Microsoft and 3M have announced a strategic partnership covering both data center optical connectivity and enterprise AI adoption. Under the July 15 agreement, Azure becomes the first announced hyperscale cloud provider to deploy 3M’s Expanded Beam Optical (EBO) technology across its data centers, while 3M adopts Microsoft’s AI and digital platforms across several of its own business functions. The companies say the arrangement pairs Microsoft’s hyperscale infrastructure and digital tooling with 3M’s materials science and precision manufacturing background, aimed at speeding AI adoption and building out the physical network layer that cloud and AI workloads depend on.

EBO Technology Moves Into Azure Data Centers

The core of the infrastructure side of the deal is 3M’s EBO technology, which Microsoft will implement within Azure data centers as it scales capacity for generative AI and other high-performance workloads. Traditional fiber connectors rely on direct physical contact between polished ferrule end-faces. This design is sensitive to dust and debris and requires regular cleaning and inspection to maintain signal quality. EBO instead uses lenses to expand and collimate the light beam across an air gap between connectors, thereby reducing the connection’s sensitivity to contamination and physical wear. According to the companies, this makes EBO connections faster to install, more tolerant of dust and handling, and less demanding to maintain than direct-contact designs, which matters in dense, high-churn data center environments where cabling is installed and serviced constantly.

Microsoft’s early use of the technology points to shorter deployment windows in specific data center scenarios, as well as stable optical performance in live environments where dust exposure and frequent handling during installation and maintenance are routine. For operators managing large fiber counts across AI clusters, that combination of faster installation and reduced maintenance overhead is the more practical selling point than the underlying optics itself.

3M is scaling production of EBO components to meet demand from hyperscalers and other data center operators building out AI infrastructure. The company has adapted its single-mode EBO design, developed over decades of work in materials science and precision manufacturing, for high-volume data center deployment. 3M was also involved in establishing the EBO Multi-Source Agreement (MSA), an industry effort to standardize the interface so that EBO components from different manufacturers can interoperate, which is typically a precondition for broader adoption across the supply chain rather than a single-vendor arrangement.

Cliff Henson, corporate vice president of Cloud Supply Chain at Microsoft, framed the EBO integration as part of a broader pattern of incorporating partner technology into Azure’s infrastructure to improve deployment speed, resilience, and scalability, providing customers with a more reliable environment for cloud and AI workloads.

3M Applies Microsoft’s AI Tools to Its Own Operations

On the enterprise side, 3M will roll out Microsoft’s AI and digital tools across parts of its transformation plan, including customer service, finance, sales, and marketing. The intent is to streamline internal processes, improve decision-making, and raise both customer satisfaction and employee productivity.

One concrete example already underway involves Microsoft Frontier Company engineers working alongside 3M’s Global Business Services group to automate customer order management. The two teams are building an AI-driven workflow that handles credit checks, delinquency assessments, and related system updates, with human-in-the-loop controls and a dashboard for real-time monitoring and approvals built into the process. The intent is to reduce manual processing, make the workflow more consistent, speed up cash flow, and free 3M staff to focus on higher-value work, while making the underlying process more scalable and auditable.

3M executive vice president and chief strategy officer Jon Van Wyck described AI as a lever for accelerating growth, improving customer experience, and increasing team effectiveness, and pointed to the Microsoft partnership as a way to optimize enterprise operations and build out AI infrastructure with an emphasis on practical, mutually beneficial outcomes rather than open-ended experimentation.

Next Up

Microsoft and 3M said they plan to continue the partnership through ongoing technical collaboration, direct engagement between engineering and commercial teams, and joint work across Microsoft’s data center and device ecosystem. The stated focus areas are reliability, faster deployment, higher interconnect density, and long-term scalability, drawing on 3M’s background in materials science, optical connectivity, and manufacturing.

Most notable is the EBO Multi-Source Agreement rather than the Azure deployment. A single hyperscaler adopting a new connector design is a data point; an MSA aimed at standardizing that design across vendors determines whether expanded-beam optics becomes a broader alternative to direct-contact fiber connectors industry-wide, rather than a one-off implementation limited to Microsoft’s own data centers.

The post Azure Becomes First Announced Hyperscaler to Deploy 3M’s Expanded Beam Optical Fiber appeared first on StorageReview.com.

Ubiquiti continues to expand into the enterprise wireless market with the introduction of the UniFi E7 and E7-Campus, two flagship WiFi 7 access points designed for high-density, high-performance deployments. Built around a 10-stream tri-band radio architecture, 10GbE connectivity, and the latest 802.11be standard, the E7 family marks a significant step forward from previous UniFi generations, bringing features traditionally reserved for premium enterprise vendors into the UniFi ecosystem.

While both access points share the same core hardware platform and WiFi 7 feature set, they target very different deployment scenarios. The standard UniFi E7 is optimized for demanding indoor environments, such as offices, schools, convention spaces, and other areas where large numbers of clients compete for airtime. The UniFi E7-Campus builds on that foundation with a redesigned directional antenna system and RF characteristics tailored for large indoor venues, courtyards, stadiums, outdoor gathering spaces, and campus-wide deployments where extended coverage and client density are equally important.

The E7 lineup also signals UniFi’s continued expansion beyond the SMB market into larger enterprise deployments. As organizations adopt multi-gig switching, faster internet connections, and bandwidth-intensive applications, wireless infrastructure is increasingly the limiting factor. By pairing WiFi 7 radios with 10GbE uplinks and enterprise-class management via UniFi Network, the E7 family provides the headroom needed for modern campus networks while maintaining the simplified deployment and centralized management that have become hallmarks of the UniFi platform.

With pricing starting at $499 for the UniFi E7 and $799 for the UniFi E7-Campus (affiliate links), these access points sit at the premium end of Ubiquiti’s portfolio. Rather than simply chasing higher headline speeds, they are designed to deliver the capacity, coverage, and scalability organizations need for their next-generation wireless infrastructure. In this review, we’ll examine where each model fits, explore the hardware differences between the two, and dive into key features.

Specifications

Specifications	E7	E7-Campus
Overview
Price	$499.00	$799.00
WiFi Standard	WiFi 7	WiFi 7
Spatial Streams	10	10
Coverage Area	185 m² (2,000 ft²)	465 m² (5,000 ft²)
Max. Client Count	1000+	1000+
Uplink	10 GbE 1 GbE	10 GbE 1 GbE
Power Method	PoE++	PoE++
Physical
Dimensions	250 x 250 x 43.5 mm (9.8 x 9.8 x 1.7″)	Device: 250 x 250 x 45.5 mm (9.8 x 9.8 x 1.8″) Articulating mount: ⌀104 x 149.4 (⌀4.1 x 5.9″)
Weight	1.8 kg (4 lb)	Device: 2.2 kg (4.9 lb) With articulating mount: 3.1 kg (6.8 lb)
Mounting	Ceiling, Wall, VESA (Pro Mount Included)	Wall, Pole (Mounts Included) VESA (Optional)
Weatherproofing	—	IPX6 IP67 with Waterproof Door Kit (Included)
Performance
MIMO	6 GHz: 4 x 4 5 GHz: 4 x 4 2.4 GHz: 2 x 2	6 GHz: 4 x 4 5 GHz: 4 x 4 2.4 GHz: 2 x 2
Max. Data Rate	6 GHz: 11.5 Gbps 5 GHz: 8.6 Gbps 2.4 GHz: 688 Mbps	6 GHz: 11.5 Gbps 5 GHz: 8.6 Gbps 2.4 GHz: 688 Mbps
Antenna Gain	6 GHz: 6 dBi 5 GHz: 6 dBi 2.4 GHz: 5 dBi	6 GHz: 12 dBi 5 GHz: 12 dBi 2.4 GHz: 9 dBi
Max. TX Power	6 GHz: 24 dBm / 30 dBm 5 GHz: 30 dBm 2.4 GHz: 23 dBm	6 GHz: 30 dBm (36 dBm EIRP) 5 GHz: 30 dBm 2.4 GHz: 23 dBm
Features
Wireless Meshing / Roaming / RRM	✓	✓
Zero-Wait DFS	✓	✓
PRISM RF Filtering	—	✓
Hardware
Max. Power Consumption	43W	44W
Supported Voltage Range	42.5–57V DC	42.5–57V DC
Networking Interface	(1) 10 GbE RJ45 port (1) 1 GbE RJ45 port	(1) 10 GbE RJ45 port (1) GbE RJ45 port
Environmental
Operating Temperature	-30 to 50° C (-22 to 122° F)	-30 to 60° C (-22 to 140° F)
Operating Humidity	5 to 95% noncondensing	5 to 95% noncondensing
Software
UniFi Network Version	Version 9.2.87 and later	Version 9.0.114 and later

Performance Positioning: WiFi 7 at Scale

From a throughput perspective, both the E7 and E7-Campus fully leverage the expanded bandwidth of WiFi 7. With up to 11.5 Gbps on 6 GHz using 320 MHz channels, these APs target environments with dozens or hundreds of clients active simultaneously, rather than chasing single-client peak speeds.

The key differentiator, however, is RF design. The standard E7 uses omnidirectional antennas with moderate gain, making it ideal for traditional indoor deployments such as offices, classrooms, or dense residential settings. In contrast, the E7-Campus uses high-gain directional antennas, delivering significantly higher dBi values and focused coverage patterns. As a result, it performs far more effectively in large open areas, outdoor campuses, or long-range indoor corridors.

