Extreme Networks expands CoPilot’s capabilities to give AI insights to network admins

Extreme Networks, Inc., a cloud-driven networking company, has announced a public beta of ExtremeCloud IQ CoPilot, a subscription level available within the ExtremeCloud IQ platform.

CoPilot is designed to deliver explainable artificial intelligence (AI) insights for IT network administrators, enabling them to quickly resolve well-known but highly complex issues. ExtremeCloud IQ CoPilot is relentlessly calibrated against an array of negative test cases and is 99% false alarm free. This allows IT teams to trust the validity of recommendations and spend less time on manual reviews.

In a similar concept to how commercial aviation became safer and cockpit operations became more efficient when the co-pilot function was introduced, network administrators can finally realise those same benefits with CoPilot. CoPilot provides network administrators with an AI assistant that can more easily monitor highly distributed network environments, reducing the risk of missing potential network issues and lessening time spent on network management.

Key Facts:

• Automatic access for pilot subscribers: ExtremeCloud IQ is trusted to manage nearly 1.6 million network devices each day and counting. It is the cloud platform with unlimited data retention, informing its machine learning (ML)/AI engine and providing an unprecedented level of insight and precision. Beginning in June 2021, Pilot subscribers will have automatic access to CoPilot and will begin to see individualised alerts and hyper-personalised recommendations within the ExtremeCloud IQ dashboard. During the public beta, customers will be able to provide feedback, improving CoPilot’s ability to recognise legitimate issues and bolstering its ML/AI actions with human intelligence. New features will be generally available following the public beta, which will conclude in late 2021. 

• Explainable ML/AI recommendations: CoPilot establishes a network baseline for each environment, enabling it to quickly detect anomalies and determine the location of the issue, user impact, possible root causes, and recommended solutions. This level of detail provides IT administrators with easily explainable ML/AI insights they can quickly act on, streamlining secure network operations and reducing operating expenses. CoPilot currently tracks six categories of insights; Wi-Fi Efficiency, Wi-Fi Capacity, Power over Ethernet (PoE) Stability, Adverse Traffic Patterns, Uplink Efficiency, and Dynamic Frequency Selection (DFS) Recurrence with additional categories to be added.

• Actionable insights: CoPilot functions as a trustworthy advisor, assisting IT administrators while continuing to rely on human intelligence to ensure accuracy and provide control. It uses both ML/AI and statistical analysis depending on the complexity of the issue, enabling it to quickly provide detailed insights to IT administrators. Additionally, when CoPilot identifies critical problems, administrators can engage directly with Extreme Networks’ Global Technical Assistance Centre (GTAC) from within ExtremeCloud IQ to provide assistance and additional insight.

ExtremeCloud IQ holds several industry designations, it is the cloud-agnostic network management solution available on Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform, and Microsoft Azure, as well as in private and on-premises cloud environments; and, it is the only cloud network management platform to be ISO 27001, ISO 27017, and ISO 27701 certified. ExtremeCloud IQ has also attained Level 1 status in the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) Security Trust Assurance and Risk (STAR) program.

To better support compliance requirements such as Global Data Privacy Regulation (GDPR), all ExtremeCloud IQ customers retain the ability to delete any of their data at any time. Extreme has 17 Regional Data Centres (RDCs) around the world, with a cloud footprint spanning 5 continents in 13 countries.

Nabil Bukhari, chief technology officer and chief product officer, Extreme Networks says,”Powerful, simple cloud networking is a necessity for IT teams managing today’s infinitely distributed enterprise. While the cloud already delivers flexibility and efficiency, AI and ML compound those advantages. Ultimately, CoPilot will act as its name implies, helping IT administrators navigate increasingly complex networking environments and supporting them in every task. Our customers are at the centre of everything we do, and we are excited to continue to develop CoPilot and advance their ability to maximise the value of their networks.”

Rohit Mehra, vice president of network infrastructure, IDC says, “Highly distributed networks present unique challenges. Leveraging integrated ML/AI capabilities while keeping network operations simple is critical for ensuring optimal network functionality in edge environments to deliver on user experience expectations. Monitoring a network for potential issues can be a full-time job in itself, and without ML/AI or automation, IT teams can easily become overwhelmed. CoPilot will enable IT teams to save time and effort on manual network management tasks, demonstrating Extreme’s understanding of the support customers need.”

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Source: https://www.iot-now.com/2021/05/26/110278-extreme-networks-expands-copilots-ai-driven-capabilities-to-empower-taxed-network-administrators/