Uplevel Systems Blog

Uplevel Systems brings powerful business advantages to help Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and small enterprise customers adopt Wi-Fi 6, the most advanced wireless technology available today. Wi-Fi 6 offers businesses high speed, secure networking, and great battery life.‍

Almost 15 billion Wi-fi enabled devices are in use worldwide. The latest iteration of WiFi, known as Wi-Fi 6 (IEEE 802.11ax), builds on this giant installed base to deliver yet more performance and capacity to devices and users. This transformative wireless standard uses new technology to scale up network capacity to gigabit levels, and supports multiple simultaneous transfers to users, with no sacrifice of battery life.

In a second phase of implementation, Wi-Fi 6E (‘enhanced’) adds a whole new frequency band, 6 GHz, to the available Wi-Fi spectrum, to further expand capacity and reduce congestion.

The key areas of improvement include: speed, range, multi-device management, latency control, and security. With Wi-Fi 6, many of the technologies that were originally developed for 5G cellular networks have made their way into the LAN domain. In fact, there is a convergence of sorts between Wi-Fi 6 and 5G, in terms of network capacity, device bandwidth, and use cases. (The difference, of course, is that you don’t need to spend $200,000 on a 5G base station!)

WiFi-6: The most Powerful Wireless Technology to Date

All of our partners know well that life and business today revolve around seamless, unobtrusive, and fast wireless connectivity. Everything from gaming to restaurant ordering is built around the expectation that people will wirelessly connect to the Internet. Wi-Fi 6 is yet another step on this path. Now that the standard has been ratified, Uplevel Systems is quickly adopting WiFi-6 to provide MSPs and SMB customers with a core business advantage—versatile, quick, secure, and wireless networking.

How does Wifi-6 benefit businesses?

There are plenty of sources that will tell you all about the Wi-Fi 6 technology in gory detail, and wrapping your head around the alphabet soup of new technologies (OFDMA, anyone?) takes more space and time than a blog post. But what does all this mean for your customers? Well:

1. Great Network Capacity

With WiFi 6 APs and clients, multiple clients can be on the air transmitting simultaneously (thus multiplying the scarce capacity of that wireless channel). Wi-Fi 5 and older generations were “one speaker at a time only” protocols. The improvement is obvious. (What is not so obvious is that you need a ‘pure’ Wi-Fi 6 network to actually see this improvement - Wi-Fi 5 or older devices will subtract large chunks of network capacity from what’s available - so it may take a little time until all of those pesky Wi-Fi 5 devices disappear and we can realize the full benefit.)

2. Enhanced Battery Life

Wi-Fi 6 access point introduces a twist on the old 802.11 power save protocols, with something called Target Wake Time (TWT) that lets connected devices become more power-efficient. Why does this matter? Well, pretty much all wireless devices have batteries … and battery life is the biggest bugaboo with just about all of them. Wi-Fi 5 and older protocols made plenty of performance draining compromises to conserve battery power. Wi-Fi 6 does away with many of those.

3. Better Performance Outdoors

Wi-Fi 6 has a substantially improved beamforming ability. This is sort of a fallout of the incredibly complex technology required to implement OFDMA, which is a pretty mind-twisting amount of digital signal processing packed into a chip. Now, OFDMA only really works well when at close range. Rather than let all that DSP horsepower go to waste when devices are far apart, though, the Wi-Fi 6 designers used it to build much narrower, targeted beams of RF energy between the clients and APs. (Well, I’m simplifying by a lot - but you get the idea.

A headlight illuminates much further out than a bare lightbulb, doesn’t it?) Well, we’ve measured open-air speeds greater than 300 Mb/s between plain old 2x2 MIMO Wi-Fi 6 APs and clients that are 400 feet apart … that’s beamforming. Leave your directional antennas at home.

4. Increase in Throughput

Got 50 separate APs in your neighborhood? Overlapping Basic Service Sets (OBSS), a Wi-Fi 6 improvement, reduces the apparent congestion of dense networks and allows multiple conversations to be going on simultaneously. With Wi-Fi 5 or older, they’d all be just stepping on each other.

