Network Switch from Cloudtrax to Tanaza
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Cloudtrax is no longer a viable software to manage your Openmesh APs
End of Life for Open-Mesh products
Needs of Cloudtrax users
Public cloud vs alternatives
Managing existing Open-Mesh networks
The issue with new networks
How to avoid going from bad to worse
Value-added services based on WiFi
When Datto announced they had acquired OpenMesh, it was a shock for many. However, the company reassured its customers that Datto wasn’t going to discontinue the much-loved Open Mesh products, including the free cloud management software Cloudtrax.
Well, everything comes to an end, and that moment has arrived.
Of the vast catalogue of APs offered by Open Mesh, Datto kept just two models, the A42 (802.11ac Wave2) and A62 (Tri-band 802.11a/g/n/ac Wave 2). The widely-used OM2P and OM5P series stopped being sold in December 2018 and were not re-branded as Datto devices.
On 30th August 2019, Datto published on its knowledge base an article about the “End of lice Policy” for Open-Mesh products. In that page, we read that most of the Open-Mesh devices will have their EOL (end of life) date within the next two years. Datto didn’t announce (yet) an end of life date for Cloudtrax; however, the system will not offer any new software update and firmware bug fix on the EOL products. Also, there will be no technical assistance, and hardware repair services won’t be available anymore.
The alternative provided by Datto to Openmesh customers is to migrate their Cloudtrax networks to the Datto platform: however, this comes with the (definitely) unexpected recurring fees which are at the heart of their “MSP-centred” business model.
Summarizing, that’s why now any solution provider that was using Cloudtrax to administrate their networks via cloud must find an alternative software, with these requirements in mind:
- makes cloud management of WiFi networks effortless
- allows managing the existing networks of OpenMesh access points
- allows deploying new networks with inexpensive yet performing devices
- no recurring fees associated
Tanaza fully responds to these needs with a public cloud software to manage Open Mesh and other brands’ access points. And no recurring fees.
We believe that nothing is as good as a 100% public cloud solution.
Some networks administrators use hybrid solutions, such as hardware controllers which connect to a cloud, but these devices represent a single point of failure and, in case they are not working properly, the network admin needs to go on site. Another alternative is to use private cloud solutions: however, we think that they are too expensive and an overkill for most companies.
Previous Cloudtrax users know the many advantages of managing their networking gear through the cloud and do not want to switch to on-premise solutions or hybrid cloud solutions.
Tanaza is a 100% public cloud software.
Management of existing Open-Mesh networks
With more than 330,000 access points sold worldwide, Open-Mesh had created a market of loyal users who now do not know which tool to use to manage their installed base. Any solution for them must allow Open-Mesh devices to be configured and monitored remotely.
Open-Mesh existing APs are compatible with Tanaza, so that IT pros can switch to Tanaza from Cloudtrax without any hassle. Furthermore, the platform is multi-vendor compatible, which means that from a single centralized panel, admins can manage and monitor their existing Open-Mesh devices, as well as your Ubiquiti, Mikrotik, TP-Link and other brands’ access points.
Now that most of Open-Mesh devices are end-of-sale, and that Datto sells the A42 and A62 with recurring fees for cloud management, IT Pros need to find a new brand of wireless access points which is compatible with Tanaza.
Tanaza continuously updates the list of compatible devices on their website, and you are free to use any supported devices for your next deployments. Furthermore, Tanaza will soon announce the first partnerships with hardware vendors for the resale of Tanaza-ready devices, with TanazaOS pre-installed.
With the Datto/OpenMesh acquisition, network administrators that were in love with having a free-forever cloud management platform had a rude awakening.
Now, the worst thing to do would be choosing another mono-vendor solution, because that would mean taking two risks:
- to be locked-in to a single vendor (again)
- to incur in unexpected costs when needing (or being forced to) change hardware
The best thing to do to avoid the vendor’s lock in is to choose a multi-vendor solution, which allows centralized management of multibrand devices while giving IT pros the flexibility to change hardware brand when they need to.
Tanaza is 100% multivendor.
Tanaza is not just a controller: it’s a platform.
In this, it differs from any hardware controller out there, which does only the required minimum: changing configurations and monitoring the devices.
As a platform, Tanaza is flexible and continuously expand to provide additional features, that IT pros might use to offer value-added services to their clientele.