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NEC XON provides Africa’s first AI-driven wireless LAN


Johannesburg, 10 Jul 2019
Ross Templeton, GM of Networking at NEC XON
Ross Templeton, GM of Networking at NEC XON

NEC XON is providing the first AI-powered wireless LAN (WLAN) solution in Africa.

The solution is based on technology from Mist Systems, a Juniper Networks company, which has been an NEC XON partner for 15 years.

“Mist’s intelligent, cloud-based architecture provides phenomenal opportunities across verticals such as healthcare, enterprise, commercial and safety and security management,” says Ross Templeton, GM of Networking at NEC XON. “The cloud delivery model enables rapid scaling, agility, flexibility, performance and solid ROI. The solution makes WiFi more predictable, reliable and measurable, because it is automated, and enables location services using Bluetooth LE.”

The solution also enables NEC XON to provide automated insights across the network stack, which saves time and costs while simultaneously improving network performance.

Juniper Networks added Mist’s next-generation WLAN platform to its existing wired LAN, SD-WAN and security solutions when it acquired Mist Systems in April 2019. Mist provides enterprise-grade WiFi, BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy or mesh networking) and IOT for personalised, location-based wireless services that do not need battery-powered beacons. It is a pioneering technology in the field of cloud-managed wireless networks powered by AI.

Mist also has the networking industry’s only AI-driven virtual assistant, Marvis. Marvis simplifies wireless troubleshooting and gives peerless visibility and insights into client and network behaviour. It employs patented BLE alongside WiFi and IOT for services, such as indoor wayfinding, proximity notifications, traffic analytics and tracking assets.

These features are propelling Mist to become the de facto standard for enterprise networking already used by two of the Fortune 10, seven of the top 40 retailers, one of the world’s top mobile carriers, and one of the world’s largest airlines.

Yarob Sakhnini, GM of Emerging Markets at Juniper Networks, says: “NEC XON continues to innovate across Africa with Juniper. Mist, combined with the other Juniper solutions like Juniper’s SD-WAN, provides scalable and manageable solutions with zero-touch simplicity. These solutions demonstrate how innovative technology delivers additional revenues and saves costs for customers across Africa.”

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NEC XON

NEC XON is the combination of XON, a Systems Integrator providing custom ICT and security services and solutions in Southern Africa since 1996, and NEC Africa, the African business of the global technology giant NEC Corporation. NEC Corporation implemented its first communication solution in Africa in 1963 and established NEC Africa in 2011 to grow its business ICT and public safety.

Kapela Capital (Pty) Ltd, XON’s B-BBEE partner since 2010, continues as NEC XON’s B-BBEE partner in South Africa, with Israel Skosana as chairman of the board of directors of NEC XON.

NEC generates global revenues in excess of $30 billion by orchestrating a brighter world for public entities, enterprises, telecoms carriers, and providing system platforms for businesses.

The combined NEC Africa and XON (NEC XON) operations seek to more fully explore the opportunities for safe city, energy, cyber security, telecommunication solutions, retail, managed services, cyber defence services and cloud (both public and private), among others in sub-Sahara Africa.

NEC XON maintains its head offices in Gauteng, South Africa with a footprint that covers all nine provinces in South Africa and 16 countries in sub-Sahara Africa.