What is the Nile Access Service?
Nile offers always-on, secure, and high-performance wired and wireless connectivity as a service. The Nile Access Service is a cloud-native platform that streamlines connectivity, enforces zero-trust principles, and ensures the best user experience.
In this document, we'll explore the architecture and features of the Nile Access Service, along with its deployment model within modern enterprise networks.
Here are the Nile architecture components:
Nile Service Blocks: Edge network infrastructure, designed and delivered by translating infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) principles of the cloud to secure wired and wireless connectivity at the enterprise campus and branch.
Nile Services Cloud: Powered by comprehensive data collection from the Nile Service Blocks, Nile Services Cloud enables real-time observability and continuous optimization, by utilizing both model-centric and data-centric AI.
Nile AI Applications: Taking advantage of the integrated data model within the Nile Services Cloud, they not only provide full control and visibility to IT admins, end users and Nile’s production engineering team – but they also help orchestrate the network lifecycle management via simple and intuitive interfaces.
Nile is not an MSP. Nile provides connectivity infrastructure in the same way Amazon, Google, and Microsoft provide IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service). Unlike an MSP model, you retain control and visibility over the network deployed at your site. You can customize it anytime to meet your evolving needs. Just like data centers managed by IaaS providers, Nile ensures that the underlying network infrastructure is secure, always on, and meets your capacity requirements.
Nile’s Service Block for wired and wireless access networks consolidates over 10 traditionally separate products and services into a single solution. The Nile networking hardware, integral to the Nile Service Block, is purpose-built for full orchestration from the cloud and powered by cloud-native software, enabling comprehensive network data collection across all layers.
The networks are deployed with a standardized design for both wired and wireless network underlays. They are installed following high-density and high-resiliency design principles. This standardized approach eliminates "snowflake" installs and related complexities, thereby mitigating ongoing operational challenges.
The solution integrates physical and virtual sensors along with deep instrumentation in every hardware and software component, facilitating continuous data collection from the service block. It extends zero-trust networking principles to the enterprise campus and branch by enforcing Layer 3-only user and device isolation, identity-based access with continuous authentication, utilizing hardened hardware with TPM security, and incorporating MACSec encryption in both control and data paths.
Some of the key building blocks of Nile Service block are:
- Deterministic system design with high-performance hardware and built-in redundancy
- Campus zero trust security to enforce L3-only device isolation on hardened hardware
- Comprehensive data collection with deep instrumentation and physical/virtual sensors at every layer
As a full stack access solution, Nile gets a great amount of data points to be able to validate layers of our technology architecture. It allows the creation of the Nile Services Cloud that is powered by an integrated data model to “shift left” and integrate traditionally manual network operations from day -1 to day N into our technology architecture. The comprehensive data collection enables a variety of closed-loop automation capabilities, going beyond AI-generated summaries of network management reports. The goal with closed loop automation driven by the Nile Services Cloud is to completely eliminate manual tasks for IT admins – and not just summarize their task list.
Nile Services Cloud utilizes a comprehensive set of data sources across hardware installation, software status, and lifecycle management services:
- Design data: Floorplans, building materials, and attenuation modeling
- Build data: Network closet locations and specifications of the physical space
- Install data: Fulfillment logs and photos from the pre-and post-installation
- Telemetry data: Real-time data collection from the Nile Service Block
- Management data: Granular network telemetry via physical/virtual sensors
- Consumption data: User profiles, device fingerprints, and application patterns
By unifying disparate data sources into a scalable analytics engine, Nile gains comprehensive insight into network state and user needs.
Nile AI Applications provide simple, intuitive, and personalized user interfaces to IT admins, their end users, Nile customer success and production engineering teams. They are designed to radically accelerate the design, installation, management, and maintenance of enterprise networks. As of today, Nile AI Applications come in two categories highlighted below. These apps radically improve how easy and fast system installers, IT admins, end users, and Nile’s customer success and production engineering teams interact with the Nile Access Service.
The Copilot App is for IT teams and end users to monitor service outcomes and securely onboard users and IoT (Internet of Things) devices
Copilot for IT Admins
Nile Copilot enables IT administrators to orchestrate their Nile Service Block and gain visibility and control. It offers the industry’s first intent-based provisioning of an enterprise network with one-touch installation and system-wide orchestration of desired setup in a few clicks.
Radically simplified provisioning
- Setup full stack wired and wireless network in a few clicks
- Integrate with external IT systems and network services
- Provision network segments in L3 with zero trust isolation
Embedded zero trust security policies
- Implement user and device authentication policies
- Approve or deny device access to zero-trust segments
- Provision rules and steps for guest user authentication
Full stack control and visibility
- Monitoring for coverage, capacity, and availability SLAs
- Essential insights on system, user, device, and app health
- Device profiling data, real-time tests, wireless IDS, and more
Copilot for End Users
With a personalized snapshot of the network status and performance, Nile Copilot also provides end users the ability to validate their service quality and accomplish much more:
- Allow users to test the performance of their devices and popular enterprise apps
- Keep users informed about network, Internet, and popular cloud app availability
- Enable users to self-diagnose the quality of their connectivity and compare with others
- Allow users to submit IT tickets with a snapshot of their location and test results
- Enable users to onboard IoT devices and provide network access credentials for guests
This Autopilot App is for Nile's customer success and production engineering teams to offload network operations
Offload day -1/0 operations
- Automate network topology and bill-of-material creation
- Manage work orders to Nile partners for on-premises install
- One-touch install and cloud-based activation of all elements
Offload day 1/N operations
- Validate installs in real-time given standardized system design
- Automatically visualize current on-premises system install
- Drive root cause analysis with automated support tickets
Offload system maintenance
- Predict potential software issues with automated resolution
- Orchestrate software release and security patch updates
- Automate network moves/adds/changes and refresh
Nile simplifies network operations by providing a cloud-delivered connectivity solution. This model ensures optimal network performance and security through a clear division of responsibilities.
- Connectivity Infrastructure: Design, deployment, and continuous operation of the Nile Service Block (switches, APs, sensors).
- Platform Management: All software updates, feature releases, and configuration of the Nile cloud-based management platform.
- Reliable Connectivity: Ensuring Nile components adhere to the strict SLAs, guaranteeing network availability, coverage, and capacity.
- Proactive Monitoring: 24/7 visibility into Nile service health, with proactive issue resolution ensuring an exceptional user experience.
- Network Setup: Customers provision their intent on top of our standard system design across campus and branch locations. This includes integration with upstream security appliances (firewalls), WAN connectivity, NAC/SASE solutions, DHCP, and RADIUS infrastructure.
- Endpoint Security: Security solutions and policies on end-user devices remain within the customer's domain.
Nile provides comprehensive support for the Nile Access Service. In scenarios where issues might require coordination between Nile infrastructure and customer-managed components, clear communication channels and escalation processes enable rapid troubleshooting and problem resolution.
In the graphic above an orange box (DHCP, DNS etc.) with blue text is an optional service, customers can use their own solutions. Items in blue boxes with an orange border (Site Survey, Cabling plan, etc.) can be conducted by the customer or partner, adhering to Nile's established standards.
Our commitment to shared responsibility starts with planning your Nile Access Service deployment together using this framework.
