How remote AI technology can have a positive impact on enterprise network uptime
Overview: Dubbed a “network administrator in a box,” Uplogix is highly secure, artificial intelligence that anticipates and fixes computer network issues remotely, 24/7, using patented alternate-route, out-of-band technology. Uplogix sets in every rack of computer gear, running network health checks 2x per minute on large enterprise networks. It deploys remotely to anticipate, triage, and fix network blips, seamlessly and in real time. Everything is stored and encrypted on hard drives.
AI can be used ethically to improve healthcare and mitigate risk—even to overcome the stigma of mental-health issues. Robotics, electric vehicles, and even “deep-fake” videos employ the technology. In a network-enterprise context, AI deployed remotely can eliminate dreaded downtime often caused by human error.
“Remote AI strategy goes beyond network-management tools, which run over that very network architecture [being used],” explained Lisa Frankovitch, the six-year CEO of software firm Uplogix, Inc. in Austin, TX. Frankovitch describes an inner platform that is closed-loop, “out-of-band” and, in other words, network-independent. “The alternative path could be cellular, analog or satellite,” she noted. Uplogix artificial and automated intelligence can assess and correct even the slightest network blip, quickly and in real time from a remote location.
As office equipment dealer owners and managers know full well, when networks crash, detrimental effects on CRM (customer relationship management) and other systems can paralyze operations and decimate productivity. Downtime due to network degradation or failure can cost organizations an astonishing average of more than $5,500 per minute, depending on the type of business, according to the most recent study from research/advisory firm Gartner, Inc.
The United States Army, Social Security Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Brooklyn Hospital Center, universities from NYU to UCLA, and hundreds of major banking systems and offshore oil rigs all use Uplogix’s remote AI network tool. Information-technology (IT) automation is key for franchised and dealer organizations, too, Frankovitch believes, which otherwise require a bevy of CCIEs (Cisco Certified Inter-network Experts).
“Consider the sheer number of devices dependent on your own network,” she suggested. “Fifty-six percent of network outages are caused by human error, but 70% of IT tasks are still manual. That math doesn’t work.”
Users of Uplogix need not issue “red alert” warnings because there is no threat of incapacitation. In addition to software, the 15-year-old company’s tech suite features console hardware that securely plugs into network infrastructures, such as routers, switches or firewalls.
“Our serial-port cables literally set in the rack [configuration],” she said.
Having this highly secure, direct access means that, when a Level 1 or Tier 2 IT problem is detected, Uplogix can take automated, corrective action literally within minutes. With Uplogix, mean time to resolution (MTTR) is drastically reduced, stressed Frankovitch. Plus, “critical information that our proprietary software finds is sent back up into the tools,” she added, “so the customer knows exactly what happened and what we did to fix it.”
Uplogix can run over the customer’s network, but it doesn’t have to. By connecting directly, it can pull data intensively, every 30 seconds, according to Frankovitch. “We don’t need to worry about over-taxing the network,” and the AI technology renders the data-pull actions as consistently repeatable.
The ROI Proposition
Clients purchase the Uplogix hardware on which the company’s software runs. There is an annual maintenance fee for software, which is upgraded at least twice per year. The company is working with MSPs to build into a system offering, which could evolve into a subscription pay model.
But when assessing total cost of ownership, there’s another consideration: namely, the manner in which technicians are deployed. No matter how adept and well-trained, human beings can be ineffective as troubleshooters, but human minds are ideal for creating, innovating and building networks.
“We estimate that more than 30% of IP manager troubleshooting makes IT professionals less productive because they end up neglecting more strategic, network-building tasks,” Frankovitch said. “Uplogix supports and frees up IT pros for more productive and creative work, especially as network architectures continue to change and evolve.”
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