INTELLIGENT BRANDS // Mobile Technology
Juniper Networks and NEC electrify Powerco ’ s Wi-Fi user experience
Juniper Networks , a leader in secure AI-driven networks , and NEC Corporation , a leading global IT and network transformation services provider , have been selected by Powerco , New Zealand ’ s second largest gas and electricity distributor , to design and deploy an innovative new Wi-Fi network across its sites nationwide .
Powerco delivers electricity and gas to over 1.1 million customers , linked up to its grid via 28,441km of electricity lines and cables , as well as over 6,100km of gas pipes . Given the mission-critical and essential services it provides , Powerco needed to ensure not only strong connectivity but also the health , safety and security of its employees when operating across its massive utility grid .
Having experienced several issues with their legacy Wi-Fi network , Powerco began looking into replacing their incumbent wireless vendor , which would allow them to embark on a Wi-Fi 6 upgrade as part of a larger technology refresh .
Delighted with the network assurance , insights and visibility offered , as well as the ease of management operations and troubleshooting , Powerco decided on the complete replacement of the incumbent solution with Juniper ’ s Wireless Access Points and Juniper Mist Wi-Fi Assurance . Alongside the consultancy and implementation services provided by NEC , the new platform now provides automated and real-time insights into user experiences for Powerco across its network .
Looking forward , Powerco is exploring further upgrades across its wider networking infrastructure alongside Juniper and NEC toward the delivery of more AI-driven insights into the overall performance and health of its network while streamlining efficiencies and minimizing operational burdens placed on its IT staff .
“ Our technology has been built to fundamentally leverage the operational and user benefits of the cloud and AI . We look forward to providing Powerco with superior user experiences based on network assurance , insights and visibility into the future ,” said Ken Lord , Country Manager , New Zealand , Juniper Networks .
“ Delivering state-of-the-art solutions that provide significant customer-centric value is a goal we share with Juniper , and we look forward to helping Powerco further uplift and transform its networking operations to better serve New Zealand for a long time to come ,” said Nelson Gomes , Head of Networks , NEC New Zealand . p
The company turned to Juniper Networks alongside its strategic global partner NEC , both of whom it has long-term partnerships with . Juniper has been Powerco ’ s networking backbone provider and has also been named as a Leader in the 2022 Gartner Magic QuadrantTM for Enterprise Wired and Wireless LAN Infrastructure . NEC ’ s partnership with Powerco includes the provision of skilled consultancy and design for multi-domain networks catered to their needs .
Through solution trials , Juniper and NEC have successfully demonstrated how their AI-driven wireless networks can optimize Powerco ’ s Wi-Fi experience across its nationwide operations .
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