As a provider of manufacturing automation solutions for the precision metalworking industry, Ncell Systems is consistently traveling to customers’ sites to monitor and maintain their systems. A typical project can involve equipment from several manufacturers with five or six different IP devices and Ncell is responsible for the upkeep of each.

However, it can get costly to visit each individual site to troubleshoot and fix problems, as truck rolls can waste both Ncell’s and the customer’s time and money. In addition, a small company with expensive automation equipment often can’t afford on-site monitoring and troubleshooting, despite a revenue-dependency on that equipment.

Given this challenge, Ncell started searching for ways to provide these ‘managed services’ to their customers remotely and effectively. This search led them to Lantronix and our ManageLinx application. The ManageLinx Remote Access solution provides secure access to any IP-enabled equipment, even behind firewalls.

ManageLinx allows Ncell to remotely and proactively watch what is happening at customer sites, connecting to several devices at one time and simplifying implementation from the customer’s standpoint. The added bonus is that Ncell can offer ManageLinx as a service, including it as part of the common package sold to the entire customer base.

The ‘managed service’ industry, as exampled by Ncell and ManageLinx, is proving to be an exploding market, especially as businesses are looking to do more with less and reduce overhead costs.

We’d like to hear your thoughts. Have you experienced a need for a service similar to what ManageLinx and Ncell are providing?