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Zyxel’s Q3 partner sales soar in education sector

Zyxel Networks has announced an increase in partner sales figures in the education sector by over tenfold year-on-year in Q3.

The networking solutions provider is attributing the increase to a surge in demand for Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 6 and centrally managed networking products.

Zyxel said that by showcasing that its latest Access Points meet industry standards, and demonstrating the simplicity and effectiveness of its Nebula cloud management platform, partners have won significant new business with schools all over the country.

“Having first class WiFi really matters to schools,” said Rachel Rothwell, senior regional director for the UK and Ireland at Zyxel. “Of course, they need to meet the latest criteria set out by the DfE for use of wireless technology, but more importantly, they want to deliver the best possible experience to pupils.

“Online resources play a central role in learning now and fast, reliable connectivity for all pupils is absolutely critical. With Zyxel Access Points and the Nebula cloud, schools know that they will get the very best, optimised performance at all times.”

Rothwell said that partners have had a very positive response from education buyers, with Nebula proving an ‘increasingly popular’ choice for both schools and trusts, and the MSPs that work with them, as a monitoring and management platform.

“Many of our service provider partners are already building a strong business using Nebula as their central network management platform.”

Nebula enables partners to monitor and manage network devices for multiple customers through a single platform. Around 100 Zyxel products are available with Nebula support, all of which come with a basic licence free of charge with additional functionality available through the purchase of a Nebula Pro licence.

Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 6 is an industry verification programme based on the IEEE 802.11ax standard, which provides the capacity, efficiency, coverage and performance required by users in demanding wireless networking environments.

For schools, Wi-Fi 6 can provide optimum performance for users in high density environments. Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 6 ensures devices meet the highest standards for security, interoperability and power consumption.

Schools are required to meet specific technical criteria for wireless networking by the Department for Education. These stipulate that equipment should be Wi-Fi Alliance approved and new products deployed should provide the Wi-Fi 6 standard.

Additionally, the DfE stipulates that there should be centralised management provision for the Wi-Fi network available through a single platform. Schools are also expected to ensure adequate security is in place to prevent unauthorised access.