Additionally, the E7 Campus includes PRISM RF filtering and active hardware filtering, which give it an advantage in congested RF environments. Both models support Zero-Wait DFS, which maintains channel availability when a radar event forces a channel switch, but the Campus pairs that capability with filtering hardware tailored to the interference profiles of dense outdoor and mixed-use deployments.

Build and Design

The E7 follows the familiar UniFi ceiling-mount design language, with a low-profile squircle enclosure measuring 250 x 250 x 43.5 mm. Ubiquiti clearly intended it for clean indoor installations, blending into office ceilings or wall mounts without drawing attention. Build quality is consistent with UniFi’s higher-end gear, using a mix of UV-stabilized polycarbonate and aluminum.

The E7-Campus, on the other hand, takes a more purpose-built approach. While similar in footprint, it adds thickness and more rugged construction, along with an articulating mount for precise directional alignment. Furthermore, with IPX6 weather resistance and IP67 support via the included waterproof door kit, it handles harsh outdoor conditions without compromise.

Weight also reflects the difference in intent. The E7 remains relatively lightweight at 1.8 kg, while the E7-Campus weighs 2.2 kg (3.1 kg with the mount), reinforcing its focus on industrial deployment.

Deployment Flexibility

The E7 and E7-Campus target distinct deployment scenarios yet share enough DNA to coexist naturally within a unified UniFi infrastructure. The standard E7 supports ceiling, wall, and VESA mounting, with a pro mount included out of the box, making it straightforward to deploy in standard commercial interiors. Moreover, its omnidirectional radiation pattern suits symmetric coverage zones where clients approach from all directions.

The E7-Campus flips that logic entirely. Wall and pole mounting are the primary options, with VESA available as an option, and the included articulating mount enables precise beam aiming. This directional approach is critical for deployments across large outdoor quads, parking structures, stadiums, or long indoor corridors. The pole mount accommodates pole diameters from 1 to 2.5 inches, covering most standard street and facility poles without additional hardware.

Both models require PoE++ power delivery, so infrastructure planning must account for 802.3bt-capable switches or injectors. Ubiquiti offers a 10G PoE++ Adapter (60W) as an accessory for the E7. Power draw is nearly identical between the two units at 43W and 44W, respectively, meaning existing PoE++ budgets translate cleanly when mixing models across a deployment.

From a high-availability standpoint, both APs include a redundant 1 GbE port alongside the primary 10 GbE uplink, a welcome addition at this tier that provides network architects with a failover path without additional hardware.

Software and Management

Both access points are managed through the UniFi Network application, which provides centralized wireless management across the entire deployment. Administrators can configure SSIDs, VLANs, security policies, radio settings, guest access, roaming behavior, and RF optimization from a single interface, while monitoring client health, coverage, airtime utilization, and overall network performance. Whether managing a handful of access points or a campus-wide deployment, UniFi Network offers a unified platform for deployment, monitoring, firmware updates, and ongoing wireless optimization.

Feature parity across the software stack is strong. Both APs support wireless meshing, band steering, 802.11r fast roaming, 802.11k RRM, and real-time spectral analysis. The full captive portal suite is available on both, including voucher-based, payment-based, and external portal authentication, making either unit viable for hospitality or public-access deployments. RADIUS over TLS (RadSec) and dynamic VLAN assignment round out the enterprise authentication story.

That shared foundation includes Zero-Wait DFS on both models, eliminating the channel-switching delays standard DFS introduces when radar is detected. Beyond it, the E7 Campus adds PRISM RF filtering, and in outdoor or mixed-use environments where 5 GHz DFS channels and adjacent-band interference are common, the combination translates directly into a more consistent client experience.

6 GHz and AFC Considerations

Both models support operation in the 6 GHz band, though available channels and transmit power are governed by regional regulations. In the FCC/IC regulatory domain (United States and Canada), UniFi supports Automated Frequency Coordination (AFC), allowing eligible deployments to operate in Standard Power mode where permitted. AFC dynamically coordinates channel usage with incumbent licensed services, enabling higher transmit power than Low Power Indoor operation while protecting existing spectrum users. Outside FCC/IC regions, 6 GHz availability and power limits vary by local regulations.

Hardware design further separates the two access points. The UniFi E7 uses omnidirectional 6 dBi antennas and operates at up to 24 dBm on 6 GHz, increasing to 30 dBm (36 dBm EIRP) when AFC-enabled Standard Power operation is available. The E7-Campus pairs a 30 dBm (36 dBm EIRP) 6 GHz radio with high-gain 12 dBi directional antennas, concentrating RF energy into a focused coverage pattern rather than broadcasting uniformly in all directions. This directional design delivers significantly greater effective coverage and signal strength across its intended service area, making it well suited for large indoor venues, courtyards, stadiums, and outdoor campus deployments.

Conclusion

The UniFi E7 and E7-Campus represent a mature, well-differentiated approach to enterprise WiFi 7. Rather than offering two versions of the same product with minor spec bumps, Ubiquiti draws a clear architectural line between them. The E7 is a high-density indoor workhorse built for environments that require high client capacity under controlled RF conditions. The E7-Campus, by contrast, is a purpose-engineered outdoor, long-range platform that adds directional RF, active filtering, and environmental hardening to tackle the more demanding deployments for which the standard E7 was never designed.

At $499, the E7 competes strongly in its price range, particularly given its 10 GbE uplink and 1000+ client capacity. The E7 Campus at $799 carries a meaningful price premium, but the inclusion of PRISM RF filtering, IP67-capable weatherproofing, and high-gain 12 dBi directional antennas makes the case clear. For organizations already invested in the UniFi ecosystem, both units slot in naturally and extend existing infrastructure without compromise. For those evaluating enterprise WiFi 7 platforms from scratch, the E7 family sets a high bar for both capability and manageability.

Product Pages:

Ubiquiti E7
Ubiquiti E7-Campus

The post Ubiquiti UniFi E7 and E7 Campus Review: 10-Stream WiFi 7 With 10GbE From $499 appeared first on StorageReview.com.

At HPE Discover 2026, HPE announced a broad set of networking enhancements to support AI infrastructure, autonomous operations, and zero-trust security. The updates span AI data center networking, AIOps, routing, and secure access, extending the company’s self-driving networking strategy across AI factories, enterprise data centers, and edge deployments.

The announcements build on HPE’s agentic enterprise vision, where networking serves as a foundational layer for autonomous IT operations. The latest additions include expanded AI-driven automation, new AI-optimized switching platforms, deeper integration between HPE Aruba Networking and HPE Juniper Networking technologies, and a unified AI-native Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) platform.

“The success of agentic AI in the enterprise depends on a modern networking foundation built for autonomous workflows, where network performance, reliability, and intelligence determine the effectiveness of the entire AI architecture,” said Rami Rahim, executive vice president, president and general manager, Networking, HPE. “HPE is delivering that foundation, enabling enterprises to deploy agentic AI with greater control, confidence, security, and operational simplicity.”

New Networking Platforms Target AI Infrastructure

HPE is expanding its AI Data Center Solution by integrating HPE Juniper Networking QFX switches, managed via HPE Networking Data Center Director. The addition extends HPE’s full-stack AI infrastructure portfolio across compute, storage, networking, software, and services while providing a validated architecture designed to accelerate AI data center deployments.

The company said the enhanced design improves interoperability and provides a scalable foundation for AI training and inference environments, including emerging rack-scale platforms such as AMD Helios.

Two new switching products were introduced as part of the expansion.

The HPE Juniper Networking QFX5140 switch is designed for AI inference clusters and edge AI deployments, addressing the growing demand for distributed inference infrastructure. HPE positions the platform as a key component in extending AI Factory architectures beyond centralized data centers.

HPE also introduced the HPE Juniper Networking QFX5252 switch tray for AMD Helios. Designed as a scale-up networking module for rack-scale AI systems, the platform provides low-latency, high-bandwidth connectivity intended to maximize GPU utilization and reduce network bottlenecks in large-scale AI environments.

HPE said the new switching platforms are designed to improve infrastructure efficiency by reducing idle GPU time caused by network limitations, helping organizations move AI workloads from proof of concept to production deployments.

Expanded AIOps Across Aruba and Juniper Platforms

HPE continues to merge operational capabilities across its Aruba Networking and Juniper Networking portfolios as part of its broader networking integration strategy.

A key announcement is support for HPE Networking CX wired access switches on the HPE Mist AIOps platform. The integration gives CX customers access to Mist’s AI-driven operational capabilities, including AI-native visibility, zero-touch provisioning, wired assurance, dynamic packet capture, service-level insights, and HPE Marvis-driven automation.

HPE also announced that Marvis AI-powered self-driving networking capabilities are now available within HPE Aruba Central. New automated remediation functions include wired-port troubleshooting and corrective actions designed to reduce manual operational tasks further.

New Agentic AI Capabilities for Data Center Operations

The HPE Mist platform is also gaining additional AI-driven operational capabilities focused on data center environments.

One new capability uses predictive analytics to identify potential hardware and optical failures before service disruption occurs. HPE said the system combines AI and machine learning with multidimensional visualization techniques to improve resiliency and reduce unplanned outages.

