Cisco Differentiators

Cisco is the global leader in wireless LAN solutions with over 59.5 percent market share for enterprise products.(4) Acknowledged by Gartner Group as the Wireless LAN Magic Quadrant leader in 2005, only Cisco delivers a comprehensive, unified wired and wireless solution. The strength of Cisco wireless LAN solutions lies in the following areas:

Only Unified Wireless and Wired Solution

As wireless LANs become more pervasive in the enterprise, integration with existing wired networks becomes more and more important to simplify management and take advantage of the security and redundancy of the Ethernet infrastructure. Cisco market leadership in both wireless and wired networks enables the right solution to be designed for companies of any size.

A Complete End-to-End Integrated Network

Wireless LANs are a portion of the total network solution required by today’s agile enterprises. Endpoint security compliance, comprehensive wired Intrusion Protection Systems/Intrusion Protection Systems (IDS/IPS) and mobile device management are all important components of a total network design that harnesses the power of mobility for the enterprise while maintaining appropriate security and cost controls. Vendors who focus solely on wireless LANs will not have the portfolio breadth or ability to deeply integrate with other solution components.

Unsurpassed Security

As the number of wireless devices (such as laptops, PDAs, smart phones) grows exponentially, securing just the wireless network is insufficient. The corporate network itself is at risk from threats introduced through the wireless medium. Securing both the wireless network and protecting the corporate network against threats introduced via wireless clients is accomplished through a rich set of defences, including IEEE 802.11i, IDS/IPS, and Cisco Network Admission Control, a key component of the Cisco Self-Defending Network initiative.

Feature-Rich and Standards-Based

Cisco Unified Wireless Network solutions offer advanced features, such as automatic RF management and multiple service levels for different user and client types, allowing differentiated QoS and security levels, voice over wireless LAN, and location tracking for Wi-Fi devices and Radio Frequency ID (RFID) tags. Cisco Unified Wireless Network services are built on a strong foundation of industry standards such as IEEE 802.11. By adhering to industry standards, Cisco wireless LAN solutions provide for easy integration with existing customer investments. For example, large-scale deployments utilizing the Cisco Catalyst 6500 Wireless Services Module or the Cisco Wireless Services Module for the Integrated Services Router take advantage of the powerful security, voice, and high-availability capabilities of your existing infrastructure. Where standards are not yet available, Cisco drives industry wide initiatives to enable new functionality that can be utilized in a multivendor environment. Cisco Compatible Extensions program (CCX) is one such area where new advances can be rapidly rolled out and reach over 90 percent of the Wi-Fi client market.

Tested and Proven

Cisco’s end-to-end solution test labs help ensure that Cisco Unified Wireless Network solutions are manageable, scalable, available, and reliable. Using Cisco’s comprehensive design guides, network operations personnel can easily and confidently implement and manage a Cisco Unified Wireless Network solution. With over three million access points shipped, tens of thousands of customers have already experienced the productivity benefits delivered by a Cisco wireless LAN solution.

(4) 1Q06 Enterprise Vendor Market Share, Dell ‘Oro Group

Market Evolution | A Better Way to do Business | Mobility Services
Gaining a Competitive Edge | Why Pervasive? | Cisco Differentiators