Allot adds centralized management to QoS boxes

Allot Communications is augmenting its suite of NetEnforcer appliances with a centralized management system called NetXplorer, which the company says will enable one-to-many device configuration and policy distribution.

Until recently, Allot says, its NetEnforcer QoS, traffic and bandwidth management boxes had to be configured and managed on an individual basis. Now with Allot’s NetXplorer software, says Azi Ronen, executive vice president of corporate development, Allot customers can more easily manage distributed optimization appliances.

“Our devices are designed to let network managers know what traffic is on their network and to better control it with policies,” Ronen says. “We’ve always had management in our products, and now we are adding centralized management to provide users with one system for their distributed appliances.”

NetXplorer is installed on a Windows server in the data center and communicates with software embedded on distributed NetEnforcer appliances. The software supports all flavors of NetEnforcer, and can consolidate reporting from multiple devices into one system, the company says. Network managers will be able to tap one console that shares a database of information collected from many devices and can provide consolidation real-time and historical reports, Allot says.

Allot, which competes with the likes of Expand Networks, Packeteer and Peribit Networks (now part of Juniper), uses appliances in data center and other locations. Ronen points out that the architecture for Allot’s technology doesn’t require two boxes on either end of a WAN link in all cases. NetEnforcers are installed in the data center, as well as other locations, depending on what customers need or want to accomplish with the technology, he says.

“We recommend a centralized solution for WAN optimization that may require multiple devices, but not necessary one in each remote location,” Ronen says. “When you get into the SMB market, the number of devices needed makes a big difference in terms of cost of ownership.”

NetXplorer is available now, with pricing starting at $6,000 for a basic license.