Fully-managed, cost-effective, single-server solution for seamless management of communication & IT services on board vessels
29th August 2018 – Independent satellite communications provider NSSLGlobal is enhancing its value-added service proposition with the launch of Cruise Control+. This brand new virtual platform is designed to provide maritime companies with a secure, integrated solution for managing all aspects of voice and data communications, as well as IT services, on board vessels. It also enables a seamless remote deployment and delivery of new value-added services, the hosting of customer applications with no additional hardware required, whilst also providing an option for customers to outsource their onboard IT services through the virtual appliance capability.
Cruise Control+ will provide maritime customers with the flexibility to quickly deploy additional company applications on board their vessels, as well as offer greater support capabilities, space savings, and improved capacity management. In addition, the managed service delivery removes the need for customers to manage the OS or applications on board, freeing up their time to focus on vessel priorities.
“Our new virtualised platform represents a key strategic milestone for NSSLGlobal, as we’re able to offer a cost-effective, single-server solution for seamless management of communication and IT services to our maritime customers around the globe,” said Sally-Anne Ray, CEO, NSSLGlobal.
NSSLGlobal’s Cruise Control+ appliance is installed locally on board a vessel and is designed to help maritime customers manage their vessels’ corporate, vendor and crew welfare networks to ensure maximum efficiency and cost-effectiveness. The multitude of services offered goes beyond on board communication to include automatic beam switching, out of bandwidth management and an integrated SIP PBX. The security and onboard network management features include a split VLAN network which allows for a secure separation of corporate, crew and vendor networks; traffic prioritisation; robust firewall controls and an optional embedded VPN service.
Cruise Control+ also enables an enhanced level of crew services including crew UNITE (the NSSLGlobal welfare internet portal) and CrewVision, an acclaimed crew entertainment service that provides news, high definition films, sports and TV programmes, all without affecting the vessel’s bandwidth.
Utilising the new virtual machine feature of Cruise Control+, customers can opt for a range of managed IT solutions, including a state-of-the-art Unified Threat Management service, a Windows 2016 server solution, and a managed antivirus solution – all optimised to work efficiently over a satellite connection.
The local portal interface provided by Cruise Control+ offers captains a holistic overview and real-time visibility into the different data networks and services running on their vessels as a way of managing and controlling the bandwidth usage on board. In addition, the corporate shore portal interface enables the customer’s HQ (or NSSLGlobal at the request of HQ) to manage the configuration of services running on each vessel as well as providing additional oversight, including cybersecurity logs essential for robust security management.
More information about NSSLGlobal’s new Cruise Control+ solution will be available at SMM 2018 in Hamburg. NSSLGlobal’s stand will be located in Hall B6, Stand 514.