BCN recently announced BCN RPM (Remote Power Monitoring, Management, and Cycling), a managed service that continuously monitors network connectivity and can automatically reboot routers, modems, and other infrastructure when predefined conditions indicate a failure.
For BCN, the launch fills a gap that can remain even when businesses have invested in redundant connectivity and SD-WAN.
“You could buy a primary circuit and a backup circuit, have SD-WAN, and [be] managing the uptime and transmission of that data across those circuits,” BCN Chief Product Officer Chris Alberding told Channel Insider. “But there’s still a common point of failure in there, and that’s the end device, the device that is terminating that connectivity.”
BCN RPM targets network downtime and costly truck rolls
That problem becomes especially pronounced for organizations operating many distributed locations.
Alberding pointed to retailers as an example. When a cable modem or other device needs to be restarted, businesses can either ask a nontechnical employee to troubleshoot equipment or dispatch an IT professional to the site.
“The last thing you want is your cashier employee going back into the phone closet and unplugging something and hoping they unplug the right thing,” Alberding said.
BCN RPM instead allows that recovery process to happen remotely or automatically as part of the managed service. The platform can reboot routers, modems, firewalls, switches and access points, while also supporting scheduled maintenance and independent control of multiple devices.
BCN is positioning RPM as an extension of the connectivity service rather than a standalone piece of technology.
“The way we think about this from a product perspective is it’s just another feature that you activate as part of your connectivity,” Alberding said. “With every broadband service you sell, this should just be a check-the-box, and it comes with it.”
Automation adapts to customer operating requirements
Alberding stressed that managed remote power is not simply about giving customers a button to restart equipment. BCN engineers and partners must also determine when automation should occur, based on how each customer’s business operates.
A retailer, for example, might not want equipment restarted immediately if doing so could interfere with point-of-sale operations during business hours. BCN could instead configure the service to delay the reboot until the location closes.
“It’s really understanding each customer’s business model and ensuring that we’re putting the best practice for their business in place,” Alberding said.
That customization is part of the managed-service value BCN sees in RPM. The company supports customers across retail, restaurant, industrial, and other environments, giving its teams experience in recommending configurations tailored to individual operating requirements.
Remote power management extends the connectivity stack
The launch also gives BCN and its partners another way to frame connectivity discussions around business outcomes rather than network specifications.
Alberding said organizations should evaluate what 30 or 45 minutes without connectivity means in terms of lost productivity, troubleshooting time, and potential service costs.
“The cost is different by customer, but it is a critical conversation to have as part of just your overall managed connectivity solution,” Alberding said.
BCN RPM joins the company’s broader portfolio of managed connectivity, SD-WAN, cybersecurity, cloud communications, Network-as-a-Service and global connectivity offerings.
For partners, the service creates another opportunity to position connectivity around higher uptime, lower operational costs and less hands-on intervention rather than simply the underlying circuit or equipment.