network. 

Automation of the process of migration to new or additional network elements (firewalls or traffic optimizers).
The classical approach has two drawbacks: migration is done manually, and it takes months, or even years, and the absence of IT specialists with the necessary qualifications in remote offices. When using SD-WAN, the migration process is automated, fast (due to the deployment of devices on the basis of plug-and-play and zero touch provisioning, ZTP), managed (through configuration through templates) and segmented by trust levels already out of the box. At the same time, any office employee can connect the “box” (SD-WAN equipment) to the Internet.

Enhancing Failover Resiliency

The SD-WAN solution easily provides fault-tolerance of KSPD on various communication lines. Moreover, the technology allows you to build any number of dynamic (created in the presence of traffic) tunnels between any two points. SD-WAN will be built regardless of the types of physical communication channels used (dedicated MPLS, Internet or LTE), and engineers will not need to redistribute traffic between the channels. 

Work through an affiliate network 


Fast and secure connection of new points of presence in an affiliate network.To ensure a presence in the region as soon as possible, you can easily, and, most importantly, quickly connect new sites using the ZTP approach, which allows you to establish a connection to a corporate network without involving IT specialists and business trips. High speed is also achieved due to the independence of the types of communication channels. At the same time, isolation by trusted network segments makes it possible to divide the KSPD into parts and dictate to them the rules of interaction with each other in the logic presented by the business (affiliate network, additional offices, operational offices, operating cash desks). 

Centralization and automation of network management.Unlike classic technologies, the SD-WAN solution is not managed at the end sites. The logic of work is determined on the central controllers and replicated on the equipment of the final sites. SD-WAN automatically selects the most profitable route, which will consist of several physical channels that provide applications with the level of communication they need. 

Mobile service center. 

Maintenance of the bank’s mobile office in the framework of various events. In such cases, 100% availability of services is required anywhere in the region, regardless of the presence of telecom operators. One of the tasks that SD-WAN solves is the provision of fault-tolerant and redundant communications for vehicles based on the “bundle” of LTE modems from various operators. 



Wi-Fi for customers at points of sale

Organization of high-quality free Wi-Fi in branches, additional and operational offices. This goal can be set to obtain information about customers for the tasks of targeting and profiling. Moreover, it is usually necessary to achieve it within the existing budget for communication channels, equipment and with minimal involvement of IT personnel.

Here you can give an example of the company GAP, which although it does not belong to the financial sector, but the tasks it has solved are also relevant for its representatives. Thanks to the SD-WAN technology, the company was able to switch from MPLS to the use of several Internet channels, thereby increasing the bandwidth by 26 times. Part of this band was used to distribute Wi-Fi to customers.