iPad Guzzles Network Capacity

Wireless network provider Meraki has reported that iPad usage consumed more than half the network capacity of one installation despite accounting for less than 10% of the devices on the network.

Wireless network provider Meraki reported that its Network Insight fingerprint technology has been used at an MIT installation that found iPad usage has been consuming more than one-half of the network’s capacity, yet the devices accounted for just 9% of the total devices attached to the network. 

In announcing the results of the test, Meraki didn’t pass judgment on the high use, but it’s obvious that the iPad can turn out to be a huge consumer of network capacity. 

Meraki, which specializes in delivering wireless networking through the cloud, reported this week that tests taken during a week in May compared the use of different devices on a network at MIT’s CSAIL network, the university’s largest interdepartmental laboratory. More than 300MB was transferred during the week by the average iPad user. iPhone users averaged 31MB and iPod Touch users averaged 12 MB. 

The results take on new significance when compared with AT&T’s unveiling this week of metered data plans that include plans with 200 MB and 2GB limits. The average 300MB that was recorded by iPad users in the week would indicate that AT&T subscribers with the larger $25 a-month data plan would come in under AT&T’s limit, although the $15 plan would easily be exceeded by iPad users, at least at the MIT installation.

AT&T has been the exclusive provider of Apple handsets in the U.S.

Meraki touts its Network Insight technology for providing network administrators with a forensics tool to analyze network activity as an aid in troubleshooting. The deep packet inspection technology suffers no drop in performance and operates at line-rate, Meraki said.

“There is incredible excitement around the iPad, yet network administrators are eyeing it with caution,” said Kiren Sekar, Meraki product manager, in a statement. “Administrators need visibility into their networks to see the iPad’s impact.”

Meraki noted that once the Network Insight technology is captured, it is uploaded to the firm’s Enterprise Cloud Controller, which hosts the firm’s network intelligence platform. Network administrators can then access the data through the company’s dashboard management tool.


InformationWeek has published an in-depth report on the expanding profile of data deduplication. Download the report here (registration required).

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Panda Security Advances Leadership in Cloud Antivirus

Panda Cloud Antivirus has been upgraded and expanded. The upgrade of Panda Cloud Antivirus Free Edition improves and extends the protection provided by the original free product, and Panda Cloud Antivirus Pro is a brand new commercial version of the product that delivers expanded support services and automation capabilities for greater convenience.

Both products, available for download at http://www.cloudantivirus.com, set the standard in malware detection while consuming minimal PC resources. Acknowledged as the first free "in the cloud" security service for home users, Panda Cloud Antivirus delivers instantaneous protection against real-world threats with next to no impact on computer performance.

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Meraki's Enterprise Cloud Controller offsets remote access ...

Meraki's Enterprise Cloud Controller could offset remote access management and wireless network hardware costs for small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs), but will a cloud-based model create challenges a larger enterprise should avoid? This product article explains.

What is Meraki's Enterprise Cloud Controller?
Meraki combines its business-grade 802.11n access points with a cloud-hosted controller solution, offering small and midsized businesses an enterprise-class wireless LAN (WLAN) solution without much upfront wireless network hardware and setup cost. The Meraki Enterprise Cloud Controller provides a centralized console for all of an enterprise's wireless networks and enables remote network and security configuration and monitoring of connected access points from anywhere on the Web. The 802.11n access points, available in single, double and triple radio models, basically configure themselves by automatically connecting to the Cloud Controller. Prices start at £479 for a single 802.11n radio access point and £120 per access point annual subscription rate for the Cloud Controller service.

Which companies is Meraki's Enterprise Cloud Controller best suited for?
Targeted at networks with between 50 and 5,000 users, the Meraki Enterprise Cloud Controller is going after small to medium-sized enterprises. These are organizations with a small or nonexistent IT staff that want a streamlined WLAN solution without installing a lot of hardware. This is also the lower end of the enterprise market that may opt for consumer-grade products, such as standalone access points, based on cost. The Cloud Controller solution brings a relatively low entry point to the features and functionality of higher-end enterprise solutions to address this section of the market. The Meraki solution might also be a good fit for smaller companies that have a number of disparate remote workers or sites, such as convenience stores or retail kiosks. The cloud-based controller would enable centralized configuration and control of those remote wireless networks without having to build dedicated WAN or VPN links to each of the remote locations. While it is possible to scale Meraki's solution up to larger enterprises, companies of that size are more likely to have dedicated networking staff who would probably opt for more traditional WLAN solutions that offer greater scale and localized control.

Are there drawbacks to Meraki's cloud-based WLAN management?
The biggest consideration is ultimately what level of control the organization is willing to relinquish when moving solutions into the cloud. In the case of Meraki's WLAN solution, the vendor handles all of the software updates for both the cloud controller and the access points. While this is likely to be a boon for smaller enterprises with little to no IT staff to perform these updates, many medium-sized customers may take a more conservative approach, opting out of the latest and greatest software code in order to avoid any bugs or issues typically associated with new software releases. Finally, a leap of faith is required to adopt Meraki's cloud-based products. Users of more traditional, hardware controller-based WLAN solutions could keep on running their installed networks if their vendor were to be acquired or otherwise leave the market. With a controller in the cloud, Meraki customers could be left with orphaned hardware if something were to happen to the company however this is unlikely as their investors include Google and Sequoia, two of the largest blue chip VC's on the planet. In conclusion, if Enterprises have bought into the cloud in other areas, Meraki's proposition is extremely disruptive from a cost, flexibility and support perspective, we recommend you check them out at Cloud Distribution.