A second enhancement introduces an advanced reasoning agent designed to automate root cause analysis and remediation workflows. The platform continuously analyzes operational telemetry, historical support data, and contextual information from HPE Networking Data Center Director to identify issues and recommend corrective actions.

The goal is to accelerate troubleshooting while reducing operational complexity in increasingly large and distributed AI infrastructure environments.

Tighter Integration Across Networking, Compute, and Hybrid Cloud

HPE is also extending integrations across its infrastructure management portfolio following the integration of HPE OpsRamp Software and HPE Morpheus Software.

HPE Mist Networking Data Center Assurance is now integrated with HPE Compute Ops Management, providing cross-domain visibility across networking and compute infrastructure. HPE said the integration reduces management tool sprawl while enabling operations teams to scale infrastructure more efficiently.

The same networking assurance capabilities are now integrated into the HPE GreenLake platform, creating a more unified management experience across hybrid cloud and data center environments.

These integrations support HPE’s longer-term objective of building a self-driving data center that operates through coordinated automation across networking, compute, and cloud infrastructure domains.

Unified SASE Platform Combines Networking and Security

HPE also introduced a new unified SASE platform built on HPE Networking EdgeConnect technology.

The platform combines SD-WAN and Security Service Edge (SSE) capabilities within a single AI-native management framework, allowing organizations to manage networking and security policies from a common console.

Among the key features is an embedded SSE connector that accelerates zero-trust deployments without requiring a separate Zero Trust Network Access infrastructure. A dedicated Secure Web Gateway tunnel extends web protection capabilities to a broader range of devices, including IoT endpoints.

HPE said the platform also supports sovereign SASE architectures by keeping traffic within enterprise-controlled boundaries rather than routing through external cloud security points of presence.

Operationally, the platform incorporates AI-assisted analytics and natural-language interactions via SASE Copilot, helping administrators identify security gaps and resolve issues more quickly.

Financing Program Targets AI Network Upgrades

To support infrastructure modernization efforts, HPE Financial Services announced a new Network Migration Program to help organizations transition to AI-ready networking environments.

The program brings together better-than-cash hardware financing, 0% software financing, and a new IT Asset Program that unlocks value from existing gear to help fund new networking deployments.

HPE said the initiative is intended to reduce the financial and operational barriers associated with upgrading networks to support AI-driven workloads and autonomous operations.

The post HPE Expands Self-Driving Networks Across Edge, Campus, Data Center, and AI Factories appeared first on StorageReview.com.

At HPE Discover 2026 in Las Vegas, HPE announced plans to consolidate its HPE and Juniper Networks partner programs into a single global framework under HPE Partner Ready Vantage. Effective November 1, 2026, partners will operate under a single program structure spanning networking, hybrid cloud, AI, and services, with aligned incentives, common competencies, and a unified engagement model.

The move is part of HPE’s broader strategy to deliver what it describes as one portfolio, one program, and one experience across the combined HPE and Juniper ecosystem. HPE said existing partner investments and certifications will be protected during the transition.

Simon Ewington, senior vice president of Worldwide Channel and Partner Ecosystem at HPE, said the company is simplifying engagement while expanding opportunities for partners across networking, cloud, and AI.

Expanding Channel-Only Opportunities

HPE is also broadening its channel-only sales strategy beyond HPE Morpheus VM Essentials Software. Additional products moving to a channel-only route to market include HPE Private Cloud PC3000, HPE SimpliVity PC1000, and HPE Zerto Software.

The expansion gives partners exclusive opportunities around private cloud infrastructure, virtualization, and data protection deployments. These areas continue to see demand as organizations modernize virtualized environments and evaluate alternatives to traditional virtualization platforms.

To support partner adoption, HPE introduced VM Essentials for Partner IT, enabling partners to run the software in their own IT environments and build hands-on expertise. For the 600 partners that achieve the Private Cloud with Virtualization competency by year’s end, HPE will provide VM Essentials software licenses free of charge for three years, with partners paying only support costs.

New Virtualization Migration Programs

HPE also announced a platform migration program for virtualization designed to reduce financial risk for customers transitioning their environments. New VM Essentials customers can receive up to one free year of VM Essentials licenses, HPE Zerto for $1 to support non-disruptive migration into HPE virtual machines, and 0% interest on software financing through HPE Financial Services.

CloudOps Software Targets Service Providers

For cloud service providers, HPE introduced HPE CloudOps Software as a platform for building and operating private cloud services.

The software includes multi-tenancy, self-service provisioning, software-defined networking, policy-based governance, and cost management capabilities. HPE said the platform is intended to help service providers create differentiated service offerings while improving operational efficiency.

The offering is supported through HPE Partner Ready Vantage and HPE’s Cloud Commit consumption model, which provides pricing and services tied to committed spending levels.

One Program Across Build, Sell, and Service

Under the unified Partner Ready Vantage framework, HPE will consolidate membership tiers, competencies, and compensation models across HPE and Juniper.

Within the Build track, HPE is consolidating its Technology Partner Program into an expanded Technology Validation Center and aligning it more closely with the HPE Unleash AI ISV partner program. A subset of Unleash AI partners have been validated on NVIDIA accelerated computing and integrated with HPE AI Factory with NVIDIA, including HPE Private Cloud AI, the company’s turnkey AI factory. The initiative is intended to streamline solution validation, interoperability testing, and readiness certification across the broader HPE portfolio.

HPE is also launching a Customer Use Case Hub where partners can showcase validated solutions across AI, hybrid cloud, networking, and edge environments.

For sales-focused partners, HPE is aligning incentives across the portfolio and extending rebates tied to technical competencies, solution specialization, and new-logo wins. The company is also standardizing new-business incentives for storage, giving sellers upfront margin for winning new business. Combined with rebates for focus areas such as block storage and competencies such as virtualization and GreenLake Flex Solutions, HPE said the total margin stack can reach up to 24 percent on competitive storage CAPEX takeouts.

On the services side, HPE plans to introduce partner-branded services on selected platforms. Qualified partners will be able to deliver support under their own brand while leveraging HPE escalation, logistics, and engineering resources through HPE Partner Services. HPE is also expanding migration and lifecycle service opportunities designed to increase recurring revenue streams for partners.

Competency-Based Rewards and Sustainability Focus

HPE is extending financial rewards tied to technical competencies beyond its traditional medallion partner status structure. Eligible partners will be able to earn rebates based on investments in targeted solution competencies.

Working with HPE Financial Services (HPEFS), the company is also expanding sustainability-focused tools, dashboards, and competencies intended to help partners address power consumption and efficiency challenges associated with AI infrastructure deployments.

Streamlining the Partner Experience

Beginning in November 2026, HPE will also consolidate partner-facing systems into a single experience that includes a unified portal, onboarding process, contracting framework, development funds program, and deal registration system.

HPEFS is adding new capabilities to its partner portal, including annual payment structures, promotional pricing programs, and relationship-based financing options. The company said it is also reviewing and, where possible, expanding available customer credit capacity in response to increasing demand for financing flexibility.

Expanding AI Validation Resources

As part of its AI strategy, HPE is expanding its global network of Private Cloud AI testing facilities and associated services. The initiative is designed to help customers evaluate, validate, and operationalize AI solutions before production deployment.

HPE said the program will be supported through partners, distributors, and global solution providers, creating additional opportunities for channel partners to participate in enterprise AI adoption projects while helping customers accelerate deployment timelines.

Availability

The channel-only transition for HPE SimpliVity PC1000, HPE Private Cloud PC3000, and HPE Zerto Software takes effect July 1, 2026, when those products become available for new business exclusively through the channel.

HPE CloudOps Software for cloud service providers is now available to partners with an HPE Service Provider contract and to partners in the HPE Partner Ready Vantage Managed Services Center.

The unified HPE Partner Ready Vantage program and integrated partner experience will become available beginning November 1, 2026. Partner-branded services are currently available to Triple Platinum Plus partners and will expand to additional medallion partners by November 1, 2026.

HPEFS partner portal enhancements will be available by July 1, 2026, in the United States, Mexico, Canada, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain, and Italy, with rollout in remaining supported countries continuing through the rest of the year.

The post HPE Unifies HPE and Juniper Partner Programs Under Partner Ready Vantage appeared first on StorageReview.com.

At Cisco Live, Cisco introduced Cisco Cloud Control, a unified management platform intended to bring networking, security, compute, observability, and collaboration into a single operational plane. The company positions the platform as the foundation of its broader AgenticOps model, in which human operators and AI agents work from the same data, telemetry, and policy context while maintaining human oversight.

Cloud Control is designed around a single-login experience that gives IT teams a consolidated view of Cisco infrastructure and services. Rather than splitting operations across separate consoles, the platform provides a unified system for monitoring, management, and response. Cisco said customers will also be able to build their own apps and AI agents inside the platform using natural-language workflows. The surrounding ecosystem includes integrations with AWS, Microsoft, Google Cloud, ServiceNow, PagerDuty, Slack, Linear, and Wiz.

Cisco President and Chief Product Officer Jeetu Patel framed the launch around the operational impact of AI agents on enterprise infrastructure, describing Cloud Control as “a command center for agentic AI: a platform where your team and your AI agents work together, in the same environment, with the same information, and with humans in control.” The company’s view is that continuously operating agents will change how environments are scaled, monitored, and defended, but only if those agents operate within a unified and governed platform. Cloud Control is intended to serve as that shared command environment for both human teams and automated agents.