5. Increased Range

Same beamforming advantage, but this time used to s-t-r-e-t-c-h that usable range out to some fairly long distances. You might only get 10 or 20 Mb/s, but it will be hundreds of feet away.

6. Raw Speed

Probably won’t be ultra-noticeable relative to Wi-Fi 5, but Wi-Fi 6 tops out at 9.6 Gb/s maximum raw capacity. (Wi-Fi 5 reached a theoretical max of 3.5 Gb/s.) Why not ultra-noticeable? Well, with all Wi-Fi technologies, your mileage may vary.

Those gigabits are really only achievable in a nice quiet environment, with no nasty concrete walls getting in the way, no neighboring APs blasting away at maximum power and legacy rates (like that ever happens, eh?), and so on. But overall … yes, you should see an improvement. If you don’t turn the AP sideways and try again. Ultimately, Wi-Fi 6 should bring things up to the point where other things keep you from maxing out your gigabit link. (Or 2.5 Gb/s link).

7. Infrastructure as a Service at its best

Our brand new Wifi-6 APs support MSPs in enhancing customer experience … and they’re available now! Want to improve your customer’s Wi-Fi experience? Simply swap out your existing Wi-Fi 5 APs (or start with just one), we’ll bump your subscription, and off you go.

Final Note

The new Wi-Fi 6 standard might seem overwhelming, with a whole raft of buzzwords to wrap your head around. And some of those caveats might be a little daunting (“Huh? You mean everything doesn’t just run ten times faster?”) But we’re there to help you negotiate this minefield. Give us a call if you want to know more!

An Active Directory (Microsoft trademark) domain controller is used in many high-security environments, such as healthcare, financial services, accounting, etc. Most IT professionals know about Active Directory, but are also aware that it’s complex and generally difficult to set up correctly. (Unless you’re using Uplevel Systems built-in cloud-managed Active Directory compatible Domain Services … then it becomes easy!) Let’s take a look at what it really is.

What are Active Directory Domain Services?

A directory in the IT world is a hierarchical structure that stores data about the network and its users and devices. A directory service like Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) goes further: not only does it store directory information and makes it available and accessible to users and administrators, but it also controls access rights to information, provides a simple way to distribute and enforce corporate IT policies, and maintains audit logs for forensics and security audits.

What does Active Directory Domain Services actually do?

Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) act as a centralized storage and management system for information about machines and resources on a network. It allows network administrators to manage user accounts and group memberships to enable/restrict access to enterprise resources. Active Directory Domain Services is a critical component of the Windows Professional operating system, for all businesses big or small.

AD has a hierarchical structure of logically organized items such as computers, users, and groups. This structure is based on a concept known as the directory information tree (DIT), which is organized into a set of containers. Each container includes a subset of the objects in the directory, and is identified by a distinguished name (DN).

The hierarchical structure lets you delegate authority, control access to resources, and create a logical structure that reflects the physical structure of your organization.

Advantages of Active Directory Domain Services for SMBs

AD provides benefits that can be helpful for small and medium businesses (SMBs):

1. Quickly manage and organize policies pertaining to data and resources; for example, you can automatically mount a shared drive on a group of users’ workstations, or enable access to printers by subsets of users.

2. Provide security and Single Sign-On (SSO) capabilities. Users can walk around from workstation to workstation as required by their job function; when they log into a workstation with their credentials, they will see their own desktop and data, and will not be able to see the data of other users.

3. Create and manage Group Policy Objects (GPOs), which control users' and computer settings in an organization.

Summary

Active Directory Domain Services are an essential component of many small businesses that have extensive security needs. While Active Directory involves many complex concepts - and is often difficult to set up correctly - it is extremely powerful; when used properly, it can elevate security substantially, and make it much easier to manage a customer’s IT system.

Uplevel makes implementation and management of Active Directory far simpler by integrating a full Active Directory compatible Domain Controller into its gateways and enabling it to be set up and managed from the cloud with a few mouse clicks.

‍About Uplevel Systems

Uplevel Systems offers comprehensive, easy-to-use, and remotely managed IT infrastructure. We ensure flexible and adaptive solutions that may potentially fulfill every customer's needs and budget.