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Panda Security Upgrades Cloud-Based Anti-Malware Service

Dubbed Panda Cloud Antivrus Pro, the new edition works to protect computer users online and offline by extending the protections in the free product launched last year. The Free Edition is still available and also offers enhanced functions.

As more computing functions continue to exploit cloud delivery models, security issues remain a key concern. But the cloud also continues to be the solution to its own problem. Extending it's cloud-based PC security and anti-malware services, Panda Security today moved to help further alleviate malware fears by expanding its free offerings to include a paid version that automates the updates and upgrades to the service. [Disclosure: Panda Security is a sponsor of BriefingsDirect podcasts.]

The Pro Edition sells for $29.95 and offers both automated updates as well as support benefits and other features.

Cloud Distribution are UK distribution partners of Panda Cloud Security.

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Meraki Network Insight Technology now Fingerprints Apple iPads

Assisting wireless network administrators in analyzing and supporting their networks, Meraki, the cloud-based wireless networking company, has announced that its Network Insight technology now fingerprints Apple  iPads.

Wireless LAN products from Meraki help the customers to centrally manage access points from an intuitive browser interface. It also offers powerful features with point-and-click simplicity and the user does not have any controller hardware to buy, neither any software to install.

Offering application-level inspection on wireless traffic and capturing forensics information used by network administrators to analyze network activity and troubleshoot client issues, Network Insight is a technology unique to Meraki's Enterprise Wireless LAN. The technology identifies network events (DNS, ARP, HTTP, etc), and client information such as the NetBios name, MAC address, operating system, and device make and model.

“There is incredible excitement around the iPad, yet network administrators are eyeing it with caution," said Kiren Sekar, Product Marketing Manager at Meraki.  "After the iPad's well-publicized DHCP renewal bug, as well as the potential for significant bandwidth consumption, administrators need visibility into their networks to see the iPad's impact and to support their users.  Meraki's enhancements to Network Insight make this simple.”

Network Insight distinguishes Apple  iPads from other devices running the iPhone OS, namely iPhones and iPod Touches, with its current announcement. Network Insight identified iPads as a significant driver of wireless traffic in use at MIT  CSAIL network (covering MIT's largest interdepartmental laboratory). iPads made up 9 percent of all iPhone OS devices on the network yet consumed more than half of the bandwidth for the week ending May 21st.

In November 2008, the company introduced its new Residential Wi-Fi  Pack. This latest offering is expected to enable property managers and owners to provide broadband wireless access throughout apartment complexes, condominiums, hotels and more. The pack features Meraki's newest WiFi device, the Meraki Wall Plug, designed for deployment in large residential complexes. The demand for Wifi at an apartment, condominium and dormitory complexes is on the rise.

Raju Shanbhag is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of Raju’s articles, please visit his columnist page.

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Get Hired: Why Smartphones Change the Workplace

With so many more economical choices for purchasing smartphones, more global workers now choose to bring their own device to work.  That's a double edge sword.  Productivity increases but use of corporate data on employee owned devices translates into increased risk. 

What if the employee leaves and goes to a competitor?  What if the phone is broken or lost?  What happens when that employee phone connects employees' friends, social networks, their media (illicit or virus laden), and games disguising network attacks.  Telecomm is not prepared and IT is overloaded to deal with threats.

With nearly 50% of future phone purchasing moving towards smartphones, employers need a scalable solution to both manage and secure valuable corporate assets.  AT&T executives also pointed out that this week that 40% of iPhones are now going into the enterprise.  IT and Telecom are converging in their need for intelligent mobile device management that secures these assets while providing both a user and business view into costly bills.  MIT Technology Review writes about Service providers harnessing mobile usage patterns this month as well.

By the end of 2011, a recent study from Nielsen states Smartphone deployments will be so rapid that there will be "more smartphones in the U.S. market than feature phones."  Smartphones show higher application usage than feature phones even at the basic built-in application level.  During Nielsen's Mobile Insights survey respondents noted in the last 30 days that users are taking full advantage of device application capabilities.  Apple iPhone OS (32%) and RIM OS (37%) control more than two-thirds of today's market while Windows Mobile, Android and Symbian account for the remainder.  All OS and device suppliers are increasingly aware of the need for diverse business applications – apps that need to be securely managed at scale.  The smartphone Tsunami is cresting and businesses are now realizing these mobile applications represent a significant increase in corporate data usage on devices never before managed.  The next step for IT is proactive user, application and device management.

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NETGEAR Gains Control of BlackBerry® Smartphone Operations

NETGEAR's CHALLENGE: With a smartphone-reliant workforce that travels internationally, NETGEAR's overage charges and data roaming were exploding. They needed a way to contain costs while gaining control over corporate application data on employees' smartphones. 

MOBILEIRON's SOLUTION: "NETGEAR initially deployed the MobileIron Virtual Smartphone Platform to monitor billing and phone quality issues," says Chris Field, Director of IT Operations at NETGEAR. Based on the strong success, NETGEAR is rolling out MobileIron to more than 250 BlackBerry users.


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