WLAN MANAGEMENT INSPIRES CISCO TO TAKE NEW INITIATIVE

Cisco Systems, the market share leader in the segment for traditional wireless LAN access points, is announcing new strategic initiatives for its WLAN platforms, reflecting the control and management capabilities the company gained through its recent acquisition of WLAN management and switch vendor Airespace.

David Leonard, co-general manager of Cisco's new wireless networking business unit, is currently migrating many of its enterprise WLAN access point customers to the former Airespace gear. Leonard said Cisco also is focusing on integrating its wired and wireless LAN offerings with common management capabilities, such as intrusion detection, and integrated services, such as voice and location tracking. Cisco also is targeting enterprise guest networking and outdoor services as new application areas.

The nature and needs of enterprise wireless LANs are changing, Leonard said. “The goal now is to attain management of the network without user intervention on a regular basis,” he said. “RF wasn't something IT managers wanted to deal with before. If you need wireless LAN coverage, you just threw some access points up and took a shot at it, but there would always be gaps. If you have the ability to set power levels and channels correctly, there is much more you can do.”

The need for greater service management capabilities is driving not only consolidation but also more partnerships, according to Bruce Van Nice, vice president of marketing at WLAN management vendor Trapeze Networks.

“The Cisco acquisition was a pivotal event for the industry,” he said. “It validated the landscape and changed it pretty dramatically. We think that's a good thing.”

Van Nice said that Trapeze benefited from the Cisco/Airespace deal because Nortel Networks, a former Airespace partner, was left in need of a new WLAN management partner. Trapeze also recently partnered with Enterasys, and Van Nice said the pressure is on for any wired LAN company that doesn't yet have a clear wireless LAN management strategy — a clear allusion to companies such as Extreme Networks and Foundry Networks.

“There was a whole set of vendors that had been on the sidelines of the wireless LAN switch segment that are now finding they need these capabilities,” he said. “We think there will be more of that.”

Meanwhile, carriers are still non-factors in WLAN management, even though many of them, both from wireline and wireless segments, are forging ahead with managed network services strategy.

Leonard said carriers, especially mobile operators, have been “hesitant” to get involved in managed wireless LANs. “They're still sizing up the market and thinking about, ‘How do I make money at this?” With mobile carriers, the hesitancy has to do with the potential loss of minutes if there is a handoff between the mobile network and the wireless LAN, Leonard said.

Mobile carriers like Sprint are instead touting mobility management strategies that leverage their own networks (see related story on page 14). However, wireline carriers like MCI may be getting ready to make a move. MCI officials said last week that they will soon add a wireless LAN aspect to the company's managed network services portfolio.