In large corporations and enterprises today, wireless networks are swiftly evolving from ‘nice-to-have’ networks to a mission-critical part of the network – used to connect laptops, handhelds, phones, sensors, cameras, printers and hundreds of other types of devices everywhere from the manufacturing floor to distribution centers to carpeted office areas.

With wireless networks extending their reach throughout the entire enterprise, it becomes essential for the corporate IT staff to have a management solution to centrally monitor and control the WLAN.

While proprietary element management systems might suffice when wireless was used by only a few people and supported by one or two wireless specialist in IT, a true enterprise-wide WLAN requires a comprehensive solution designed specifically to meet the needs of corporate IT.

Centralized monitoring and network control
An average Fortune 1000 organization has over 500 separate physical locations -- and the largest enterprises may have thousands. As the wireless network extends its reach into all these locations, the IT staff in the NOC may be thousands of miles away. AirWave's remote monitoring and configuration capabilities allow problems to be diagnosed and addressed quickly -- without having to dispatch a technician. 

Specific monitoring views and administrative privileges for each member of the IT staff
In a large corporation, literally dozens of IT staff members from different teams need to use the wireless management solution. Each has a different role -- and should be permitted to view different information. The Help Desk in North America should see performance reports and monitoring screens from North America, but does not need to see information from Europe. And the qualified network engineer should be permitted to make configuration changes to devices, while the Help Desk should not. AirWave's flexible role-based administrative access solution allows you to tailor each individual's level of access for his or her specific role in your organization.

Automated compliance audits for Sarbanes-Oxley and other regulatory requirements
With increasingly stringent Sarbanes-Oxley requirements and other regulatory standards, large enterprises must maintain extremely tight controls over the configuration of their network infrastructure. AirWave's automated compliance audit feature automatically compares the configuration of every device to your policy -- and generates a high-priority alert whenever a variance is detected. You can even instruct the software to automatically correct the settings as soon as the violation is detected.

Support for multiple wireless technologies to deliver access in all locations       
As wireless networks expand, enterprise IT organizations are using multiple different wireless technologies to provide reliable, cost-effective coverage -- from 'thin' APs in corporate headquarters, autonomous APs in small remote offices, and even mesh networks outdoors and indoors in hard-to-cable areas. No matter how many different technologies are used, AirWave provides a single console for integrated management.

Capacity planning and reporting     
As enterprises plan to support new mobile applications like voice, the IT organization needs to know whether their existing wireless network can handle the load – and where they might need to upgrade. The AirWave Wireless Management Suite provides a full set of customizable reports, so you can quickly locate potential trouble spots and take proactive steps to ensure your network is always ready for your users.

Hardware lifecycle management to reduce capital costs  
Large enterprises make take many years to fully deploy a wireless network -- from initial test networks in IT's labs until wireless has reached every facility worldwide. In this time, wireless hardware vendors may have move through several product generations. It is typically not possible or affordable for enterprises to update their entire infrastructure every time new technologies are introduced or whenever product lines evolve. In the real world, enterprise IT always has to manage multiple generations of network infrastructure and to take capital costs under consideration when determining hardware lifecycles. AirWave provides robust support for both state-of-the-art current generation products as well as legacy support dating back to the earliest days of Wi-Fi -- allowing enterprises to extend the life of their hardware infrastructure by years.

Vendor-neutral hardware support to provide flexibility for the future
On the wired network, the enterprise IT staff often finds itself managing multiple brands of networking equipment simultaneously. And the wireless network is no different. IT may select different products for specific environments. Or individual divisions conduct their own evaluations and make their own buying decisions. And the rapidly growing number of corporate mergers means that two organizations with diverse infrastructures can combine overnight to create an even more heterogeneous network. Because AirWave supports most leading brands of wireless hardware, no matter how diverse the network becomes, the enterprise IT organization can manage and control it from a single console.

Scalability to manage true enterprise-wide networks
A large enterprise network can easily reach 50,000+ access points and controllers, with tens of thousands of wireless users, so the scalability of the management solution is a critical consideration for any enterprise. AirWave offers multiple versions of the AirWave Wireless Management Suite and provides a seamless upgrade path as your network expands. And with the AirWave Master Console, no matter how big the wireless network grows, you still have one integrated console for monitoring and management.

Automated rogue detection – no matter where the rogues are located.  
No large corporation can tolerate rogue access points. Yet, with hundreds or thousands of locations, it is extremely difficult to police the network to ensure that your employees aren;t connecting APs without your knowledge or permission. IDS systems with hardware sensors may take years to deploy in thousands of locations. AirWave's RAPIDS module, with wired network scanning, makes it easy to detect rogues anywhere on the network without proprietary sensors.