QBE chose Perle Console Servers for Out-of-Band Management
If the network goes down, secure remote access to QBE data center and branch office IT equipment is enabled through IOLAN Console Servers
QBE, a top 20 international insurance provider with 60 branch offices in 27 countries, also operates 6 dedicated data centers in various locations around the world. The ability to ensure 24/7 uptime of the IT infrastructure is pivotal to their business. This means they must always have access to critical IT assets like routers, switches, firewalls, servers, power, storage, and telecom appliances that operate the backbone communication framework.
“As a company, we pride ourselves on strength, resilience, and dependability,” says Andreas Themistocleous, Global Technical Lead Networks at QBE. “This must also be reflected in our network architecture. However, not every branch office has dedicated IT staff on-site to provide support should our network go down. In the event of an outage, we need a way to access our critical infrastructure equipment.”
For this purpose, QBE chose to standardize on Perle IOLAN Console Servers to provide Out-of-Band access to Cisco Switches, Cisco Adaptive Security Appliances (ASA), Palo Alto Firewalls, and Citrix NetScaler Application Delivery Controllers (ADC). They use a combination of 4 and 8 port compact Console Servers in branch office locations, and 16 or 48 port 1U Console Servers ‘top of rack’ in their Data Centers. Because all Perle IOLAN Console Servers share the same software features and functionality, they are an ideal “one-stop-shop” solution that can fit into any environment.
Out-of-Band Management (OOBM) is a solution that provides a secure dedicated alternate access method into an IT network infrastructure to administer connected devices and IT assets without using the corporate LAN. During system or network outages, a Console Server is a single hardware solution that provides secure OOBM to monitor IT assets and devices from multiple vendors. The Console Server gives administrators access to multiple admin console ports from anywhere, anytime, and any platform, as if they were directly connected. They can be used to reconfigure, reboot, and reimage remotely across the internet or WANs. Disruption and downtime are minimized by providing better visibility of the physical environment and the physical status of equipment. This ensures business continuity through improved uptime and efficiencies.