Sierra Wireless, has announced the launch of AirLink® Enterprise Connect, a first-of-its-kind bundled solution for retail and branch locations in the United Kingdom, France, and Germany. AirLink Enterprise Connect provides everything an IT manager needs to get a branch location online and connected in minutes, facilitating mission-critical activities such as payment processing and inventory management.
By using a 4G LTE wireless network, the need to wait for wired broadband installation is eliminated. AirLink Enterprise Connect can also serve as the foundation for a highly effective and reliable business continuity strategy, with built-in automatic failover in case wired service is disrupted.
The rollout of 4G LTE networks across Europe positions wireless as a viable and often more flexible connectivity solution than wired lines. AirLink Enterprise Connect comprises an AirLink ES440 Gateway and Terminal Server, pre-integrated and provisioned with a subscription that provides access to AirVantage Management Service and a local 4G LTE SIM, all bundled into one box. For distributed enterprises like retailers, restaurant chains, kiosks, and small branch offices, AirLink Enterprise Connect provides a primary network connection that is remarkably quick, flexible, and easy to set up, or a best-in-class failover solution for an existing wired broadband connection.
Wireless service for AirLink Enterprise Connect is provided by Wireless Logic, Europe’s leading M2M managed services provider. Sierra Wireless has integrated Wireless Logic’s SIMPro multi-network SIM management platform, BillPro billing and invoicing service, and NetPro private network infrastructure into AirLink Enterprise Connect. The integrated solution is provided through AirVantage, meaning customers have a unified user interface with only one subscription and one contract to manage.
“The availability of high-speed 4G LTE networks is growing across Europe, and 4G-based solutions like the AirLink Enterprise Connect bundle from Sierra Wireless offer an attractive alternative for connecting branch locations,” said Philip Cole, european sales and marketing director for Wireless Logic. “We are excited to collaborate with Sierra Wireless, a leading provider of 4G LTE solutions around the world, to address this market, and look forward to serving our joint customers with a fast, easy solution to meet their connectivity needs.”
“Simplicity is a key requirement for an IT manager who may be hours away from any given location,” said Emmanuel Walckenaer, senior vice president, enterprise solutions for Sierra Wireless. “With AirLink Enterprise Connect, personnel at remote locations can easily get their connections up and running straight out of the box, and IT managers have the added assurance of remote access to upgrade, change configurations, and even restart network equipment when needed. For businesses that rely on continuous connectivity, this can vastly reduce the risk of downtime and ensure those critical connections are maintained to process payments and access real-time data.”
AirLink ES440 Gateway and Terminal Server
The AirLink® ES440 enterprise gateway delivers mission-critical 4G LTE connectivity and is part of a best-in-class business continuity strategy. Deployed with an enterprise router, the ES440 provides remote out-of-band management (OOBM) to network administrators while leveraging a router’s instant failover and firewall features.
Using the AirLink ES440’s serial port to connect to the console port of the router, IT administrators can troubleshoot and repair network equipment over wireless wide area networks (WWAN). This terminal server capability allows operation centers to remotely reboot, configure, and update a router via the ES440 using Reverse Telnet and SSH protocols. As a result, remote personnel no longer need to manually reset their networking equipment and IT administrators can dramatically reduce the number of field visits.
How to buy
AirLink Enterprise Connect is available today in France and Germany through Sphinx. In the United Kingdom, AirLink Enterprise Connect is available through Westbase. For more information, please visit the Sierra Wireless website at www.sierrawireless.com/AirLink_Enterprise_Connect or visit http://www.sierrawireless.com/sales.
