Small and medium-sized businesses face a networking paradox. They need enterprise-grade capabilities like WiFi 7, advanced security, and centralized management, but they lack the budgets and specialized staff that large organizations take for granted. The result? Organizations forced to choose between solutions designed for large enterprise scale or bare-bones gear that can't keep pace with modern demands.
To understand how vendors are addressing this gap, The Tolly Group spoke with Shawn Rogers, Sales Operations & Product Development Manager at Zyxel Networks. Rogers has spent over 20 years at the company, managing Zyxel's wireless access points, Nebula cloud management platform, and several other product lines focused squarely on the SMB space. Zyxel's approach centers on delivering enterprise-grade capabilities at price points and simplicity levels that SMBs can actually adopt.
The Infrastructure Bottleneck
The most pressing challenge Rogers encounters isn't exotic or unexpected. It's fundamental. "A lot of the existing infrastructure is based on 1 Gbps connections, and that just doesn't cut it with today's use of WiFi 7, HD Video, and HD IP Cameras," Rogers explains.
This creates a cascading problem. Organizations recognize they need to upgrade their wireless infrastructure to support modern devices and applications. What they often miss? Their existing switches become the bottleneck. Deploying WiFi 7 access points on gigabit switches is like connecting a firehose to a garden hose fitting.
Power delivery compounds the issue. Many newer WiFi 7 access points require 802.3bt PoE to operate at full speed. Legacy PoE switches simply can't deliver enough power, forcing APs into reduced-performance modes or requiring separate power injectors that defeat the purpose of PoE in the first place.
"Without also upgrading the switch infrastructure, we see a lot of WiFi upgrades that are hampered due to low-speed switches or because the existing PoE switches can't put out enough power for full speed AP operation," Rogers notes.
Rethinking Cloud Management for SMB
Infrastructure upgrades traditionally mean extensive manual configuration. Rack a new switch, console in, configure VLANs, set up trunking, repeat for the next switch. For organizations without dedicated network engineers, this process is daunting and error-prone.
Zyxel's Nebula cloud management platform attacks this problem directly. Launched in 2016, it was the first full-stack cloud management solution purpose-built specifically for the SMB market. "When we launched Nebula, the only full stack solutions were aimed at the Enterprise space with the corresponding enterprise costs," Rogers explains. Rather than adapting enterprise platforms for smaller deployments, Zyxel built Nebula from the ground up with SMB operational models and budgets in mind.
The platform provides tools for pre-configuring hardware without unboxing it, along with cloning capabilities and templates for common settings like VLANs. For multi-site deployments or managed service providers juggling dozens of customer networks, this eliminates repetitive configuration work.
The economic model matters as much as the features. Nebula is free with no restrictions on device count or number of locations managed. No hidden costs for adding the tenth location or hundredth device. For organizations accustomed to cloud management vendors charging per device or imposing artificial limits, this represents a significant departure.
Optional licenses unlock additional features. The Pro Pack adds extra admin accounts, cloud storage, and AI capabilities for $30 per device annually. For MSPs, a separate license at $99 per year per administrator provides additional features tailored to multi-tenant management. "The street price is very affordable," Rogers emphasizes.
Zyxel has also streamlined the license purchasing and management experience through online tools that integrate directly with Nebula. System integrators and end users can purchase, apply, and manage licenses through Zyxel's online sales platforms without navigating complex procurement processes.
AI Without the Hype
Zyxel has been integrating AI capabilities into Nebula for several years, focusing on practical applications rather than buzzwords. The first implementation monitored IPTV streams, alerting administrators about detected problems and suggesting specific configuration changes. "This type of proactive approach allows the network operator to detect and solve issues before a customer calls to complain," Rogers explains.
The wireless LAN received similar treatment. AI monitors connection quality and client behavior, automatically adjusting WLAN settings to improve performance. More recently, Zyxel added an AI chatbot directly into the Nebula interface, providing natural language help with direct links to documentation.
On the security side, Zyxel's firewalls use sandboxing and machine learning to detect zero-day exploits, along with AI-driven analysis of logs to spot unusual user behavior that might indicate compromise. These aren't theoretical capabilities but deployed features solving real problems for organizations without security operations centers.
The Overspecification Problem
One misconception Rogers encounters regularly involves switch feature sets. "We find a lot of customers come to us looking for L3 switches, when their application has no use for the extra L3 features, or those L3 features are only needed on one or two switches, but instead they're buying all L3 switches," he notes.
This isn't a minor issue. Layer 3 switches command premium pricing over Layer 2 equivalents. Multiplying that premium across an entire deployment wastes budget that could fund additional capacity or security features actually needed.
Zyxel addresses this by offering multiple switch series at different capability levels, allowing right-sized purchases. "We provide several different series of switches offering different levels of L2, L2+, L3, etc, allowing us to provide the right type of switch needed for the job," Rogers explains.
Looking Ahead
Zyxel's roadmap reflects practical market demands rather than bleeding-edge experimentation. The company was among the first to ship business-class WiFi 7 access points in North America and continues expanding its portfolio. Multigig switches with 802.3bt support are proliferating to properly power these newer APs.
In Q1 2026, Zyxel plans to launch IoT-focused access points designed specifically for challenging deployments. The rugged, compact hardware is built for mounting in electrical boxes, dusty environments, and mobile installations to facilitate communication with IoT devices.
For security-conscious verticals like healthcare, legal, government, and finance, Zyxel's firewalls integrate zero-trust networking through partnerships with endpoint security providers. The integration with Astra covers both traditional computers and mobile devices, extending protection across the entire endpoint ecosystem.
Beyond these specific initiatives, Nebula itself continues expanding. What started as management for access points, switches, and security gateways now encompasses SD-WAN, mobile routers, and point-to-multipoint wireless ISP solutions. Rogers sees this expansion as natural evolution driven by customer needs across diverse verticals, from offices and schools to warehouses, multi-dwelling units, and hospitality environments.
Key Takeaways
WiFi upgrades without corresponding switch modernization waste investment and limit performance
Cloud management purpose-built for SMB operational models delivers better fit than adapting large-scale platforms
AI capabilities focused on operational automation deliver more value than speculative features
Switch overspecification represents a common budget drain that careful planning can eliminate
Free core platforms with optional paid features provide flexibility for growing organizations
Learn More
Organizations evaluating SMB network infrastructure can explore Zyxel's solutions and Nebula platform at zyxel.com. Connect with Shawn Rogers on LinkedIn for deeper discussions about SMB networking strategies.