Update expands Mist Wi-Fi management platform use cases

Startup Mist Systems has added finer network segmentation to its cloud-based Wi-Fi management platform, making it possible for companies to determine who gets access to network devices and services.

The latest capabilities, introduced this week, make the platform more useful in places where there might be a need to divvy up Wi-Fi access, such as in hotels, college dormitories or apartment buildings.  Along with the new features, Mist launched a couple of access points (APs) capable of serving more devices.

The cloud-managed Mist Wi-Fi management service, launched last year, combines big data and machine learning to track user behavior and ensure network performance. The company sought to make its APs stand out in the market by embedding Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacon software. The technology lets retailers skip the use of separate hardware when deploying wayfinding, promotional and informational services in stores.

With the latest version of the Wi-Fi management system, companies can build smaller segments within a Mist Wi-FI network through an update of WxLAN, a Mist technology that network managers use to create policies for assigning network resources, such as servers and printers, to groups of users. The latest version of WxLAN lets managers create a service set identifier for a select group of users and assign services or devices that only they can access.

"This type of network segmentation would work really well in a multidwelling environment, such as a college dormitory," said Nolan Greene, an analyst at IDC. "Also, within a corporate environment, this simplifies access-policy setting in environments with multiple user groups."