[2023 July Tips & Tricks] What is Nebula Cloud Monitoring Mode?

zyxel_Lin

What is Nebula Cloud Monitoring Mode?

As your networks migrate towards a Nebula Cloud environment, it is important to simultaneously manage both on-cloud and on-prem devices. For example, upgrading the firmware of multiple devices can be a headache for resellers who manage multiple on-cloud and on-prem firewalls. Now Nebula provides a centralized platform for managing their devices and licenses by Cloud Monitoring Mode.

Nebula Cloud Monitoring Mode supports firmware upgrade operations, remote configurator*1, and device configuration backup/restoration*1. Gain site-wide visibility into the status of your Nebula-managed devices and licenses in one place with Nebula Control Center.

*: Support models: USG FLEX, ATP, and USG20(W)-VPN, USG FLEX H series (available in Q4 2023) operated in on-prem mode. *1: Access remote GUI, Backup and restore firewall configurations require Nebula Pro Pack.

Key Features:

The device's on/off status

Firmware upgrade operation

- Follow Nebula’s f/w upgrade design

Remote GUI (Nebula Pro Pack feature)

-Using a secure tunnel to log in to the device's local GUI

-Benefit is narrowing down the attack surface whenever there is administrative logon to the device from the Internet

Device config backup & restore (Nebula Pro Pack feature)

-Site-wide configuration backup & restore is supported

-Cross-org configuration backup & restore (Require Nebula MSP Pack)

Device license management

-Register, activate, transfer, and view device licenses

-Support only Nebula-applicable licenses i.e. Gold/UTM pack/CF Pack/Secure WiFi, while USG FLEX’s a la carte licenses are NOT supported

asriggs

This feature needed more thought and execution. Pushing full nebula on everything for years then releasing this has created a disconnect between the key features of nebula and the firewall. This has made management of the simplest tasks complicated and it seems that ZyXEL didn't think about how this would complicate multi-location management. The H series equipment needs full nebula integration.