One Control Plane Across Domains

At the platform level, Cloud Control is meant to unify cross-domain telemetry from networking, security, observability, and collaboration systems. Cisco’s argument is straightforward: if operators and agents are acting on the same telemetry and context, they can respond more quickly and with less fragmentation across teams and tools. That cross-domain visibility is positioned as especially important for uptime, AI agent behavior, and cost control tied to token usage.

Cisco also said Cloud Control uses a mix of purpose-built and frontier AI models, including its Deep Network Model, which the company says is grounded in 40 years of Cisco operational networking data. The emphasis here is on model specialization rather than relying on a single large general-purpose model, with Cisco describing the result as system intelligence that scales with the complexity of the problem rather than the size of the model alone. In practice, Cisco is presenting this as a way to improve problem-solving across infrastructure operations without sacrificing domain-specific accuracy.

A key part of the announcement is Cisco’s plan to introduce trusted agents within Cloud Control. These agents are expected to move through a structured workflow: detect an issue, determine the likely cause, recommend or apply remediation, test the proposed change, and verify that service quality has recovered. Cisco said these capabilities will draw on telemetry, digital twin technology, expanded experience metrics, deep reasoning, and agentic workflows. The larger goal is closed-loop automation that remains visible and governed rather than opaque.

AI Canvas and Studio Extend Customization

Cisco also introduced Cisco AI Canvas, described as a collaborative workspace where operators and agents can investigate and resolve issues together using shared live context. The feature is built to preserve operational history across handoffs, shifts, and escalations so teams do not have to reconstruct the same troubleshooting trail multiple times.

On the customization side, Cloud Control Studio adds two development environments: Agent Builder and App Builder. Agent Builder is intended for customers who want to create agents aligned to internal workflows, policies, and toolchains. Cisco said it supports connections to more than 50 third-party platforms through native connectors or the Model Context Protocol. App Builder is designed to let customers build applications and workflows from natural-language prompts, with OpenAI Codex integrated into the experience. Cisco said customer-built apps and agents, along with ecosystem-developed extensions, can be published through a Cloud Control Marketplace.

Cisco said Cisco Cloud Control is entering Controlled Availability in the United States as of June 2, with global availability to follow.

Security Posture Shifts Toward Runtime Protection

Security was a second major pillar of the announcement. Cisco’s premise is that the time between vulnerability disclosure and exploitation has compressed to the point where traditional reactive defenses are no longer sufficient. The company said it is a charter member of Anthropic’s Project Glasswing and OpenAI’s Daybreak, using the latest frontier AI models to stress-test its own products and uncover weaknesses before adversaries can. It also highlighted the open-sourced Foundry Security Spec as a way to make that evaluation rigor more broadly available.

At the infrastructure layer, Cisco is expanding Live Protect, which it describes as a runtime protection capability that shields supported platforms from newly discovered vulnerabilities without requiring reboots, software upgrades, or maintenance windows. Live Protect is now available on Cisco Nexus 9000 series switches and included with Nexus One entitlement. Cisco said it plans to extend the technology to campus and branch smart switches next, followed by secure routers later this year.

The company also highlighted the Hybrid Mesh Firewall, which extends policy enforcement across networks and applications, as well as Cisco and third-party firewalls. The goal is to reduce blast radius and maintain consistent protection as infrastructure becomes more distributed and hybrid.

More Controls for AI Agents

Cisco used the event to further expand on the security framework around enterprise AI agents. Building on prior announcements at RSAC, the company said it is adding new capabilities spanning AI Defense, Zero Trust for agents, and an Agentic SOC model. The broader message is that organizations will need to secure both sides of the AI equation: protecting agents from external manipulation and constraining what agents themselves can do inside production environments.

Quantum-safe Roadmap Becomes More Explicit

Cisco outlined a more concrete quantum-safe infrastructure roadmap. The company said it plans to enable quantum-safe communications capabilities across most of its core portfolio by December 2026, extending post-quantum protections to platforms carrying sensitive enterprise traffic.

Starting immediately, Cisco said any newly introduced campus, branch, and data center routers, switches, and firewall series will ship with quantum-safe secure boot enabled by default. This extends earlier work already in production on campus smart switches.

Cisco is also adding two assessment and planning tools. Quantum Ready Assessments, available through Cisco IQ, are designed to identify assets most exposed to harvest-now-decrypt-later risk and help organizations prioritize remediation. Global availability is planned for July 2026. Cisco also introduced a Quantum Resilience Framework, which organizes enterprise preparation into two broad areas: quantum-safe communications and quantum-safe products.

Cisco Services and IQ Add Resilience Focus

To support the operational model behind these announcements, Cisco is also rolling out Resilient Infrastructure Services through Support and Professional Services. The services framework includes three stages: exposure assessment, infrastructure modernization, and defense resiliency. Cisco is positioning this as a structured path for customers who need to evaluate the risks posed by AI-era threats and modernize their infrastructure in parallel.

Cisco IQ, now integrated with Cloud Control, acts as the company’s AI-driven delivery interface for support and professional services. Cisco said it is intended to help customers build a longer-term resilience plan using AI-driven insights and Zero Trust principles. For organizations with sovereignty and residency requirements, Cisco will also offer on-premises deployment options for Cisco IQ.

Another addition is Peer Benchmarking in Cisco IQ, which uses anonymized data to show how an organization compares with similar environments in areas such as last-day-of-support exposure and vulnerability rates. Cisco said that the feature is planned for global availability in July 2026.

The post Cisco Cloud Control: One Login for Human and AI Agent Operations appeared first on StorageReview.com.

Ubiquiti’s G6 Turret is a 4K PoE camera with a turret design, featuring on-device face and license plate recognition and full UniFi Protect integration, all at a $199 price point. The turret design sets it apart from traditional domes by placing the lens module in a ball-and-socket housing. You can physically adjust the module on three axes after mounting, giving installers direct control over framing without being locked into the bracket’s angle. For jobs involving a specific entry lane, a retail counter, or a tight corridor, this hands-on adjustability considerably speeds up installation.

Hardware Overview

The G6 Turret has a 1/1.8″ 8MP sensor and a quad-core processor powered by a Multi-TOPS AI Engine. In addition to local face and license plate recognition, this small camera offers 30-meter IR night vision and connects to UniFi Protect over standard PoE, without requiring PoE+.

The IK04 rating makes this camera better suited to controlled commercial spaces than high-exposure public areas. As a result, it belongs in offices, retail shops, or covered entrances rather than unmonitored street-side mounts, where frequent physical tampering isn’t expected.

Design and Build

The turret form factor works differently from a dome. Rather than positioning a fixed lens behind a polycarbonate cover, the G6 Turret places its lens module in an exposed ball-and-socket housing that rotates freely until you tighten it down. Three-axis adjustment allows independent pan, tilt, and rotation, which is particularly useful on wall mounts, where a ceiling-only mount angle would otherwise require repositioning the entire bracket. Only a screwdriver is needed for adjustments, so framing the shot on-site is quick.

The camera measures ⌀100 × 95 mm and weighs 550 g (1.2 lb). Build quality is solid throughout, with an aluminum alloy and polycarbonate construction that matches the broader G6 lineup. The white finish blends cleanly against standard commercial ceilings, though the exposed ball joint makes this camera more visible than a low-profile dome. If a discreet install is a priority, a recessed dome is the better choice.

IP66 weatherproofing allows for outdoor use without a cover, so it handles car parks, entry canopies, and similar positions without issue. The IK04 rating covers standard commercial use cases but isn’t suited to high-impact or high-interference locations. The operating temperature range runs from -30 to 50°C (-22 to 122°F), so cold climates aren’t a concern either.

Optics and AI

The 1/1.8″ 8MP sensor records 4K at 30 FPS with a full image settings suite including HDR, 2DNR, 3DNR, masking, and text overlay. The field of view spans 109.9 degrees horizontal and 134.1 degrees diagonal, which is wide enough to cover most fixed camera positions without needing to zoom in on subjects. Built-in IR LED illumination handles night operation out to 30 meters (98 ft), and an IR cut filter switches automatically at dusk.

On-device AI runs via the quad-core Arm Cortex-A53 and the Multi-TOPS AI Engine. Face and license plate recognition process locally at the camera level rather than waiting on the NVR, which keeps alert latency low and reduces load on the host recorder. Smart detection monitors people, vehicles, and animals and works with Protect’s configurable zone masking to deliver targeted alerts.

The fixed focal-length lens consistently covers the full field of view without barrel distortion, so identification accuracy remains high. Physical three-axis adjustment handles positioning, and once you tighten the ball joint, the framing holds reliably.

Management and Installation

The G6 Turret operates on standard PoE with a maximum power draw of 12.5W, which stays within the 15.4W limit of 802.3af, eliminating the need for PoE+ switching. Even so, you should account for the draw when budgeting power across a dense switch. The included 30 cm (1 ft) pigtail features an RJ45 connector with a thermoplastic elastomer jacket that seals the connection cleanly at the camera body. Protect detects the camera immediately upon first power-up and then guides you through setup.

