Updates around Extreme Networks from Texas: This was Extreme Connect

A few weeks ago, the End User event “Extreme Connect” took place in bustling Fort Worth, Texas. For several years, Extreme Connect has been known as the event of the year when it comes to new technologies, product updates and knowledge sharing.

A lot of things were announced this year as well, ranging from minor updates in the ExtremeCloud IQ management platform to innovations around artificial intelligence. We would like to give you a brief overview below.

Updates in ExtremeCloud IQ

Extreme Networks‘ flagship product, ExtremeCloud IQ, is getting a lot of updates again. One standout feature this time is comprehensive WiFi visualization.

For years, ever since Aerohive HiveManager, there has been a scheduling tool in the software. However, it was in need of some updating. And so it did, in the latest version of ExtremeCloud IQ there is a tool that allows you to visualize in real-time what your coverage will be, even in 3D. And when the network is operational, you can also see what the current settings are doing in your environment.

Now, a lot of clients draw their environment into a specialized tool such as Ekahau or Hamina. Kappa Data also does site surveys for its partners using these tools. In the new version, Ekahau and Hamina files can also be loaded directly into ExtremeCloud IQ so you don’t have to duplicate work.

Another common problem in Wireless installations, is roaming. When does a client roam from one specific AP to another? Why did it go wrong? Why is my client “stuck” on a particular AP? All questions a wireless engineer gets a lot. The biggest problem is that the engineer is not there when such problems occur. This is precisely why data is so important to go back in time and start to see these problems.

In the new ExtremeCloud IQ update, roaming behavior is also displayed historically in a visual way. This allows you to perfectly see when a client has roamed, and whether it has done so properly.

UZTNA

Another hot-topic in the security market is ZTNA. ZTNA stands for Zero-Trust Network Access. A way to give people remote access to both on-prem and SaaS applications in a secure and controlled way.

ZTNA is not a new concept and a lot of our customers are already using ZTNA solutions to allow end users to securely connect to their applications. However, Extreme Networks goes just a step further, adding the U of Universal.

The idea of UZTNA is to define a single policy to give both users on-site and remote access to both the network and the application in a secure way. You start by defining a policy (e.g. a certain group of users in Entra ID). Then you configure the Network Access Control (which VLAN ID?) so users get the right policy via a wired or wireless connection, after which you define the applications a user can use remotely. Of course with all the fine-tuning (location, host-checking, …).

Extreme Labs

The final aspect we want to discuss in this brief update is Extreme Labs. Extreme Labs is a new incubation and innovation center designed to showcase Extreme technology as it moves closer to commercial availability. Extreme Labs was created as a space where the future of IT can be imagined, innovated, created and tested. Made up of the innovative minds of our Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) and experts from across Extreme, the team brings together diverse expertise to create prototypes that push technological boundaries and solve IT challenges.

One of the first products to be carried forward through Extreme Labs is Extreme AI Expert. AI Expert is a form of generative AI that integrates with ExtremeCloud IQ and Extreme Networks’ knowledge database. It’s sort of like ChatGPT, but from Extreme Networks.

Extreme AI Expert will be your new expert on all things Extreme Networks. It lets your have conversations about configuration best practices, network insights, clients having a bad network experience, … You ask the AI engine what you like, how you like to see it, and it generates an answer for you.

Extreme AI Expert is fed with all the product documentation, the GTAC knowledge base, and works on the basis of an LLM born out of a collaboration between Intel, Microsoft and Extreme Networks itself. This LLM is trained very specifically on expertise from Extreme Networks, as well as generic network troubleshooting. This allows you, through an integration with ExtremeCloud IQ, to also ask targeted questions about both configuration, monitoring, client experience,…

When you think about network reporting, there are obviously already a lot of features you can use right now. However, every environment requires slightly different insights, as well as a different way how it should be displayed. With AI Expert, you can generate customized reports using data relevant to your specific environment.

Extreme AI Expert is currently part of Extreme Labs, which means it is still under development. This was a small sneak peek that already looks very promising.

When AI Expert is effectively available to the general public, you can certainly expect an update from Kappa Data and we’ll be back with all the details.

Conclusion

In this blog post you got a general overview of all the Extreme Networks news announced at the Connect User Conference. In the near future you can expect a nice update within ExtremeCloud IQ together with the launch of UZTNA.

Questions? Contact us!

Feel free to contact us at [email protected] if you would like more information.