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Feature StoryRun the GambitCompany Expands Simulated Lab to Cloud, MobilesBy Paula BernierYou wouldn’t invest in a Cadillac to teach aninexperienced driver the rules of the road.Instead, at least in my day, Driver’s Ed teachersused simulators to get their students acclimated tobeing behind the wheel.Likewise, it doesn’t always make sense to invest in a pricy testnetwork to get folks trained on the latest Cisco gear. So somecompanies employ simulated lab environments from companieslike Gambit Communications.It’s an imperfect analogy, I know. You really do have to getbehind the wheel to get the full experience of driving. Andcomparing sophisticated simulated network labs to the unsophisticateddriving simulators some of us used in high school30 years ago is like comparing apples and oranges – or applesand orangutans. But you get the idea.for $10 per user per lab; $35 for 30 days; or $90 for 90 days.Kaplan IT Learning, which helps students with test preparation,uses Gambit’s MIMIC Virtual Lab as part of its Ciscocertification courses. It allows students to practice their coursework from anywhere.Gambit also recently expanded the type of endpoints that can accessits cloud-based labs by unveiling an iPhone application that letsusers connect to the labs on the cloud via their mobile devices. Theapp is called iCCNAlab. It provides network engineers with accessto training tools for Cisco Certified Network Associate certification.“This is the first of a kind on iPhone and iPad,” says Shah.“iPad is the best medium for that.”Gambit’s MIMIC Simulator is usedby more than 600 customers fordevelopment, disaster simulations,testing and training.Anyhow, Gambit’s MIMIC Simulator, which is actuallya bunch of simulator modules, is used by more than 600customers for development, disaster simulations, testing andtraining. Users of the tools include such well-known organizationsas AT&T, Cisco, HP, IBM, Intel, JP Morgan, Shell,the U.S. Army, the U.S. Air Force, and VISA.What’s new and exciting on this front is that Gambit Communicationsrecently made generally available a cloud solution based onthis technology, explains CEO Pankaj Shah. As a result, Gambit canput hundreds of labs in the cloud and enable users to connect tothem using their favorite browser. Users can rent a lab in the cloudApril Browne, director of product management at KaplanIT Learning, says the interface on the iCCNAlab app makesnavigation easy.“It leverages the iPhone style well, and at the same time,showcases a wide range of devices, commands and tutorials,”says Browne. “We think this app is something the students cantruly embrace as a certification tool for use at anytime.” ITGoTo:GoTo:56 INTERNET TELEPHONY ® February 2011 Table of Contents • Ad IndexSubscribe FREE online at www.itmag.com