Once you adopt the camera, the UniFi Protect dashboard provides centralized management for connection status, image tuning, and recording settings. Adjusting the framing is straightforward and takes about a minute. Loosen the collar, rotate the lens, and retighten, which is considerably faster than repositioning a fixed dome’s backplate.

Before deploying the G6 Turret, a few practical details are worth noting. First, Protect lets you configure motion and smart detection masks independently, so you can exclude footpaths or busy roads from triggering alerts without turning off detection across the entire frame. Second, the G6 Turret has no MicroSD slot and therefore won’t record locally if the NVR connection drops. Finally, ceiling and wall mounts come in the box, and arm, pendant, and junction box mounts are available separately for non-standard implementations.

Conclusion

Overall, the G6 Turret delivers 4K at 30 FPS, on-device face and license plate recognition, and 30-meter IR, all for $199. The three-axis manual adjustment is a genuine practical advantage in the field, especially on wall mounts, where fixed cameras require more bracket work. Additionally, on-device AI processing via the Multi-TOPS engine keeps detection fast and reduces NVR load.

That said, the IK04 rating and the absence of local storage are worth confirming against your deployment requirements before you commit. For controlled commercial spaces, retail, and offices, those limitations rarely matter. Overall, the G6 Turret is a well-specified camera that integrates cleanly into any UniFi Protect system.

Product Page – G6 Turret

The post Ubiquiti UniFi G6 Turret Review: 4K PoE Camera with On-Device AI for $199 appeared first on StorageReview.com.

Ubiquiti is expanding its edge-processing hardware lineup with the AI Dome (UVC-AI-Dome-B). The standard G-series cameras cover most general UniFi Protect deployments just fine. Still, the AI Dome targets environments that need local metadata processing without sacrificing image quality or build quality. Most notably, it handles face and license plate recognition on-device, bringing Pro-tier capabilities to a more accessible price point. Sitting between the G6 Dome and the G6 Pro, it combines 4K imaging with dedicated silicon for real-time analytics. Ubiquiti has built it to handle entry points and high-traffic areas where accurate identification matters as much as general surveillance coverage. Whether you’re covering a parking lot entrance, a corporate lobby, or a retail storefront, the AI Dome is designed with that specific kind of deployment in mind.

Ubiquiti Dome Lineup

At $399, the AI Dome sits in a deliberate spot between the G6 Dome and the G6 Pro. It’s aimed at users who need the advanced analytics of the Pro line but don’t want the larger footprint, optical zoom, or the elevated power requirements that come with it. Compared to the G6 Pro at its higher price point, the AI Dome trades optical zoom for on-device AI processing at a significantly lower cost. For fixed-focal-length deployments where edge AI is the priority, the price-to-feature ratio is hard to argue with.

Design and Build

The AI Dome is built from aluminum alloy and polycarbonate; it feels solid and well-constructed. At ⌀118 x 90.8 mm and 700 g (1.5 lb), it’s noticeably more compact and lighter than the G6 Pro, making installation easier in tighter spaces where you don’t have much room to work. That said, it still has a reassuring heft that feels consistent with the build quality you’d expect at this price.

The black colorway (UVC-AI-Dome-B) is a welcome option for commercial environments with dark ceilings, exterior eaves, or modern interior fitouts where white hardware would stand out too much. It blends cleanly into the architecture, and that’s an easy factor to underestimate in retail and hospitality settings. Beyond aesthetics, the surface-mount unit that ships in the box is made of polycarbonate and performs well in standard installation scenarios. For cleaner ceiling installations, the optional Flush Mount ($39.00) lets you recess the housing directly into the ceiling tile, significantly lowering the camera’s profile and giving it a more integrated look.

On the durability side, the IP66 weatherproofing and IK10 tamper-resistance ratings mean the AI Dome handles fully exposed installations without issue. That’s a step up from the G5 Dome, which only carries an IPX4 rating and needs a cover to stay weather-protected. In contrast, the AI Dome can enter low-clearance, publicly accessible areas and hold up well against both the elements and physical interference. The operating temperature range of -30 to 50 degrees C (-22 to 122 F) is the widest in the dome lineup, so it works in climates where the rest of the G-series would hit its limits. For outdoor deployments in cold regions in particular, that extra headroom is worth noting.

Optics & AI

The AI Dome uses a 1/1.8″ 8MP sensor and shoots 3840 x 2160 at 30 FPS with HDR support. While it doesn’t carry the larger 1/1.2″ sensor found in the G6 Pro, it still matches the G6 Pro’s 40-meter (131 ft) IR night vision range, which is a strong result at this price point. For context, the G6 Dome only reaches 30 meters, and the G5 Dome tops out at just 9 meters, so the AI Dome sits clearly at the top of the lineup when it comes to night imaging distance. For a fixed dome without optical zoom, IR reach is useful in larger open spaces.

Beyond raw resolution, the fixed-focal-length lens covers 109.9 degrees horizontally and 134.1 degrees diagonally, matching the G6 Dome’s field of view exactly. Importantly, it handles that wide angle without the barrel distortion you’d normally expect from a lens at this width. That matters because when you’re relying on footage for face or plate identification, image geometry directly affects how well recognition algorithms perform. The HDR support further helps in high-contrast environments, such as covered parking entrances or lobby doorways, where bright outdoor light meets a darker interior.

The biggest differentiator, though, is on-device processing. The quad-core Arm Cortex-A53 handles Face Recognition and License Plate Recognition directly at the camera, rather than pushing that work to the NVR or Dream Machine. In practice, this means faster detection alerts, lower CPU load on the recorder, and lower sustained bandwidth usage across the deployment. This is especially noticeable in larger multi-camera setups where the NVR’s processing headroom can become a real constraint. Beyond performance, it also opens up more useful automation options. For example, you can set up “unrecognized face” alerts to fire only after hours, or LPR notifications to trigger only for plates not on an approved list. That kind of context-aware control is ultimately where the AI Dome earns its place in the lineup over a standard 4K dome.

Management and Installation

Getting the AI Dome up and running is straightforward. It runs on standard PoE, not PoE+, and pulls a maximum of 10W under full load, so it’s easy to budget on most enterprise switches without needing to plan around higher-draw ports. The included 30 cm (1 ft) cable features an RJ45 connector and a thermoplastic elastomer jacket, with the jacket enclosure providing a clean, weatherproof termination at the camera body. Once you plug it in, Protect picks it up immediately and steps you through configuration. The GbE port is also a meaningful upgrade over the 10/100 MbE found on the G5 and G6 Dome, giving the camera enough headroom to handle 4K throughput and AI processing simultaneously while ensuring the AI Dome won’t become a bottleneck in network infrastructure where faster switching is already in place.

A few additional management features are worth calling out. The MicroSD slot enables local on-device recording as a storage failover. If the switch drops or the NVR connection goes down, the camera keeps recording and holds onto the footage until the connection comes back. That’s a useful safety net for critical locations, and it’s something neither the G5 Dome nor the G6 Dome can offer since neither includes an expansion slot. Detection zones can also be drawn separately for motion and smart detection, which helps reduce false positives from foot traffic, passing cars, or other movement outside the area you care about. In busy environments, this kind of tuning makes a significant difference in the day-to-day usefulness of the alert system. On the mounting side, the box includes a standard surface mount for ceiling and wall scenarios, with optional accessories including a Flush Mount ($39.00) for a recessed ceiling profile, Weather Shield ($29.00), Dual Mount ($59.00), Ethernet Surge Protection ($12.50), and High Capacity microSD Cards starting at $49.00 for those who need extra resilience or local storage in the field.

Conclusion

The AI Dome fills a gap in the UniFi camera lineup. It brings face recognition, license plate recognition, and full smart detection down to a more accessible price point without cutting corners on build quality or imaging performance. At $399, it’s a practical choice for anyone who needs AI-driven alerts but doesn’t need optical zoom and doesn’t want to pay the G6 Pro premium or deal with its higher power requirements. Notably, the combination of a GbE port, MicroSD failover, and on-device AI processing at 10W is competitive for what this class of camera costs elsewhere.

Overall, it works well for retail entrances, parking lots, corporate lobbies, or anywhere identification accuracy matters as much as general coverage. The wide temperature range, IP66/IK10 ratings, and MicroSD failover recording also make it a credible option for real-world deployments, not just clean indoor installs. On top of that, the black colorway gives it the versatility that standard white dome cameras lack in environments where blending in matters.

If you need optical zoom or native UniFi Protect support, the G6 Pro is still the right pick. However, if a fixed focal length covers your use case and you want on-device AI without the bulk and cost of the Pro tier, the AI Dome is a well-rounded, practical solution that’s hard to overlook at this price point.

Product Page – AI Dome

The post Ubiquiti UniFi AI Dome Review: On-Device Face and License Plate Recognition at $399 appeared first on StorageReview.com.

Ubiquiti is adding a compelling new option to its UniFi Protect camera lineup with the G6 Pro 360 (UVC-G6-Pro-360). Rather than covering a specific zone or doorway like a standard dome camera, the G6 Pro 360 takes a fundamentally different approach by capturing the entire scene in a single 360-degree field of view. Most notably, it does this at 12MP resolution with smart IR, two-way audio, and full UniFi Protect integration, all from a single PoE camera. In other words, instead of mounting multiple cameras to cover a room from different angles, a single unit covers the entire space. Whether you’re managing a warehouse floor, an open office, a retail sales floor, or any large interior space with no natural blind spots to hide in, the G6 Pro 360 is built for exactly that kind of wide-open deployment.

