Just about every networking vendor is rushing to roll out support for Gigabit WiFi networks based on the emerging 802.11ac standard. But the real issue may not be the amount of available throughput as much as the ability to management it.
To address both issues, Aruba Networks today unveiled the Aruba 220 Series Access Points, which, when packaged with Aruba ClientMatch software, makes it easier to make sure a particular client device is attached to the most optimally located access point.
In addition, the Aruba access points have been optimized to support specific classes of applications, including now Microsoft Lync, that are normally indistinguishable from other traffic.
According to Ozer Dondurmacioglu, director of product and solutions marketing, one of the things that distinguished the Aruba 220 Series is that they have been built from the ground up to support 802.11ac using the latest generation of Broadcom processors, as opposed to adding a module to an existing wireless access point.
Faced with fiercer competition from companies that are making the case for the control plane for managing wired and wireless networks, Dondurmacioglu says what many organizations don’t appreciate is that Aruba management software can be used to manage both Aruba wireless networks and a variety of third-party wired networks, which preserves the customer’s freedom of choice.
With more devices than ever attaching to corporate wireless networks, managing the number of devices that connect to any one access point has become a challenge, especially as the wireless network starts to emerge as the primary corporate network.
As such, it’s only a matter of time before most organizations upgrade their networks to accommodate demand for bandwidth if for no other reason than most end users today judge the quality of the IT organization by the wireless networking experience.
