Wi-Fi Companies Could Soon Run Your Access Network

Wireless LANs are now the preferred network for accessing corporate data resources and the Internet. Combine that with the unstoppable phenomenon of cloud services, and you get a transformation of the entire enterprise access network, from headquarters to branch offices to tiny teleworker sites.

The goal is to bring branches and other remote offices onto a par with large central and regional sites in terms of features, access and security. That means each site requires WAN routing, WLAN, Ethernet switching, VoIP, firewalling and virtual private network (VPN) capabilities, for example.

Being able to manage these functions across all sites from a cloud services Web portal is what makes the whole situation possible. Prior to the cloud, it was prohibitively difficult or expensive to manage full network access and features at remote sites without local personnel.

Expect a Knock at the Door

These shifts are driving a fresh crowd of suppliers, once thought of as wireless niche players, to your doorstep. They're now competing not only to be your WLAN vendor, but for your entire branch-office networking business, as well. Several companies offering enterprise-grade branch-office networking "in a box," so to speak, made announcements in mid-November. Among them are Aerohive Networks, Aruba Networks and Meraki Networks.

Also in the game is veteran networking company AdTran, which bought WLAN vendor Bluesocket in August. AdTran has long positioned itself as the economical alternative to Cisco for branch routing. Over the years, it has added LAN switching, VoIP, firewall, WLAN and other important business-class capabilities to its NetVanta series products.

Vanishing WLAN Controllers

All four companies offer, at a minimum, WLAN access points (APs), WAN routers, security services and a virtualized cloud version of their management systems, some covering both wired and wireless LANs. As a result, they are either doing away with the need for physical WLAN controllers on your premises or didn't have them to begin with.

For example, Meraki has, since its inception, placed WLAN controllers in the cloud, so all you do is buy APs from the company for your premises and subscribe to the ability to manage those APs via the company's cloud platform.

Meraki got into the branch routing business in January with its self-developed MX series, also manageable via its cloud platform. Earlier this month, the company enhanced its MX feature set with auto-negotiating, site-to-site VPN capabilities that interoperate with third-party VPNs. It also added support of identity-based policy creation and enforcement via integration with Microsoft Active Directory.

The companies are recognizing that the branch's status has been elevated. While they might be small from a square-foot perspective, lots of business is getting done in those locations. As such, they require enterprise-grade capabilities but can't necessarily afford traditional enterprise-grade prices. This is where the cloud steps in.

Virtual Controllers in APs

With its Aruba Instant enhancements, Aruba Networks made a move that sounded very "Aerohive-like," architecturally. It moved its controller capabilities to 802.11n APs and now allows a local population of up to 16 APs to self-discover one another and intercommunicate. This is quite reminiscent of the distributed "cooperative control" architecture that Aerohive brought to market when it was founded.

You basically configure the first Aruba AP when your management laptop or tablet associates with an AP and brings up a configuration window, explains Bobby Guhasarkar, senior director of product marketing at Aruba. "The other APs automatically inherit the configuration. In three minutes, you're up and running."

The company's enhanced "Aruba Instant" capabilities include wireless intrusion detection and containment, which previously required a controller, Guhasarkar says. Management involves visiting instant.arubanetworks.com, where you get a Web-based log-in screen; the system has been optimized for Apple iPads, he says.

Branch On Demand

For its part, Aerohive, which has long had a WLAN cloud service based on its HiveManager Online software, introduced a cloud-manageable, 2.4GHz wireless router and security service to launch mid-December for a yearly price of $99 per office.

The fee includes hardware refresh, says Joel Vincent, director of product marketing. The service can be linked to Websense and Barracuda Networks security cloud services, he says, adding that Aerohive has its own Cloud Proxy service to support Layer 4 - 7 security.

A 5GHz wireless router will be available for use with the service in early 2012, Vincent says.

The wireless routing cloud service is a fruit of Aerohive's January acquisition of Pareto Networks, a cloud routing and security vendor.