What do Netflix, Zoom, retail stores, banks, and likely, your fleet company have in common? Network connectivity. Almost every aspect of our world uses a connected network and is becoming even more and more connected as technology advances. A network connection is required for communication within and outside of businesses, to operate daily fleet functions, and to ensure fleet vehicles are on task, maintained, and headed in the right direction through telematics. There’s no question that often technology and connectivity make operations easier, but when a connection is poor and a fleet vehicle loses communication, that simplified way of working becomes a headache many fleet managers know all too well. In a world that’s becoming more digitized by the minute, how can fleets combat connectivity issues?
Modern WorkTruck Solutions chatted with Todd Rychecky, the vice president of sales of Opengear in North and South America. Opengear provides network monitoring and data and IT infrastructure management solutions that help ensure network uptime, helping customers cut costs, maximize profits, and experience smooth operations as often as possible. Below, Todd Rychecky shares insight into the changing world of transportation and how Opengear helps fleets today.
MWS: THE TRANSPORTATION SECTOR IS BECOMING MORE DIGITIZED AT A FAST PACE. WHAT IS CAUSING THIS SHIFT IN OPERATIONS?
RYCHECKY: Transportation is a complex ecosystem involving many different people, parties, and locations that all need to communicate effectively. Companies require a resilient network to access their most critical applications immediately as they are needed. The three major components spurring this digital transformation, in my opinion, are improving customer satisfaction, improving company reputations, and increasing operational efficiency. However, some companies struggle with network infrastructure, using outdated network applications that need to be replaced with equipment that adheres to and is compatible with the modern requirements of today’s leading network providers. I believe a network resilience solution is absolutely essential for digital transformation in the transportation industry.
MWS: WHY IS NETWORK RESILIENCE SO IMPORTANT?
RYCHECKY: If there is network downtime, it creates transportation bottlenecks. Think of telematics systems installed in fleet vehicles. They record information on driving behavior including the driver’s speed and braking, they use GPS systems to predict shorter routes, and so much more. If that telematics system isn’t connected to the network, it provides no value to the fleet manager, because it requires connectivity to record data and function properly. Essentially, for fleet managers, the network is their business. If a network is down, the manager is stuck with no information on their fleet vehicles and drivers. In these situations, Opengear can help by putting that remote access into the hands of the fleet manager’s network team because it manages and remedies network routers and switches in the event of an outage.
MWS: IS OPENGEAR HELPFUL ONLY FOR THE FLEET MANAGER, OR DOES THE FLEET DRIVER BENEFIT AS WELL?
RYCHECKY: I’d say it’s helpful to the drivers. For instance, we worked with a trucking company in Omaha. The truckers were having intermittent network outages at their remote stations, which caused communication delays with them and their delivery. We worked with their network and operations team to spec a solution that provided what we call, “automated management” or “independent management plane” to access their network infrastructure separate from their production network. We were providing an “always-on” connectivity that the drivers weren’t getting previously. There was another situation where an airline experienced a network outage, resulting in a plane reroute that lost the airline significant time and money. The airline CEO called me after the fact and said that using an out-of-band network management solution, such as Opengear, would have prevented the reroute altogether. Another client, a state highway system on the West Coast, has four data systems and 235 remote offices. We’ve worked with them to ensure network uptime so that the company can ensure its business continuity to their users. To answer the question, any solution that prevents network outages is a benefit to fleet managers, drivers, customers, and anyone involved.
MWS: HOW ELSE DOES OPENGEAR HELP TRANSPORTATION FLEETS?
RYCHECKY: For customers having issues with connectivity, typically the problem is that a router goes down and it simply needs a reboot. One of our customers, a car rental company, didn’t have a system in place to reboot their routers and switches. The company now uses our services to reboot their routers and also as a failover system. This means that if the primary network fiber got cut at the office, the Cisco router would send us the data packets and then we bring up the site via an LTE connection. Therefore, we provide not just the network connectivity and troubleshooting aspect of it, but we are also providing the failover for companies to keep their business running. After all, and I say this a lot, Opengear doesn’t help your company prepare for if your network goes down, but when your network goes down.
Opengear also has a security aspect to it. For companies having connectivity issues, it’s discouraged to try and fix those issues “over the network.” Opengear uses an out-of-band management network I mentioned earlier that is separate from the production network, providing extra steps to keep your business’s data private.
MWS: WHAT KIND OF COMPANY WILL BENEFIT FROM OPENGEAR?
RYCHECKY: Any company that requires a reliable network connection can benefit from Opengear. Our customers run the gamut from ride share platforms to software companies and internet providers, to retail stores, banks, and car dealerships, to state departments of transportation and transportation infrastructure companies. Further, global companies, such as major vehicle manufacturers, with locations and data centers all over the world require automated management and remote access to that management. Opengear provides that remote management solution.
MWS: ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS?
RYCHECKY: The transportation vertical has been a market of ours for quite some time. And we do business with the older school transportation and government departments, but also the new ones like ride-sharing platforms. It’s been interesting to see how this industry has moved and transitioned from old school to new school. When autonomous vehicles become a reality, they will run on a network, and that network must be reliable. It’s really interesting how this industry is changing and moving into an era of digital transformation.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Todd Rychecky is the vice president of sales of Opengear in North and South America. Find out more about Opengear, visit www.opengear.com.
