Top 5 Challenges in Managing Edge Devices Faced by SI/MSP

Allxon has been hearing a lot about their system integrator customer experiences especially as technical support engineers have difficulties with many situations in the field. They are normally capable of handling anything that comes their way and they possess the skills and qualifications to handle anything but seldom are they ready for the pitfalls of giving direct support. You see even though we live in the 21st century and we have all the gadgets and tech at our disposal, we don’t necessarily have full control. Full control of the client’s machines, the environment, the platform, the resources, and most importantly people. Granted living in this modern age allows us all the technological perks of communicating with clients it still doesn’t solve the underlying issues edge devices bring and that are the varying devices, sprawled locations, the cost involved in maintaining them, the lack of cloud-based out-of-band management, and the convenience of over-the-air updates. Allxon has been listening to their stories and has compiled this post on some of the pain points you should avoid.

Different Machines, Different Operating Systems

Part of the complexities of working for an SI is the fact that no two machines are alike. Many times, you must configure and provision identical hardware but find yourself having to switch OS because of technical requirements. This can be challenging because you need the skill set to work on Windows, Linux, Android, and legacy Os’s. If you or your staff don’t have the required knowledge, you must find a contractor and pay for it – adding additional costs to your budget.

Device Location Hassles

AIoT devices are spread across the stores ceiling and at different geo-locations usually in different cities and towns. It takes more time to provide hardware, software, deployment, and support services to these devices. It becomes a costly endeavor as well as time-consuming. The challenge is being able to mass deploy, configure & provision, monitor, offer disaster recovery, retire or replace old devices, and create analysis predictions for all machines in a smooth and timely manner.

Out-Of-Band Management Troubleshooting

Remote Device Update Difficulties

In order to provide device services that are fast, secure, and reliable SI/MSP partners currently use RMM to access devices remotely, but this still doesn’t resolve real-time issues. Updating devices remotely can be somewhat mismanaged and fixing devices at their locations when they are on different OS’s or locations is a nightmare. This requires travel, long hours, and inherent human resource costs. This is particularly challenging if edge devices are spread across geographical locations. The challenge is being able to update as many devices as possible in the shortest period, on time, and on budget.

Cloud Edge Deployment Nightmares

The AIoT model requires devices to be deployed at the edge giving companies a better layer of protection and security. However, this can be cumbersome and inefficient when there are too many security layers within an organization making it costly and time consuming to rely on internal IT staff to assist with provisioning and troubleshooting. The challenge is trying to avoid these circumstances by incorporating a comprehensive SOP model to create transparent training so company engineers and SI’s can jointly work together on. However, even a model like this would require authentication, enrollment management, and remote management.

The Solution

Allxon, a full hardware and software SaaS solutions provider, integrator, provides a complete device management system to bring down operational costs, to create a seamless transition and secure environment. The company is launching a new device management tool which is open, integrated, and portal-based aimed at connecting partners to drive the AIoT industry forward. Get alert notifications, conduct remote monitoring, and handle disaster recovery with ease. Combine information and operational technology together with one portal managing all operating systems, reduce maintenance costs, and work in a safe and reliable cloud-based service. A complete solution architecture for system integrators and managed service providers. In addition, Allxon provides an end-to-end cloud Out-Of-Band management solution to reboot devices directly online fixing a common downtime issue.