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RSS feedsAruba has joined the flurry of vendors launching enterprise wireless systems in the UK.
The US-based company, which won funding in 2002, has been shipping products in the US since March.
The company has claimed its switch/router helps firms to control rogue access points, even if they do not want wireless Ethernet network access yet. It has also built voice over IP (VoIP) functionality into the product.
Keerti Melkote, vice-president of product management at Aruba, said: "The idea is that people can turn wireless off, and then turn it on in a controlled manner. Once people have wireless, they want to have authorisation and encryption."
Aruba's product is similar to those of Trapeze, Extreme and Foundry, which hold intelligence at the switch, rather than at access points. All four vendors claimed this simplifies management.
Mekolte said his product differs from those of competitors by offering Layer 3 functionality. Others, he claimed, address only up to Layer 2, the data link layer. The product also runs software over hardware, allowing new functionality to be added by flash upgrades as standards firm up.
Jess Thompson-Hughes, managing director of React Technologies, Aruba's first reseller in the UK, said: "We looked at other options, but they are a sticking plaster. We want solutions that are easy to sell and support."
He added that his firm has had some success in selling Aruba's box, in some cases using the IP PBX functionality bundled with the product.
See also:
All Voice & Data
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