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Opengear Offers Convenience, Cost Reduction with its RIM Gateways

By Rory Lidstone TMCnet Contributing Writer

As corporations seek ways to lower costs in the face of the recent economic downturn, a number of technologies have leapt to prominence in response to this need. Cloud computing and mobility tend to get the most attention, but remote infrastructure management (RIM) is a significant time and cost saver for businesses with multiple offices or locations that deserves more consideration.

Opengear (News - Alert), a leading provider of next-generation remote networking infrastructure management solutions, enables businesses to leverage the advantages of RIM with its gateways. RIM gateways are network hardware agents that deliver secure remote monitoring and management for enterprise remote locations, offering all the features necessary to monitor, access and control infrastructure at a local or remote site. This includes applications and computers, networking equipment, security cameras, power supplies and even the thermostat.

By offering better control and visibility of remote sites from anywhere in the world, Opengear's RIM gateways are able to drive down IT costs.

The company's gateways are split into three families — ACM5000, ACM5500 and SD4000 — each tailored to fit specific needs. The ACM5000 family is made up of small form factor RIM gateways with between two and four RS232 serial ports and up to two USB and Ethernet ports. The ACM5500 family, meanwhile, offers similar functionality with between four and eight RS232/422/485 serial ports, two USB ports and between two and five Ethernet ports.

The SD4000 family differs substantially from Opengear's other RIM gateway offerings as it is more compact than even ACM5000 gateways and focuses specifically on serial device management.

Opengear's RIM gateways have also embraced the use of smart devices in the modern business with its ACM5500 series, which was released last year and adds an elevated level of device connectivity over the ACM5000 range, hence the RS232/422/485 serial connectivity for edge devices, among other additions. As such, the ACM5500 family makes it easy for managed service providers to remotely monitor customers' network infrastructure.

The ACM5500 family continues to evolve, too, with new additions — such as the ACM5504-5-G-W-I — bringing additional functionality to the line.

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