360 Lineup

At $499, the G6 Pro 360 occupies a specific and intentional position in the UniFi camera lineup. It doesn’t compete directly with directional dome cameras or bullet-style units. Instead, it serves as area awareness rather than targeted coverage. For environments where you’d otherwise need two or three cameras to cover the same ground, a single G6 Pro 360 can often do the job more cleanly and at a lower total cost. That said, it relies on face recognition and license plate recognition to function, so it performs best with directional AI cameras at entry points rather than as a standalone identification tool. With that context in mind, the value proposition becomes much clearer that this is a camera for coverage, not identification.

Design and Build

The G6 Pro 360 uses the same aluminum alloy and polycarbonate construction that runs across the G6 lineup, and it feels appropriately solid for a camera at this price point. At ⌀147 x 65.5 mm and 610 g (1.3 lb), it’s one of the lighter cameras in the Pro-tier range, making ceiling installation straightforward in most scenarios. The low-profile disc shape is intentional because of the fisheye lens it contains, and as a result, the overall size is surprisingly compact for its capabilities.

The black colorway suits the G6 Pro 360 for the same reasons it works on the recently reviewed AI Dome. In commercial spaces with darker ceilings or modern fitouts, it blends into the environment far more naturally than a white dome. Similarly, that low visual profile matters in settings like restaurants, gyms, or co-working spaces where the camera needs to be present but shouldn’t draw attention.

On the durability front, the G6 Pro 360 features IP66 weatherproofing and an IK10 tamper-resistance rating, putting it on a par with the AI Dome and G6 Pro in terms of environmental and physical resilience. As a result, it handles outdoor deployment without any issue. Furthermore, the -30 to 50 °C (-22 to 122 °F) operating temperature range gives it the same broad climate tolerance as the rest of the top-tier lineup, a meaningful advantage over cameras like the AI 360, which is limited to -20 °C at the low end. For covered outdoor areas like parking garages, loading docks, or building overhangs, these combined ratings make it a genuinely versatile option.

Optics and Coverage

The headline spec here is the 1/1.6″ 12MP sensor capturing a native 3504 x 3504 square resolution through a fisheye lens. That 1:1 aspect ratio is important because it means the camera captures a full 180-degree hemisphere rather than cropping or stretching a rectangular frame to simulate panoramic coverage. In practice, when you view the dewarped output in UniFi Protect, you get a wide, usable panoramic image with good detail across the full scene. At 12MP, there’s enough pixel density in that view to digitally zoom into specific areas of the frame without the image completely falling apart, which is something a 2K or 4MP 360 camera can’t offer.

Beyond the raw resolution, the digital pan-tilt-zoom functionality in Protect is what makes this camera useful for day-to-day monitoring. Rather than relying on a physical PTZ mechanism, the G6 Pro 360 lets operators pan and zoom through the scene entirely in software, without any moving parts to maintain or fail over time. This also means you can set up multiple virtual camera views from the same physical unit, each focused on a different zone of the room simultaneously. In short, one camera can effectively act as several for monitoring purposes.

The Smart IR implementation is also worth highlighting specifically. Rather than a single fixed IR illumination field, the G6 Pro 360 uses four independently controllable IR zones that adjust to match where activity occurs in the scene. In practice, this reduces the overexposure and hotspot issues that typically plague 360-degree cameras with uniform IR output at close range. That said, the 15-meter (50 ft) IR range is on the shorter side compared to the AI Dome’s 40-meter reach, so it’s best suited to indoor spaces or compact outdoor areas rather than large open yards or car parks.

Additionally, HDR support, along with the full image settings suite (including 2DNR, 3DNR, NR by motion, and masking), provides administrators with effective tools to optimize image quality in difficult lighting conditions. Spaces with mixed natural and artificial light, like large retail floors or warehouses with skylights, are where these controls make the most noticeable difference.

Management and Installation

Installation follows the same simple process as the rest of the UniFi camera lineup. The G6 Pro 360 runs on PoE+, which is worth noting up front, as it requires a PoE+-capable switch port rather than a standard PoE port. Despite that requirement, the camera draws only a maximum of 7.14W under full load, which is lower than several standard PoE cameras in the lineup. In other words, the PoE+ classification here is more about voltage headroom than actual power demand.

Once plugged in, UniFi Protect detects it immediately. The G6 Pro 360 gets the complete Protect feature set, including smart detection for people, vehicles, and animals, customizable detection zones, timeline access, and multi-view layouts.

Beyond the basics, a few management features stand out, including:

• Smart IR Zones: The four independently controllable IR zones let you tune night illumination to match the layout of the space rather than blasting uniform IR in all directions. This results in better-balanced night footage and reduces the washed-out areas you’d otherwise get from a single omnidirectional IR source at close range.
• Digital PTZ: Operators can pan, tilt, and zoom across the full 360-degree image directly within Protect without touching the physical camera. In addition, multiple virtual viewports can run simultaneously on the same unit, enabling a single camera to serve multiple monitoring roles.
• Storage Failover: Like the AI Dome and G6 Pro, the G6 Pro 360 includes a MicroSD expansion slot for local on-device recording. If the NVR connection drops for any reason, the camera continues capturing footage locally and syncs it back once the connection is restored. For a camera covering a large open area, that continuity is particularly important.
• Two-Way Audio: The G6 Pro 360 includes a built-in microphone and speaker for two-way communication, which sets it apart from most of the G6 dome lineup. As a result, it’s a practical option for spaces where staff may need to communicate with people in the monitored area without a separate intercom system.
• Mounting Options: The included surface-mount effectively supports standard ceiling installations. Additionally, the optional Flush Mount ($39.00) recesses the camera into a ceiling tile for a cleaner, lower-profile look. There are also a Dual Mount ($59.00), an Arm Mount, and an AI 360 Junction Box available for more complex installation scenarios.

Conclusion

The G6 Pro 360 is a well-executed panoramic camera that does exactly what a 360-degree unit in a managed ecosystem should do. It pairs high-resolution imaging with tight UniFi Protect integration, smart IR, two-way audio, and software-driven PTZ in a compact, ruggedized housing. At $499, it makes a strong case for deployments where a single camera needs to cover a wide open area without leaving gaps. Compared to running two or three standard domes to achieve the same coverage, it’s often the cleaner and more cost-effective solution.

Overall, it works best in environments such as open office floors, retail spaces, warehouses, gyms, and covered outdoor areas, where comprehensive area awareness matters more than precise long-distance identification. For those use cases, deploying one G6 Pro 360 is often the more practical approach. On top of that, the IP66/IK10 ratings and broad operating temperature range mean it’s equally at home in tougher outdoor environments as in controlled indoor spaces.

It’s important to note that the G6 Pro 360 doesn’t perform face recognition or license plate recognition, so it isn’t a replacement for the AI Dome or G6 Pro at access points and entry lanes. However, when used as a scene-awareness layer alongside those directional cameras, it enables a very effective deployment. For administrators developing a full UniFi Protect system, the G6 Pro 360 is a valuable addition.

Product Page – G6 Pro 360

The post Ubiquiti UniFi G6 Pro 360 Review: Full-Room Coverage from a Single Camera appeared first on StorageReview.com.

As surveillance systems, enterprise WiFi deployments, and IoT infrastructure continue to evolve, network bandwidth demands are steadily increasing. Devices such as high-resolution security cameras, WiFi 7 access points, and industrial IoT sensors frequently require multi-gigabit connectivity and reliable power delivery.

The UniFi Switch Flex 2.5G 8 PoE (USW-Flex-2.5G-8-PoE), available for $199.00 on the Ubiquiti Store, is designed specifically to address this challenge. Acting as a compact edge or “leaf” switch, it extends high-speed connectivity and Power over Ethernet (PoE) capabilities to remote clusters of devices while maintaining a simple uplink back to the core network. Rather than requiring each device to run a direct cable back to the central rack, this switch enables localized distribution of both data and power.

This architecture is particularly valuable in surveillance deployments, office expansions, warehouses, and outdoor installations where devices may be physically grouped but located far from the primary switching infrastructure. By combining multi-gigabit ports with a flexible power input design, the Flex 2.5G 8 PoE provides a versatile solution for environments that need both performance and deployment flexibility. One of the most distinctive aspects of the switch is its adaptable power architecture. The device can operate entirely on a high-wattage PoE+++ uplink supplied by a larger upstream switch, or draw power from a dedicated external AC adapter when additional PoE output capacity is required. This flexibility allows administrators to tailor installations based on available power sources and total PoE budget requirements.

Build and Design

The Flex 2.5G 8 PoE features a compact polycarbonate chassis measuring just 8.4 × 3.9 × 1.3 inches. This small form factor is intentional and reflects the switch’s intended role as a remote distribution point rather than a rack-mounted core device. Its lightweight construction allows it to be easily mounted in locations where traditional rack equipment would be impractical, such as inside media cabinets, under desks, in network boxes, or in outdoor enclosures.

