Mist Systems Provides Strategic Solutions to Support Contact Tracing for the AI-Driven Enterprise

AI-driven Wi-Fi, virtual Bluetooth® LE (vBLE) and Premium Analytics enable scalable and cost-effective solutions for maximizing user safety in the workplace

BANGALORE, INDIA, May 22, 2020 – Mist Systems, a Juniper Networks company and a pioneer in secure AI-driven networks, recently announced several new solutions that assist enterprises as they welcome employees, customers and guests back onsite after current regional and global stay-at-home restrictions are lifted. Juniper customers can now perform key workplace business continuity safety tasks like proximity tracing, journey mapping and hot zone alerting as part of strategic contact tracing and social distancing initiatives at a cost-effective price point. By leveraging Mist’s proven AI-driven Wi-Fi, patented virtual Bluetooth® LE and Premium Analytics solutions, these use cases can be delivered in a scalable manner, while simultaneously providing customers with the controls to protect individual privacy.

“Employee health and wellness have always been a key part of business continuity planning, but now more than ever enterprises are looking to IT for help complying with OSHA, ADA, CDC and other guidelines,” said Sudheer Matta, VP of Products at Mist. “The Mist architecture provides unique value by combining Wi-Fi with patented virtual BLE technology, supported by a 16 antenna array that is bi-directional and minimizes the need for extra infrastructure hardware like battery-powered beacons. In addition, Mist recently launched a Premium Analytics service that provides unique insight from a variety of data sources to optimize end-user/client experiences and identify trends that can assist customers with workplace safety.”

Juniper Mist also has a robust ecosystem of technology partners to deliver comprehensive solutions in support of enterprise contact tracing, social distancing and other indoor location use cases. This includes wearable BLE badges, real-time notification systems and applications that can leverage the Mist open-SDK for high-accuracy indoor location.

By using Mist access points and cloud services in conjunction with Wi-Fi and/or BLE-enabled devices such as phones and badges, enterprises can now take advantage of the following business critical use cases:

Proximity tracing: If an individual identifies as COVID-19 positive (or is experiencing symptoms), enterprises can quickly identify and notify other employees, guests or customers that may have been in close proximity to that individual while onsite.

Journey mapping: Customers can view historical traffic patterns and dwell times for employees who have reported testing positive for COVID-19 – from the moment they were onsite to departure. Journey mapping can identify high-traffic hot zones so customers can take safety measures such as reconfiguring workspaces and deploying additional cleaning efforts. 

Hot zone alerting: By looking at the quantity of devices and locations in specific areas, enterprises can disperse or divert traffic away from congested areas with real-time, location-based alerting. They can also view trends over time to identify certain areas for proactive measures.

Supporting Quotes:

“Before COVID-19, the principal driver for adoption of public cloud was the desire for greater business agility and flexibility in support of digital transformation. That driver has not gone away, of course, but now it is reinforced by an unprecedented impetus to achieve a greater degree of business and application resilience, including addressing scenarios for application and business continuity and disaster recovery.”

Brad Casemore and Rohit Mehra, IDC – “Five Major Datacenter Networking Trends in 2020 and Beyond” May 2020

“Pandemic planning is more important than ever in today’s enterprise. We are seeing more enterprises prioritize and allocate budget to this initiative and it makes perfect sense for them to turn to readily available technologies from proven vendors like Juniper Mist to address current and future requirements.”

Chris DePuy, Technology Analyst/Co-Founder, 650 Group

“With the return to the office imminent for many organizations, it is critical for us to quickly offer our customers proven solutions that assist with workplace health and wellness. The Mist solution not only solves a real need within our user base, but it is built on the same Wi-Fi, vBLE and cloud services we have been using for years, which makes it easier for us to deploy and manage with confidence.”

David Raftery, Chief Customer Officer, Integration Partners