Midwest Internet Solutions -
Overland Park, KS
ezMaster - Managing a Nationwide Network With a Single System
Midwest Internet Solutions (MIS) is a nationwide full-service provider of High-Speed Internet Access (HSIA) systems for some of the nation’s largest hotel chains. Their customers mainly consist of hotel and property management companies whose services focus primarily on customers and guests. MIS utilizes EnGenius’ solution in over 300 locations. EnGenius device deployment sites include Best Western, Holiday Inn Express, Choice Hotels and Wyndham properties. The company is located in Overland Park, Kansas, with offices in Dallas and Boston.
The Need: Licensing Fee-Free, Remote Network Management Capabilities
How can a Managed Service Provider headquartered in the Midwest provide 24/7 network monitoring services to companies nationwide in order to grow their business? That is exactly what Midwest Internet Solutions wanted to find out. They needed a system that would allow them to monitor all deployed equipment from a central location, though that equipment might be several states away.
MIS also needed to keep their costs down in order to compete with larger businesses. To stay competitive, they are always looking for ways to increase efficiency, maintain high customer satisfaction rates, and reduce truck-roll costs.
Another area of focus? Avoiding products with recurring licensing fees. Annual licensing fees required by other companies’ network management systems might be the difference between a lost or won bid when pitching new projects. In today’s competitive market every single benefit counts.
Finally, MIS wanted to maximize device functionality, reliability and performance while reducing the per-device cost, in order to minimize sticker shock for prospective customers. That is where EnGenius’ ezMaster and the Neutron Series came in.
“We use ezMaster a lot, and the nice thing is that it’s free. It’s one of the most convenient things, that you have a device that is similar to Cisco Meraki – it’s pretty much the same thing.”
Victor Jaimes
Senior Network Administrator
The Solution: 1000+ Devices Easily Managed With ezMaster
Neutron hardware – and the included ezMaster Network Management Software – was the solution MIS was looking for. ezMaster allows MIS to monitor deployed equipment from their Network Operations Center 24/7. Not only can they see when a device is down, they can also troubleshoot and reboot remotely, which drastically reduces the need for truck-rolls.
This is an undeniable time saver and benefit to MIS, particularly when you consider how many EnGenius devices they have out in the field:
- 1,000+ Neutron Access Points
- 70+ Neutron Switches
- 300+ Deployment Locations Nationwide
Victor Jaimes, Senior Network Administrator at MIS, says, “We use ezMaster a lot, and the nice thing is that it’s free. It’s one of the most convenient things, that you have a device that is similar to Cisco Meraki – it’s pretty much the same thing.” He goes on to say, “Our customers don’t have to pay licensing fees every year, or anything like that, and yet we almost get the same benefits.” Similarly, there are no subscriptions required, or tech support fees.
Easy to set up and deploy, the Neutron Series devices that MIS selected reduce installation time – resulting in additional labor and deployment savings.
MIS uses a variety EnGenius devices, including:
- Neutron Managed PoE Switches
- Neutron EWS 11ac Indoor Managed Access Points – ceiling mounted
- Neutron EWS 11n Indoor Managed Access Points; 2×2 Single-Band – ceiling mounted
- Neutron Dual-Band Wireless Managed Wall-Plate Access Point: this all-in-one device provides in-room multi-port wired and wireless connections for phones, IP TVs, networked minibars, and game consoles.
The Results: ezMaster & the Neutron Series Save Time & Money
MIS chose the ezMaster/Neutron combination for many reasons – including the ezMaster Network Management Software. Jaimes likes how easy it is to update firmware with the software. “Completing firmware updates with one click for a thousand APs at a time, if you like – that’s very nice. We used to have to do them individually, which took a lot of time. That’s no longer the case. You can choose which models you want to update.”
While deploying 1000+ EnGenius devices is a testimony to MIS’ confidence in EnGenius products, their continued expansion of ezMaster/Neutron use is an even better endorsement. MIS expects to have 1300+ EnGenius devices deployed by the end of 2017.
EnGenius’ technology is one part of MIS’ earned confidence; customer service is another. EnGenius provides its customers with quick and responsive customer service that can’t be matched by most larger companies. Jaimes says, “EnGenius customer support is really amazing.” Make your network management easy with ezMaster and the powerful Neutron Series!
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