Best-in-Class Connectivity for Distributed Enterprises. Evaluating 4G LTE Failover Solutions: An IT Buyer s Guide

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1 Best-in-Class Connectivity for Distributed Enterprises Evaluating 4G LTE Failover Solutions: An IT Buyer s Guide

2 Challenge What happens when your distributed enterprise goes offline? How many customers do you lose? How much revenue is lost? Page 1

3 Having a failover connectivity strategy is all about ensuring your services stay online 24/7. 4G LTE offers unmatched data speeds and ensures connections don t drop, making it the most reliable backup option for retail chains, branches, and kiosks that can t afford to be offline. Though 4G LTE wireless provides new connectivity options, not all wireless backup choices constitute a best-in-class solution. Page 2

4 1. DIY Hardware Options There are a number of hardware options for creating your own wireless backup service when paired with a wireless subscription, and various vendor management consoles. OPTION A Integrated Wireless Router There are a wide range of routers on the market with cellular technology built-in. Although compact and lower-cost, the drawbacks include: Poor wireless reception and RF interference in noisy IT closet. No way to remotely reset, update, or configure attached equipment using backup connection. Depending on the router, limited firewall and routing capabilities. A single point of failure. OPTION B Wireless USB Although economical, the small built-in antenna in a mobile broadband USB stick will have trouble acquiring a signal with all the RF noise typically found in an IT closet. Other drawbacks include: No SNMP network management system visibility. to your wireless USB status. Few 4G LTE USB stick options to choose from. No way to remotely reset your router. Page 3

5 OPTION C Remote Wireless Gateway An independent wireless gateway adds 4G LTE connectivity without compromising your firewall and routing of your best-in-class router. In addition to acquiring a stronger network signal, other benefits include: Full advantage of your enterprise-grade router for a seamless switchover between your primary and wireless gateway. Ability to perform out-of-band management to remotely reset, update, or configure connected router or other networking equipment. Page 4

6 2. Managed Wireless Backup Services For organizations not willing to assemble the pieces themselves there are a growing number of vendors offering completely managed wireless failover services. These services are fully monitored by the vendor and include troubleshooting and resolution if issues occur. 3. Turnkey Wireless Failover Services These services often provide the best of both worlds. Similar cost to the DIY hardware only solutions yet come as a completely turnkey bundle including rate plans, integrated deployment and monitoring tools that make deploying wireless failover connections as easy as ordering a wired line without the associated waiting. OPTION A Consumer-grade Services Most services on the market are designed for SOHO or home office. The bundles often include consumer grade gateways but lack management and monitoring tools. Drawbacks include: Lack of VPN connectivity from remote location to central IT. Lack of remote management of the gateway making it difficult to remotely configure, deploy and manage. Service plans often designed for single deployments, lacking options such as pooling support and self-service subscription activation. Page 5

7 OPTION B Enterprise-grade Wireless Failover Services These services come with best-in-class wireless gateways and a host of options designed for enterprise IT managers deploying and managing hundreds or thousands of remote connections. These include: Rate plans specifically tailored to multi-site customers allowing them to pool usage across sites. Self service deployment tools such as site surveys and remote configuration allowing deployment by non-technical on-site staff. Connectivity management portals tracking failover events, subscription usage and wireless gateway readiness ensuring your failover connection is always ready. Page 6

8 Importance of Remote Out-of-Band Management Out-of-band management (OOBM) uses a dedicated serial connection between the console port and wireless gateway enabling system administrators to remotely monitor and manage network equipment over 4G networks. For distributed enterprises, remote OOBM is a critical function to ensure services remain online. Page 7

9 What happens when an IT update or configuration change freezes the router? Normally a technician would need to perform a manual reset. But with the terminal server capability of a wireless gateway, you can remotely reboot the attached router. This provides the assurance that the network operations center, no matter where they re located, can quickly respond to IT failures and avoid expensive truck rolls. Additional features to look for when selecting your 4G LTE wireless gateway Look for one that allows you to remotely manage all your airtime subscriptions. Ensure you can get visibility into airtime usage and when failover occurs. Check that it supports reliable static route to avoid wireless data charges when the wired connection is available. Make sure it will automatically fallback to 3G when 4G LTE networks are unavailable. Ensure it can be easily configured and managed remotely. Page 8

10 Sierra Wireless Solution Available in the UK, France, and Germany, AirLink Enterprise Connect provides everything you need to set up mission critical LTE failover in one, easy to manage hardware & service bundle. BENEFITS OF 4G LTE OVER DSL Increased up-time by removing the likelihood that physical infrastructure damage takes down all connectivity Self-service installation allows customers to immediately deploy a connection without waiting weeks for wired installation technicians Provides failover service to sites that do not have secondary wired providers in their area We know that even a second delay to your services could result in lost customers and revenue. With two decades of connecting to wireless networks, AirLink gateways are designed to get connected and stay connected. Page 7 Page 9

11 Want more information? Sierra Wireless is the global leader in machine to machine (M2M) devices and cloud services, delivering intelligent wireless solutions that simplify the connected world. Our solutions are simple, scalable, and secure, and enable customers to get their connected products and services to market faster. For further company and product information, please visit