Just prior to our publishing deadline, Cisco Systems surprised a lot of people--including, we hear, many within its wireless networking group--by acquiring Airespace, a leading wireless switch manufacturer whose Wireless Enterprise Platform won our latest Well-Connected Award for most outstanding product of the year. This decision's impact will be felt far and wide. Although some bemoan a shrinking vendor pool, the move increases Cisco's market share and prospects while legitimizing the wireless switch paradigm. And it's good news for Cisco customers, who now have fresh wireless options.
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Have Wi-Fi, Will Fly
The main force driving enterprise WLAN adoption isn't a new and compelling mobile application. Instead, it's the rapidly growing installed base of Wi-Fi client devices. Notebook computers are displacing desktop PCs in many organizations, and most laptops have embedded Wi-Fi. When the client is ubiquitous, demand for infrastructure will follow.
The big reason we have cheap embedded Wi-Fi clients in enterprise notebooks is because Wi-Fi use has exploded in the home. A late 2004 study from the Dell'Oro group reported 73 percent year-to-year growth in the WLAN equipment market, accompanied by rapidly falling prices. Our neighbors have Wi-Fi. Your neighbors have Wi-Fi. Your boss has Wi-Fi, and his boss does, too. Intel's Centrino marketing campaign doesn't hurt, either.
Subsea cable alternatives can provide a level of comfort for those concerned about disruptions. Realistically, they will continue to play a small, but critical role in the short term.
Maintaining existing network infrastructures often incurs huge technical debt before newer technologies are adopted over time.
Amid ongoing regional uncertainties, telecom infrastructure in the Middle East has expand to include terrestrial low-latency network infrastructure, which offers resilience and agility in navigating political complexities without relying solely on undersea networks.