As a fast-growing MSP, Lexington IT Solutions chose Uplevel as the foundation of its managed services to meet the needs of organizations like Pawmetto that don’t have large IT staff or budgets.

“We looked at several networking alternatives and landed on Uplevel as the primary solution for the work we do for clients,” Toombs explains. “We like the way they just configure everything the client needs so when they send it to us we just plug it in and make minor adjustments.”

Powerful integrated devices managed through the cloud help MSPs and clients save capital as well as time. Where traditional upgrades - buying multiple boxes or moving everything to the Cloud - can mean upfront costs of $5K or more, managed services powered by Uplevel help avoid purchasing gear and paying for future upgrades.

“Uplevel’s subscription model makes more sense than patching things together with NetGear and other point solutions,” Toombs says. “Most clients like the idea that they get everything they need for a few hundred dollars a month and don’t have to shell out thousands upfront.”

Unlike most vendors, Uplevel sends out the latest equipment every few years at no cost so MSPs can keep clients’ networks and relationships current. “Uplevel Support is also fantastic,” says Toombs. “If a customer does have an issue, we know they’re going to make it a priority just like we do.”

Two new high-end, high-capacity gateways from Uplevel Systems, a provider of IT infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) solutions to managed service providers (MSPs), will enable partners to better support clients with more complicated requirements.

Important files are the foundation of every small or medium business - today’s businesses cannot function without immediate access to critical data. Frequent backups are crucial for defending against data loss brought on by hackers or natural disasters.

With Uplevel’s Cloud Backup solutions, businesses can store files and data without risk of loss, and set up offsite backups with a few clicks to support disaster recovery and archival storage.

Reinvent the Data Backup Experience with Uplevel's Cloud Storage Backup Solutions

The storage built into the Uplevel Gateway is fully encrypted, and offers multiple levels of enterprise-class backup. Protection from ransomware, accidentally deleted files, disasters, or compliance with regulatory requirements has never been simpler. Zero-cost local read-only snapshots permit fast restore of deleted files or immediate recovery from a ransomware attack. Encrypted cloud mirroring permits full recovery from hardware failures or disasters. Finally, encrypted cloud archives allow unlimited, robust long-term storage to meet regulatory requirements. All this is built into the system, enabling a solid backup strategy to be implemented without any external appliances or infrastructure.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does cloud backup keep my data safe?

The data you store with cloud service providers is actually safer than the data you have on your computer's hard drive. Hackers can use malware and phishing emails to lock up your computer’s storage, and demand a ransom to unlock it. Uplevel’s fully encrypted backup system is isolated from such attacks.

What are the benefits of secure cloud storage versus on-premise servers?

On-premises storage keeps data on a local hardware server. This offers fast access and eliminates the dependence on the Internet link, unlike pure cloud storage schemes that rely on the Internet. However, this has a high risk of data loss - a power surge or natural disaster can easily destroy the server and the data it contains. In addition, an on-premise server adds to cost, complexity and the need to manage yet more devices.

Uplevel’s storage offers the best of both worlds: the data is stored on-premises in the gateway itself, but fully backed up to the cloud. This provides a combination of speed, robustness and simplicity.

What happens if I accidentally delete something from cloud backup?

Since the Uplevel cloud backup system is read-only and not directly accessible, deletion is impossible.

Why choose Uplevel Systems for cloud backup solutions?

The Uplevel Systems cloud backup solutions help you guard against data loss, malicious attacks, or hardware failures. The encrypted on-device snapshots, cloud backup, and cloud archiving protect data while it is at rest and in transit.

The Uplevel 24-hour rapid replacement program also includes a copy of the backed-up data from the cloud prior to shipment, to minimize customer downtime. Uplevel also maintains an extensive backup monitoring infrastructure to ensure that backups run reliably and correctly, and any backup failures are promptly remediated without placing a burden on the MSP.

Can anyone besides me access my cloud backup files?

No. The cloud backup files are in fact not merely fully encrypted - so even if it were possible to access them, it would be impossible to decipher the data - but also isolated and accessible to only the Uplevel Systems infrastructure.