Optimise SIM and data administration with CentralFlex, iONLINE’s connectivity management platform

Considering the high number of data-intensive applications in use today, and the need for constant connectivity, enterprises face the challenge of efficiently managing data and controlling the associated costs.

iONLINE Connected Networks, one of South Africa’s largest enterprise private LTE providers, has launched the latest version of CentralFlex, its innovative connectivity management platform for 3G, 4G, 5G, NB-IoT, and LTE-M connectivity.

Developed completely in-house, CentralFlex’s powerful features enable businesses to better monitor, manage and control their data usage, and curtail revenue leakage.

Gary Muir, Head of Software Development at iONLINE, says the use of timely data from network partners is crucial to accurate usage reporting. “CentralFlex’s real-time reporting functionality allows you to be more agile in your data management and to make quicker decisions on quotas. This allows your teams to make decisions faster and with greater accuracy because they have more – and better – information on hand,” he says.

Gary Muir, Head of Software Development at iONLINE

The user experience

The CentralFlex dashboard was thoughtfully designed from a user-experience perspective. The interface is intuitively simple, with a logical flow and attractive, user-friendly layout.

Extensive reporting across various dimensions including SIMs, users and groups, allows users to effortlessly combine and roll up reporting as needed.

This helps budgeting controls within organisations by increasing visibility into SIM data costs and managing usage in real-time – something widely regarded as difficult to manage with enterprise connectivity.

CentralFlex has multiple user roles, allowing you to assign specific access privileges to different individuals or teams.

Whether you need to grant access solely for reporting purposes or have a technical team that needs comprehensive control and functionality access, CentralFlex offers this flexibility.

“CentralFlex stands out from traditional management platforms because of its close integration with the network components of the private and secure network interfaces,” says Muir.

“This, together with real-time reporting functionality, empowers you to make informed decisions, set more accurate quotas, and be more agile in your data management. Equipped with such comprehensive information, your teams can act faster and with greater precision, driving operational efficiency.”

Management at a granular level

While there are many benefits to CentralFlex, distinguishing features include effective reporting, cost management controls, flexibility, risk reduction, and timely troubleshooting.

The ability to monitor data usage means there is less risk when deploying a new IoT solution, while the capacity to quickly and easily view connections and connection histories means that patterns of problematic connectivity can be easily identified, minimising downtime and disruption.

The platform provides detailed network connectivity metrics, allowing you to monitor the extent of your connections and the status of each.

The ability to see and analyse trends over selected periods, identify top users, and pinpoint high data consumers provides thorough insight into behaviour.

You can also view unused SIMs on your profile and decide how best to manage this.

CentralFlex allows for a flexible structure in terms of a hierarchy of data usage, such as with groups and users, for which there is no limit to the number you can create on the system.

It is also possible to set custom notification levels at both group and user level, providing alerts on data usage.

Click here to learn more about FlexiSIM, iONLINE’s multi-network-resilient connectivity solution.

Integration and enterprise growth

An API is an application programming interface – a software intermediary that lets two applications “talk” to each other. CentralFlex comes with a full API suite, enabling you to easily integrate your existing systems into it.

This lets you use iONLINE’s advanced networking features by building them into your existing workflows, applications and processes.

Several value-added services are available to complement CentralFlex, including IMEI or device locking, location-based services (LBS), device tracking, and custom data labelling. CentralFlex also allows for network subnetting and the ring fencing of a set of IP addresses in order to apply different firewall policies or rules to them.

David Farquharson, founder and CEO of iONLINE ISP (PTY) Ltd, says CentralFlex is transforming how businesses handle their data and manage their costs.

“CentralFlex enables organisations to harness the full value of their data usage and provides the tools for more precise decision-making while scaling solutions in their organisation. We are proud to deliver a solution that works this hard for enterprises and makes such a valuable contribution to their success.”

Click here to see this and other solutions in action and book a demo.

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About iONLINE

iONLINE ISP (PTY) Ltd is a leading connectivity provider that delivers cutting-edge technology solutions to businesses globally.

With offices in South Africa, UK, USA and Australia, iONLINE is dedicated to providing exceptional customer service and ensuring that its clients remain connected in a constantly changing world.

Furthermore, iONLINE is committed to promoting positive change for both society and the environment, reflecting its dedication to corporate social responsibility.