Traditionally, campuses with a large Wi-Fi installation are deployed with a controller-based architecture. In today’s environment, with more and more devices connecting to the Wi-Fi network, IT is asked to do more with less.
When the next upgrade cycle approaches, one is tasked with investigating a new architectural model: cloud-managed Wi-Fi.
Wi-Fi访问的需求已经在校园内生长。这包括支持这些需求所需的基础设施。一个大型校园可以管理数百或数千个接入点。这些接入点不仅提供了覆盖范围，还需要满足教室讲座和互动教学的容量需求。
We’re seeing less wired connectivity as students and staff move towards a mobile lifestyle. With all the demands and strain being placed on today’s Wi-Fi networks, controllers are now becoming a huge bottleneck in the network. The controller is the central data and control plane of a large number of access points. The IT staff may not be armed with the expertise required to manage and troubleshoot the complexities of wrangling the day-to-day operations of a multi-controller environment.
Licensing a controller with the right amount of access points can have its own challenges. No matter how the process is simplified, it takes the focus away from real productivity. When staff should be optimizing, improving, or resolving problems they are instead entangled in a web of licensing troubles.
A cloud-managed Wi-Fi network aims to help simplify the process. Some may see this architecture as limiting by removing the traditional command-line interfaces altogether. However, in a fast-paced environment, IT staff cannot afford the time to be in the trenches of command lines. Technology has come very far to help get out of that manual workflow.
云管理的Wi-Fi远离集中式模型，并利用分布式网络。接入点连接到公共或私有云中的管理平台。所有管理都在互联网连接中执行。数据不是将公共网络遍历到云端，而是在网络上本地切换。在现代网络中，大多数用户访问是云或SaaS应用程序，因此隧道返回控制器并不重要。
The real advantage of cloud-managed Wi-Fi comes in the form of configuration and management. It’s extremely simple to deploy hundreds of access points in just a matter of days. More often than not the access points are configured with the right parameters the moment it can communicate to the Internet. There’s a single pane of glass for the whole Wi-Fi network that is accessible from virtually anywhere using secure communications. There’s no need to VPN into a network to manually provision access points on a single controller.
Firmware and software updates used to take weeks or even months to schedule with a controller-based architecture. Rebooting a controller may take an act of extreme coordination and could create an impactful outage as each controller updates and each access point is subsequently rebooted. The resulting reboot storm could impact coverage over a large area for a significant period of time and be difficult to predict.
云-managed access points simply receive their updates on a regular basis. Everything can be rebooted on a schedule that works for your organization, and all of it can be performed without lifting a finger late in the evening. And if that version of the update didn’t work or there was an issue, it is simple to roll back.
Now of course, with these easy to use features, constant updates and streamlined deployments, you’re bound to lose some control. Network and wireless professionals have a hard time reconciling this fact. They make unsubstantiated claims such as bad updates causing havoc on the network. However, objectively vendors have more riding on the cloud infrastructure. Thorough testing, quality assurance and more testing is a must.
作为云的消费者，我们放弃了一些控制。更新将以常规的间隔按压到接入点。新功能将被引入云仪表板。访问点最终将不受支持。我们将支付订阅。但这是秘密的我们想要的模型。我们希望更多更新，更修复，更多功能，更多的支持。我们想要更多的Wi-Fi。提供它的最佳方法是通过云管理的架构。
Is the campus ready? The real question is if the IT staff is ready to embrace this change for the sake of delivering a better Wi-Fi experience to the users.