Despite its small footprint, the switch is engineered for high-density connectivity. The panel houses eight 2.5GbE RJ45 ports designed for downstream devices, each capable of delivering PoE++ power. These ports support multiple Ethernet speeds, including 10 Mbps, 100 Mbps, 1 Gbps, and 2.5 Gbps, ensuring compatibility with both legacy equipment and modern multi-gigabit hardware.

For uplink connectivity, the switch includes a versatile 10-gigabit combo interface consisting of both a 10G SFP+ slot and a 10GbE RJ45 port. This design allows administrators to choose between fiber and copper uplinks based on the network infrastructure. The presence of a 10GbE backhaul is particularly important because it ensures that aggregated traffic from multiple 2.5GbE devices does not overwhelm the uplink.

Additional interface features include a system LED that provides quick status information and a recessed reset button located near the power input. These simple diagnostic tools allow administrators to quickly identify operational issues or restore the device during troubleshooting.

Power Architecture

One of the defining features of the Flex 2.5G 8 PoE is its adaptable PoE power budget. Unlike traditional switches with fixed internal power supplies, this model can operate under multiple power scenarios depending on its power source.

In environments where running a new electrical circuit is impractical, the switch can be powered directly through its 10GbE RJ45 uplink using PoE+++ (90W). When supplied with this high-power PoE input, the switch redistributes approximately 76W of usable power across its downstream ports. This configuration enables a fully cable-simplified installation in which both data and power are delivered via a single Ethernet connection from the upstream switch.

For deployments requiring greater power capacity, administrators can connect the optional 210W external AC adapter ($79.00, available on the Ubiquiti Store). This dramatically increases the available PoE budget to approximately 196W, allowing the switch to power more high-consumption devices simultaneously. In high-density installations with multiple access points or advanced surveillance cameras, this expanded power budget becomes essential.

Management & Layer 2 Features

Managing the Flex 2.5G 8 PoE integrates smoothly with the UniFi Network application (requiring Version 9.0.114 or later). Despite its edge-deployment focus, it retains a robust suite of Layer 2 features. Administrators can leverage Jumbo Frames to maximize throughput for large file transfers, while Spanning Tree Protocols (STP & RSTP) provide essential loop protection. Additional traffic management tools, such as port isolation, storm control, and egress rate limiting, give network engineers granular control over how data behaves before it travels back across the 10GbE uplink.

Use Case: Surveillance

A common deployment scenario for the Flex 2.5G 8 PoE is as a remote hub for surveillance infrastructure. Instead of routing each camera cable individually back to the central rack, administrators can deploy this switch near the camera cluster. A single 10GbE fiber or copper connection then links the remote switch back to the main network. This approach significantly reduces cabling complexity while maintaining high network performance. Cameras can be powered directly by the switch while their video streams are aggregated and transmitted back to the recording server over the high-speed uplink.

As these examples illustrate, power availability can significantly impact deployment capacity. For standard camera arrays such as the G5 Turret or G5 Bullet models, the PoE+++-powered configuration provides more than enough power for a full cluster. However, installations involving high-draw devices such as PTZ cameras benefit greatly from the larger AC-powered PoE budget.

Use Case: Creative Workspaces and Video Editing

Beyond surveillance, the shift to 2.5GbE is a massive quality-of-life upgrade for creative workflows. When performing heavy video editing, standard Gigabit Ethernet quickly becomes a severe bottleneck. The Flex 2.5G 8 PoE serves as an excellent local studio switch for connecting a high-speed multi-bay storage enclosure or NAS directly to editing workstations. Leveraging the 10GbE uplink to the core network and 2.5GbE to the machines ensures smooth timeline playback and rapid file transfers without the latency of wireless or legacy gigabit connections.

Deployment Flexibility

Ubiquiti designed the Flex 2.5G 8 PoE with versatile mounting options to accommodate a wide variety of installation environments. The switch can be placed on a desktop, mounted directly to a wall using the included bracket, or attached to a DIN rail with an optional mounting kit. Magnetic mounting is also supported, allowing the device to be secured to metal surfaces in industrial or utility installations.

For outdoor or harsh-environment deployments, the switch is compatible with the Flex Utility Pro enclosure. This optional enclosure provides an IPX6-rated weather-resistant housing that protects the switch and its power supply from environmental exposure. When combined with the enclosure and appropriate cabling, the Flex 2.5G can be deployed in locations such as building exteriors, parking structures, and remote monitoring stations.

UniFi Network Overview

During testing, the USW Flex 2.5G 8 PoE was deployed in a real-world configuration to evaluate its performance under uplink-only power conditions. The switch received a single PoE uplink from a larger upstream switch, in this case, a USW Pro 8 PoE, with no external AC adapter connected. Drawing power entirely from that uplink, the switch simultaneously powered a single wireless access point via PoE and provided wired connectivity to two workstations. As reflected in the UniFi Network dashboard, total PoE consumption was just 10.3W out of the available 76W budget, demonstrating that even without the optional AC adapter, the switch comfortably handles a modest but practical device cluster with significant power headroom to spare.

Manageability will feel immediately familiar to anyone who has worked within the UniFi ecosystem. The port manager interface provides the same port-by-port control seen across the broader lineup, including switches we have previously reviewed, such as the USW Pro XG 8 PoE, USW Pro XG 10 PoE, and USW Pro Max 16 PoE. Each port can be individually monitored for PoE mode, link speed, and traffic activity, meaning administrators already comfortable with the platform can deploy and manage the Flex 2.5G 8 PoE without any additional learning curve.

Conclusion

The UniFi Switch Flex 2.5G 8 PoE is a high-performance “Swiss Army knife” for modern edge networks, packing eight 2.5GbE ports and a 10GbE uplink into a remarkably compact frame. Its real genius lies in its power flexibility as it can run purely on a PoE+++ uplink for a clean, single-cable install or use an optional 210W AC adapter to drive power-hungry PTZ cameras and WiFi 7 access points. By moving multi-gigabit switching closer to your devices, it eliminates the “last hundred feet” bottleneck while keeping deployment logistics simple.

Priced at $199.00, this switch offers a future-proofed solution that integrates seamlessly into the UniFi ecosystem. It provides enterprise-grade Layer 2 features without the noise or footprint of traditional rack hardware, making it ideal for everything from creative studios to outdoor surveillance hubs. Ultimately, the Flex 2.5G is a strategic, low-profile powerhouse that ensures your network edge is ready for tomorrow’s high-bandwidth demands.

Product Page – Switch Flex 2.5G 8 PoE

The post Ubiquiti UniFi Switch Flex 2.5G 8 PoE Review: The Edge Switch That Does It All for $199 appeared first on StorageReview.com.

HPE has announced the HPE AI Grid, a comprehensive infrastructure solution aligned with the NVIDIA AI Grid reference architecture. It is designed to securely connect AI factories and distributed inference clusters across regional and remote edge locations. HPE positions this platform for service providers that need to deploy and manage thousands of distributed inference sites as a single, coordinated system.

HPE introduces the AI Grid as a solution for AI-native applications that increasingly require predictable latency, deterministic performance, and distributed deployment. The company claims that the solution delivers ultra-low latency at scale, with zero-touch provisioning, integrated orchestration, and automated security to make lifecycle management easier across large, geographically dispersed deployments.

Rami Rahim, EVP, President, and GM of Networking at HPE, described the strategy as bringing intelligence closer to where data is generated and used, with network infrastructure serving as a key enabler for real-time AI services. NVIDIA’s Chris Penrose, Global Vice President of Telco, emphasized the importance of an AI Grid in connecting geographically dispersed clusters and dynamically assigning workloads based on performance, cost, and latency, with HPE providing multicloud routing and edge infrastructure and NVIDIA delivering accelerated compute and networking components.

Full-stack hardware and networking foundation

HPE states that the HPE AI Grid offers a unified hardware and software platform designed to support service-provider operational models, including multi-tenancy and cloud-native security. The architecture is centered on HPE Juniper capabilities for telco-grade networking, including multicloud routing and coherent optics for long-haul and metro connectivity. HPE also highlights integrated firewalls, WAN automation, and orchestration to enable zero-touch deployment and continuous lifecycle management.

On the compute side, HPE is pairing edge and rack servers with NVIDIA accelerated computing and a high-performance networking and I/O stack. HPE lists support for NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server Edition GPUs, as well as NVIDIA BlueField DPUs, Spectrum-X Ethernet switches, and ConnectX SuperNICs. The stack also includes NVIDIA AI blueprints to accelerate the deployment of inference services across distributed sites.

Service provider focus

HPE is positioning AI Grid for applications needing predictable latency and reliable connectivity, including retail personalization, predictive maintenance, edge healthcare, and carrier-grade AI services. The company states the platform can help operators turn sites with existing power and connectivity into RAN-ready AI grid nodes, effectively broadening where inference can occur without treating each location as a separate deployment.

Field trials and partner ecosystem

As part of the broader AI Grid messaging, Comcast announced new AI field trials on its distributed network focused on real-time edge inferencing. HPE stated that early trials included HPE ProLiant servers running small language models from Personal AI (part of HPE’s Unleash AI partner program) on NVIDIA GPUs for AI-driven “front desk” services aimed at small businesses.

The post HPE Introduces AI Grid to Connect AI Factories and Distributed Inference Clusters Using NVIDIA Reference Architecture appeared first on StorageReview.com.

