Home » Blog » ZPE Systems introduces fully-integrated, open SD-Branch platform

ZPE Systems introduces Next-Generation SD-Branch for distributed enterprises and managed service providers

Fremont, CA, December 8, 2021 – Despite using SD-Branch and next-gen firewalls for branch transformation, modern enterprises still struggle with critical gaps in reliability and uptime.

Today, ZPE Systems has addressed these gaps with the release of a fully-integrated, open SD-Branch platform. This platform consists of a new edge gateway called the Hive Services Router (Hive SR) with integrated 5G/4G LTE; cloud-orchestrated SD-WAN application; and wireless access points.

By collaborating with industry tech giants, ZPE Systems is enabling large enterprises, managed service providers, and other organizations to achieve comprehensive automation, robust out-of-band management, Day Zero installation, and continuous operation, bringing NetDevOps to the edge. This eliminates weak links in the automation chain, allowing for automatic deployments and remediation that are critical to reliability and uptime.

ZPE Systems’ Co-founder and CEO Arnaldo Zimmermann explains: “People automate what they can, but not what is most critical to their infrastructure. This leaves dangerous gaps in processes that cannot be automated. For example, you can’t recover a stuck switch without being able to talk to a third party PDU. Using our vendor-neutral platform, you can bridge those gaps and remotely connect to all your third party infrastructure.”

The announcement comes after the company’s recent release of its ZPE Cloud Apps, Nodegrid Data Lake, and environmental sensors. These — paired with the latest Hive SR, SD-WAN application, and ZAP-5220 wireless access point — solidify the company’s vision of providing a cost-effective, next-generation SD-Branch platform.

The Hive SR delivers more than connectivity and security, with integrated out-of-band and cloud automation that allow companies to orchestrate their NetDevOps pipeline in its entirety. Its open architecture, powerful x86 CPU, and robust memory and storage enable companies to directly host 3rd party software, containers, and VMs such as those for NGFWs or user experience monitoring applications.

The Hive SR also features the latest generation Wi-Fi 6 access point built-in, which covers 3,000 sqft (300 sqm) of space. Additional coverage can be achieved using the new ceiling-mounted ZAP-5220 access point, which complements the SD-Branch solution by providing enterprise-grade Wi-Fi 5 throughout indoor locations at speeds up to 1.2 Gbps.

Additionally, the Hive SR accommodates Nodegrid’s environmental sensors and connects to ZPE Cloud. These integrations allow companies to increase uptime by having visibility into device tampering, physical conditions, user experiences, and hidden machine data. The ZPE Cloud platform finally enables organizations to automate across diverse, multi-vendor equipment at the branch, thanks to its vertical integration of hardware and orchestration stacks. Organizations can now prevent downtime, predictably configure and scale environments, and optimize user experiences at the edge.

Increasingly hybrid infrastructures force organizations to shift connectivity and security to the edge, which can lead to a ‘tromboning’ or ‘hairpinning’ effect as traffic is looped through the data center. The Hive SR with the new SD-WAN application eliminates this, serving as the on-ramp to what Gartner calls Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) — or cloud-delivered connectivity and security. This combination allows organizations to send traffic directly to public and private clouds, without congesting the data center or risking security. Features like Auto-VPN and QoS automatically create secure tunnels and give IT visibility into application performance, bandwidth, link status, and other critical metrics.

Bringing everything together is the company’s signature next-gen out-of-band with Zero Trust Security at large scale. Next-gen out-of-band enables management of the entire SD-Branch solution and adjacent equipment, without putting engineers on site. Servers, PDUs, IoT, and other devices present at the remote edge can be controlled via serial console, management port or USB connection. This robust out-of-band is reliably accessible via the latest generation 5G modem onboard the Hive SR, which enables the branch to be completely rebuilt from scratch via the cloud — a process ZPE calls ‘seed-of-life automation™.’ These capabilities reduce mean-time-to-repair (MTTR) and prevent downtime via instant remote access to edge locations.

Nodegrid OS v5.4 also releases, including notable features such as support for SD-WAN, gateway profiles, 5G cellular, and IPv6. These enable organizations to take full advantage of ZPE Systems’ next-generation SD-Branch solution.

VP of Marketing Koroush Saraf adds, “One customer reported that the all-in-one Nodegrid solution exceeded all requirements, slashed 50% of their workload, and helped achieve near 100% network uptime.”

Hive SR is shipping now in limited quantities. Visit the links below for details.

Discover the open Nodegrid Hive SR

Explore the 5-in-1 SD-Branch gateway that enables full pipeline automation.

Unlock flexible cloud SD-WAN

Whether on-prem or in the cloud, optimize your WAN with a free 90-day trial.

Get Wi-Fi 5 for enterprise

See how the compact ZAP-5520 enables your LAN with speed and security.

About ZPE Systems, Inc.

ZPE Systems is rethinking the way networks are built and managed by providing software-defined, vendor-neutral infrastructure management and networking solutions.

ZPE Systems’ Nodegrid® platform consolidates, organizes, and simplifies the need for a complete remote access and control solution; Nodegrid solutions address the OOB management needs of the data center and branch, unifies edge networking environments, manages converged infrastructure and provides intelligent automation. ZPE’s smart, consolidated IT management solutions reduce downtime, deliver OPEX savings, and extends the reach of IT workforces.

ZPE’s global headquarters is located in Fremont, California with offices throughout the US and globally in Ireland, India, Brazil and Japan.

ZPE Systems, the ZPE logo and Nodegrid are registered trademarks of ZPE Systems, Inc.

To learn more, visit www.zpesystems.com.