Centralized Control of Geographically Distributed Retail Networks

Most major retailers have started to deploy wireless LANs to deliver cost-effective network access for everything from laptop computers to barcode scanners, point-of-sale devices, voice-over-wireless handsets, and more.

• Flexible grouping for configuration and policy enforcement. Retailers typically operate networks with distinct needs and policies in multiple types of facilities, ranging from corporate headquarters and large distribution centers to individual retail outlets. AMP gives administrators the ability to create logical groups of wireless access points and enables them to define separate policies and apply them automatically to devices in all of the different environments.
• Multi-vendor hardware support. Retailers may select different hardware vendors or even different wireless network architectures for different operating environments, using rugged industrial access points in distribution centers and more conventional access points in office environments. AMP provides a single, common interface that lets administrators seamlessly manage heterogeneous devices from multiple vendors.
• Centralized management across a LAN or WAN. Retailers often maintain only a low-bandwidth or intermittent network connection to individual outlets. AMP manages devices efficiently across both the WAN and LAN, and even lets administrators customize network polling intervals to ensure that low-bandwidth links are not flooded with network traffic.
• Remote RF monitoring. Wireless networks in retail outlets are often affected by interference from other, neighboring Wi-Fi networks. Diagnosing the resulting problems can be extremely difficult, since few outlets have trained IT staff members or RF experts onsite. AMP enables the IT staff to conduct wireless scans of the RF environment remotely from managed, authorized access points, and detect and resolve problems from thousands of miles away.
• Scalability for global and national chains. AMP's flexible distributed software architecture makes it possible to manage a wireless network in literally thousands of geographically distributed stores from a single, integrated console.