Why manage a network when you don’t have to? Lunar Energy’s leap to the future of networking

The Challenge

Lunar Energy is experiencing rapid growth, so much so that it found itself in need of a new campus to house its employees and operations. However, without a network engineer on staff, Lunar IT was challenged to roll out a network in the new location. The traditional labor-intensive, time-consuming way of deploying a network was not an option.

• Deploy a network without an in-house network engineer
• Meet the demands of both enterprise users and manufacturing IoT

The Solution

Nile took care of the entire network deployment, from site survey, ordering, procurement and expert installation through the ongoing monitoring and operation of the network.

The AI-enabled Nile Access Service at Lunar runs beyond the typical IoT devices of smart thermostats, security cameras and badge readers. Lunar houses an innovative hybrid office/manufacturing facility. Data from the hundreds of battery tests performed in the facility every hour is transmitted over the Nile network quickly and efficiently. The network will soon support the AR and VR applications that are being added to the manufacturing process.

• End-to-end, hands-off network that just works
• Nile Access Service installed in one day, no network engineer required
• Secure connectivity and capacity backed by performance-based guarantees and Nile customer support
• Bandwidth for manufacturing, design and 3D work by heavy traffic users

The Results

Lunar Energy IT simply did not have the time or resources to do networking the old-fashioned way: plan a network, build a network, manage a network. The gamble on a new way of networking with Nile has paid off in ways both expected and surprising. Ultimately, Nile took the repeatable tasks off of IT’s plate, allowing them to focus on creating a competitive advantage for the company.

• Cost savings used to fund strategic IT initiatives
• Always-on connectivity, guaranteed capacity to support heavy traffic users, data-intensive manufacturing applications
• Campus zero trust isolation guards against social engineering, malware and tampering
• Pay-per-user model eliminates pricing complexity, uncertainty

Offloading the operational burden

Traditional network deployments are complex and incredibly time consuming, and Alex Derafshan, head of the Lunar IT organization, had no interest in going down that road again.

“For the past 30 years running enterprise IT, I’ve built many networks,” he recalls. “The pre-process alone is so tedious, I’ve had bake offs across the major vendors that have taken nine months.”

The site survey is also a big hurdle, in Derafshan’s opinion, and he was impressed by how thorough Nile’s was, crediting it with laying the analytics foundation for future troubleshooting.

Putting together the Bill of Materials (BOM) is also a daunting task, one that Derafshan happily handed over to Nile.

“There are so many choices when it comes to the BOM, even when the specs match,” he says. “Nile just came in and did the design, taking care of something that is so complex.”

Save money, sleep better at night

“I worked for one major network vendor and I’ve deployed other lean IT solutions, but I’ve never found a solution as simple and smooth as Nile,” says Derafshan.

Not only did Nile enable the installation of Lunar Energy’s network without a network engineer on staff, but moving forward, Derafshan has no plans to hire one for ongoing management. This saves the company money that can be used for business-critical Lunar Energy priorities. Nile’s pricing model is also simple: pay per user, per month, nothing else to think about. But for Derafshan, it goes beyond cost.

“Our decision to go with Nile wasn’t just about the money, it was about peace of mind,” he says.

“What impressed me is that Nile built high-end hardware and software from the ground up to deliver the network as a service,” says Derafshan. “They have sensors that monitor the service and let me know if users have problems before they even experience any problems.”

So, how can Derafshan be sure that Nile is living up to its performance-based guarantees? He could check the Nile Customer Portal, but instead he relies on his everyday experience.

“I never get complaints about not being able to connect or that videoconferencing isn’t working,” he says.

Trust no one

Security is one of the most compelling reasons Derafshan chose Nile. In the past, he had suffered through the cost and inconvenience of network access control (NAC), so Nile’s built-in campus zero trust isolation was a breath of fresh air. Once everyone authenticates on the network, complete isolation guards against social engineering intrusion. It also prevents the spread of malware, while the physical design of the network elements prevents tampering.

“I am immediately notified when someone tries to access the network and I have to give approval,” he explains. “With Nile’s campus zero trust isolation, I know our network is protected for both wired and wireless connections.”

“I worked for one major network vendor, and I’ve deployed other lean IT solutions, but I’ve never found a solution as simple and smooth as Nile.”

– Alex Derafshan, Infrastructure and Cloud Architect, Lunar Energy

“Our decision to go with Nile wasn’t just about the money, it was about peace of mind.”

– Alex Derafshan, Infrastructure and Cloud Architect, Lunar Energy