technologyreseller.co.uk 33 the control they need without sacrificing the advanced features available in cloud solutions. Q: How does OmniVista Terra co-exist with OmniVista Cirrus? Gerry O’Hanlon: It’s crucial to understand that Terra and Cirrus form a unified network management suite. They’re not different products with different capabilities, but deployment options of the same platform. Customers get identical features whether they choose cloud or on-premises: the same unified LAN/WLAN management, the same AI-driven analytics, the same security capabilities, the same integration with solutions like Celona Private 5G and Versa SD-WAN; and the same open API capabilities for integration with broader ecosystem applications. Organisations can even adopt a hybrid approach, using Cirrus for some sites and Terra for others, all managed under a common umbrella with consistent security policies. That flexibility is unprecedented. Cloud makes sense for many scenarios: distributed organisations, rapid growth, limited IT resources, preference for operational expenditure over capital expenditure. But on-premises makes sense for others: highly regulated sectors, data sovereignty requirements, ultra-low latency needs, preference for local control and fixed costs. Q: What would you say to an IT leader who’s been told by their current vendor that they need to move to cloud management? Gerry O’Hanlon: I’d say you have options. The industry trend towards cloud-only is about vendor economics, not customer value. It’s easier and more profitable for vendors to operate a single cloud platform than to support diverse deployment models. But your job as an IT leader isn’t to make things easier for vendors, it’s to ensure your network infrastructure meets your organisation’s specific needs. If those needs include on-premises deployment, data sovereignty, guaranteed performance or air-gapped security, then OmniVista Terra gives you a path forward without sacrificing modern capabilities. al-enterprise.com our AIOps tool, you can identify root causes and mitigate issues efficiently across your entire network. Observability is critical for modern networks, and Terra provides deep, realtime analytics on network performance, user behaviour and device status. You get Quality of Experience metrics, historical analysis and Wi-Fi heatmaps for coverage optimisation – everything you need not just to react to problems, but to prevent them. Q: Why would an IT manager choose onpremises deployment when cloud is often seen as simpler and more flexible? Gerry O’Hanlon: For many organisations, cloud absolutely is the right answer, and that’s why we offer OmniVista Cirrus. But for others, like government agencies handling classified information, a hospital needing guaranteed, predictable performance for life-critical medical systems, an energy utility managing critical infrastructure or a financial institution subject to strict data sovereignty regulations, on-premises is a mandatory requirement. Terra gives such organisations maximum control and data ownership; predictable ultra-low latency; strong local control, ideal for regulated industries; and fixed, upfront operational costs rather than ongoing subscription dependencies. Q: Doesn’t on-premises mean higher operational overhead, more IT staff, more complexity? Gerry O’Hanlon: Historically that’s been true, and that’s precisely why Terra is such a significant release. Yes, on-premises requires dedicated, skilled IT personnel to manage the infrastructure, to perform server maintenance and to handle security, backups and upgrades. But Terra dramatically reduces that burden through intelligent automation, simplified workflows and AI-assisted operation, from the integrated chatbot for simplifying daily IT operations to AI-based analytics that help teams stay ahead of problems rather than constantly firefighting. Our target customers – large enterprises and organisations in highly regulated sectors – already have IT teams and infrastructure. What they haven’t had is a modern, intelligent platform that gives them Q: How does Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise’s new on-premises network management platform, OmniVista Terra, align with current trends in network management? Gerry O’Hanlon: What we’re seeing across the industry is that major vendors – Cisco with Meraki, Juniper with Mist and HPE Aruba – are pushing customers towards cloud-only management platforms. In some cases, they’re removing on-premises options entirely. While cloud management makes perfect sense for many businesses, we’re hearing loud and clear from customers in regulated industries – government, defence, healthcare, transportation, energy and utilities – that they simply cannot adopt cloud-only solutions. They face strict compliance requirements, have data sovereignty concerns, or need guaranteed performance with ultra-low latency. These aren’t edge cases; they are massive sectors with specific operational needs that cloud-only vendors are increasingly unable to serve. Our next-generation on-premises network management system, OmniVista Terra, delivers the exact same advanced features as our cloud-based solution, OmniVista Cirrus, but it runs entirely on the customer’s infrastructure, under their control. Q: What are some of these advanced features? Gerry O’Hanlon: Highlights include unified LAN and WLAN management, AI-driven analytics, intelligent chatbot assistance and comprehensive observability. Terra provides a single, intuitive interface for managing switches and wireless access points, so there’s no jumping between different consoles and no separate learning curves. You get zero-touch provisioning for rapid device deployment, real-time device insights for proactive troubleshooting and advanced Zero Trust security policies with automated IoT micro-segmentation. The AI capabilities are particularly exciting. We’ve integrated an AI-based chatbot that lets administrators use natural language to get real-time responses to network queries, configuration guidance and troubleshooting support, dramatically accelerating problem resolution. When you pair that with OmniVista Network Advisor, NETWORKS Q&A In this Q&A, Gerry O’Hanlon, Country Business Leader for UK and Ireland at Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise, explains how the company’s new on‑premises network management platform gives customers in regulated industries more choice and control Gerry O’Hanlon
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