Autonomous networks, once seen as a distant goal for telecom, are now a pressing priority. According to NVIDIA’s latest State of AI in Telecommunications report, network automation is the top AI use case for investment and actual returns, showing where operators find immediate value from AI.

Although many telcos already automate set workflows, achieving true autonomy requires more. Autonomous networks must understand operator intent, weigh options, and determine the best actions within complex infrastructures. This change relies on reasoning models and AI agents specifically trained on telecom data and operational patterns.

Agentic Systems for Telco

Shifting to autonomous operations needs more than just isolated AI models. Telcos require complete agentic systems that include:

• Telco-specific network models that grasp domain language and structure
• AI agents that can communicate and coordinate with one another
• Network simulation tools that confirm proposed changes before they impact live environments

Ahead of Mobile World Congress Barcelona, NVIDIA unveiled several elements targeting this framework: an open, Nemotron-based large telco model (LTM), a guide for building reasoning agents for network operations, and new NVIDIA Blueprints for energy savings and network configuration using multi-agent orchestration. These components help operators gradually transition to autonomous networks while maintaining control of their infrastructure.

As part of GSMA’s new Open Telco AI initiative, NVIDIA is making the LTM, the guide, and the related agentic AI blueprints available as open resources through GSMA. This approach provides the broader mobile ecosystem with common building blocks rather than proprietary solutions.

Open, Telecom-Tuned Reasoning Model

To implement generative and agentic AI in production telco environments, models must understand telecom language and reason through actual network processes. NVIDIA, in collaboration with consulting firm AdaptKey AI, has introduced an open source, 30-billion-parameter Nemotron LTM that global operators can use as a foundation for autonomous networks.

The LTM builds on the NVIDIA Nemotron 3 family of foundation models and is fine-tuned by AdaptKey AI using open telecom datasets, including industry standards and synthetic network logs. This fine-tuning centers on key telco tasks such as:

• Identifying faults across multi-layer and multi-vendor environments
• Planning for remediation, including decision paths and rollback procedures
• Validating changes and assessing impacts before and after updates

Since the Nemotron LTM is open, operators gain full visibility into its training process and data sources. This transparency supports secure deployment within telco environments, enabling operators to build and run agents within their own security boundaries. It also allows telcos to adjust the telecom-tuned reasoning using internal network and operational data, tailoring the model to their specific architectures and policies without compromising sensitive information.

Open Guide for Building Telco Reasoning Agents

NVIDIA and Tech Mahindra have released an open-source guide for operators that shows how to transform domain-specific reasoning models into agents capable of executing network operations center (NOC) workflows safely.

The guide outlines a framework that helps models reason like NOC engineers. It instructs them to:

• Pinpoint high-impact, high-frequency incident types where automation benefits operations quickly.
• Convert expert engineer solutions into clear, step-by-step procedures.
• Turn those procedures into structured reasoning traces that document each action, tool use, observed outcome, and decision point.

These traces serve as “thinking examples” for the model, detailing the actions to take and reasons behind specific checks, escalation paths, and solutions considered safe and effective. With the NVIDIA NeMo-Skills pipeline, operators can fine-tune a reasoning model using these traces and create telco-specialized agents that tackle troubleshooting and operations, much like experienced network engineers.

Closed-Loop Autonomy and RAN Energy Optimization

Autonomous networks rely on closed-loop operation. Models must understand the network’s state, agents must act on operator intent and simulation results, and feedback must continually refine future decisions.

NVIDIA’s new Blueprint for intent-driven RAN energy efficiency illustrates this principle in 5G radio access networks. The blueprint aims to help operators systematically cut RAN power use while maintaining service quality.

The reference architecture incorporates VIAVI’s TeraVM AI RAN Scenario Generator (AI RSG), which generates synthetic RAN data like cell usage, user throughput, and traffic patterns. AI RSG transforms this data into a format that AI agents can query.

An energy planning agent analyzes the synthetic data to create energy-saving policies, which are then tested in AI RSG. This closed-loop arrangement allows operators to evaluate how power-saving strategies might work in realistic scenarios before affecting live configurations, offering a safer approach to achieving energy-efficiency goals without harming subscriber experience.

Blueprint for Telco Network Configuration in Live Use

NVIDIA’s Blueprint for telco network configuration has transitioned from concept to real-world application, with operators using it to introduce agentic AI into production settings.

Cassava Technologies is applying the configuration blueprint as the base for Cassava AI RAN, an agentic platform for Africa’s diverse multi-vendor mobile network landscape. The platform features three specialized agents:

• A monitoring and recommendation agent that tracks network conditions and suggests configuration changes.
• An execution agent that implements approved changes while ensuring thorough documentation and governance.
• A validation and rollback agent that assesses the impact of changes and reverts them if they cause unintended consequences.

This multi-agent approach promotes safer, faster configuration cycles across various radio and vendor setups.

NTT DATA is using the same blueprint to enhance traffic regulation, especially when users reconnect after outages and networks experience sudden spikes in demand. Deployed with a tier-1 operator in Japan, an AI agent monitors real-time demand across cells and makes admission-control decisions, determining when and how to admit new users to specific cells. As demand returns to normal, the agent adjusts its actions, transforming manual traffic management into a data-driven optimization loop that seeks to improve resiliency during surges.

Multi-Agent Orchestration

To assist operators in designing, tracking, and optimizing multi-agent workflows within the RAN, NVIDIA and BubbleRAN are updating the NVIDIA Blueprint for telco networks with two integrated frameworks:

• NVIDIA NeMo Agent Toolkit (NAT) for creating and coordinating AI agents.
• BubbleRAN Agentic Toolkit (BAT) for orchestrating those agents in telco-grade environments.

BubbleRAN is incorporating NAT and BAT into its Opti-Sphere platform, which handles monitoring, configuration, and validation agents across containers and workloads. Opti-Sphere links agents to tools that reveal network metrics and traffic status, allowing them to continuously suggest configuration changes, simulate or validate them, and adjust accordingly.

Telenor Group will be the first telco to implement this updated blueprint with BubbleRAN, improving its 5G network for Telenor Maritime, the group’s global connectivity provider for maritime customers. This deployment will test agentic orchestration and closed-loop operations in a challenging connectivity environment, where changing conditions and high uptime requirements emphasize the need for robust, autonomous network behavior.

The post NVIDIA Pushes Telco Toward Autonomous Networks With Open Nemotron LTM and New Blueprints appeared first on StorageReview.com.

Mobile operators moving toward open and virtualized RAN architectures are finding that the main challenges are economic, resource use in tight environments, automation, and long-term growth rather than technology readiness. vRAN offers clear benefits in flexibility and supplier options, but as deployments transition from pilot projects to commercial scale, operators need to address rising energy costs, the complexities of cloud-native operations, and the need for reliable performance across widely distributed infrastructure. The emphasis has shifted to making vRAN sustainable and cost-effective as it scales.

Positioned for Edge and RAN

As software-based implementations evolve, general-purpose computing increasingly defines vRAN performance. Metrics such as performance per watt and performance per dollar are becoming more important than peak performance. Even minor inefficiencies at the node level can become significant when scaled across dense edge and cell-site deployments. This trend is driving operator interest in single-socket CPU configurations that deliver the necessary vRAN performance while consuming less power and offering flexible computing options.

AMD positions the EPYC 8005 Server CPUs (codenamed “Sorano”) for edge and RAN applications. The platform is designed for rugged edge environments, with single-socket deployments supporting up to 84 cores and a 225 W power cap. The aim is to meet the performance demands of vRAN workloads, including compute-intensive Layer 1 processing, while delivering strong performance-per-watt and performance-per-dollar. This combination is especially important in power- and space-limited locations such as outdoor cell sites and dense edge facilities, where infrastructure must balance performance, cost, and flexibility.

Energy efficiency and consistent performance are key factors in selecting vRAN infrastructure. AMD EPYC 8005 Server CPUs meet these needs through several design features. Wide thermal operating ranges that accommodate a broad range of environmental conditions are crucial for edge and outdoor deployments. NEBS-compliant platforms enable rugged systems suitable for telecom environments. High core counts per socket allow vendors and operators to build compact, small-form-factor systems that still deliver substantial computing power.

High-Performance using Low Power

The result is a platform designed to deliver high performance while using relatively low power. This enables dense vRAN deployments even when energy resources are limited, as traffic and performance demands continue to increase. By consolidating more RAN functions per server within a limited power budget, operators can reduce site size and potentially lower capital and operational costs.

In addition to general computing and power features, AMD has added optimizations for vRAN, with a focus on Layer 1. The EPYC 8005 CPUs include targeted improvements to Low-Density Parity-Check (LDPC) decoding that reduce latency and accelerate error correction for 5G tasks. These enhancements leverage the AMD “Zen 5” execution pipeline, expanded vector capabilities, and optimized memory access paths to improve LDPC efficiency while ensuring reliable vRAN behavior. The goal is to boost uplink throughput and provide additional capacity for compute-heavy features such as Massive MIMO.

By improving LDPC decoding efficiency, AMD EPYC 8005 Server CPUs can free computing resources for additional Layer 1 and Layer 2 tasks. This helps operators pack more processing power into each node, support more features without a proportional increase in hardware, and further improve overall RAN economics as vRAN expands into broader commercial use.

The post Advancing vRAN Economics with AMD EPYC 8005 Server CPUs appeared first on StorageReview.com.