The Man with the Purple Switch

To really understand the value behind any given technology, channel partners usually need a little bit more than just product sheets and a technical training. Instead, they require hands-on resources that can help them address specific customer needs and preferences, showcase their unique strengths and capabilities, and connect more effectively with customers. In other words, they need tools that create opportunities. And as far as opportunities go, no one does them better than… BOB.

These past couple of weeks, Extreme Networks’ partners and customers in Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Slovenia had multiple opportunities to meet Business Opportunity Builder (BOB) – the industry’s unique portable “network-in-a-box” demo kit that can be used to demonstrate Extreme’s core solutions and illustrate specific use cases. Each kit contains three switches, two SD-WAN appliances, two 5G hotspots and one access point, all tied together with Extreme’s industry-leading fabric.

Having deployed BOB at different types of events, focused on various industries and areas such as cybersecurity, IT infrastructure, and networking technologies, we showcased the advanced concept of Fabric-to-the-edge that has been already implemented successfully by some of our customers in Europe. Fully automated provisioning using implicit and explicit automation? Onboarding workflows for a "simple as possible" onboarding of the access layer? Network access control for a "simple as possible" onboarding of end-points with dynamic roles and access control lists? We covered it all, and then some!

Sixteen leading experts representing various industries came to Prague to share their experience, knowledge, and innovations in the field of data protection, network security, and related legislation. Among them was Michal Dolejší from Exclusive Networks, our Diamond-level Distribution Partner, who spoke about the importance of segmentation and access control in network security. In front of more than 160 attendees, Michal demonstrated how to implement Network Access Control (NAC) in heterogeneous networks, using automation and integration into existing security infrastructure.

Only two days later, Michal Dolejší and BOB travelled to the Golf Resort Kaskáda, a picturesque retreat located only 25 minutes from Brno, to participate in a special event held by our long-term partners from CDC Data – the company behind one of the first Wi-Fi 6E implementations in the Czech Republic. Sunny weather, beautiful surroundings, and an astounding attendance of more than 120 guests representing 50 companies, all interested in increasing their cybersecurity posture and driving operational efficiencies… We couldn’t ask for a better opportunity to introduce the Extreme Fabric Connect solution and its rich capabilities to customers from a wide variety of verticals!

In October, we had a chance to actively participate in not one, but two cybersecurity events organized by CEDEG – a metacluster dedicated to research, development, dissemination, and monetization of activities in the field of digitalization and environmentally advanced technologies. Peter Majerčák, Senior Account Executive at Extreme Networks, delivered an insightful and hands-on session on stealth topology and other key features of the Fabric Connect solutions. The audience and everyone who paid a visit at the BOB stand, could learn how to build an invisible network that measures the performance of their applications. Radek Černý, Senior Systems Engineer at Extreme Networks who manned the station, challenged his guests to reconnect the cabling and try to break it. Even if someone succeeded, everyone could see how quickly the connectivity could be restored!

The next assignment took BOB and the Extreme team a little further south – to Slovenia. We gladly accepted the invitation from Smart Com d.o.o., our trusted partner who once helped one of the biggest electricity distribution companies in the country modernize their network infrastructure, to demonstrate the power of Extreme Fabric to their customers. This time, Radek Černý enjoyed a company of Lassi Luukas, Head of Eastern Europe and Nordics at Extreme Networks, who delivered an engaging presentation on how the industry’s most agile and resilient SDN architecture is moving to the future with ExtremeCloud Universal ZTNA and Extreme AI Expert, and how Extreme Labs is bringing together the industry’s top names in AI development like Intel, Microsoft and AWS.

Our power duo, Peter Majerčák and Radek Černý, once again presented BOB to the wider audience – this time in Bratislava, thanks to the courtesy of our partners from Kodys Slovensko. This event, focusing heavily on the latest trends and innovations in the field of automatic identification and data communication technologies, was a perfect opportunity for us to showcase the benefits of Extreme Fabric Connect to the transportation, logistics, and manufacturing customers.

One of the best things about BOB is that… you can borrow him! All Extreme partners in the region are welcome to ask for the Business Opportunity Builder kit for their conferences, customer events, and other activities. If you wish to check BOB’s availability and possible dates, please contact Radek Černý (Extreme Networks) or Michal Dolejší (Exclusive Networks)!