The world’s largest maker of computer networking gear – the same company that created the first enterprise-class, WiFi-certified platform two years ago – announced today that it’s taking its solution “mainstream” by offering simple deployment.
Officials at Cisco Systems Inc. say their so-called “Aironet 1140 Series Access Point” – pictured below right – offers full 802.11n performance with security while using standard Power over Ethernet.
The San Jose, California-based company’s timing is good, as businesses become increasingly mobile and – as Cisco Chief Executive Officer John Chambers said – the Internet migrates to a space that features visual networking, Wikis, blogs and telepresence.
Specifically, Cisco officials say, as part of the company’s “Unified Wireless Network,” the access point – listed at $1,299 – integrates well into any enterprise network targeting investment protection and a low total cost of ownership. That’s a plus for many businesses struggling to navigate this slower economy.
As Chris Kozup, senior manager of mobility solutions Cisco, told MobilityTechzone during an interview, printed below, 802.11n effectively allows businesses to “do more with less” – a phrase that’s emerged as a mantra among bottom line-watchers, but which is rarely demonstrated in practice.
Kozup, along with Jeff Campbell, Cisco’s senior director of technology and communications policy, told us that the platform will allow businesses across all industries to do more with their mobility infrastructure – supporting a broad variety of applications, including high definition video.
Interestingly, we learned during the interview that Cisco officials have been meeting with President-elect Barack Obama’s presidential transition team – a group that today appears to be unveiling the Federal Communications Commission’s widely rumored incoming chairman, Julius Genachowski – to talk about broadband “green” and effective deployment initiatives, especially to underserved areas.
Our exchange follows.
MobilityTechzone: For many of us, the technology and telecommunications industries’ major headlines these days are discouraging reports of layoffs and revenue forecast reductions. Yet, as MobilityTechzone has reported in past conversations with Cisco, mobile technologies and products – including an ultra-light PC notebook unveiled by Sony Corp. – appear to be going strong. Given the deepening recession, why is now a good time for Cisco to release this new Aironet 1140 Series Access Point?
Chris Kozup (pictured left): Enterprises continue to experience significant user demand for mobility – both in the sheer diversity of mobile devices that users are bringing into the enterprise and also in their expectations for the use of mobile applications. IT must continue to respond to these demands and look for ways to enable the increase in productivity at a minimum cost. 802.11n, as a new wireless technology, allows enterprises to effectively do more with less, by offering the increased capacity and performance required to support the breadth of these increasing mobility demands. The Aironet 1140 Series access point not only provides full 802.11n performance, but is designed with deployment simplicity in mind to reduce the total cost of implementing a next generation wireless network.
MobilityTechzone: The Aironet 1140 Series Access Point is described as “business-ready.” What does that mean for potential clients?
CK: The Aironet 1140 Series access point is taking 802.11n into the mainstream by offering deployment simplicity. The access point is ready for business as it can be seamlessly integrated into existing networks. It provides full 802.11n performance with standard Power over Ethernet and has a sleek design that allows it to blend seamlessly into any office environment. The platform is built with deployment simplicity in mind by making use of existing mounting brackets and by offering decreased packing for easier installation.
We at MobilityTechzone have gone within one year from reporting on the industry hailing video-based communications as cost- and energy-savers, to reporting on an economy that every day yields calls for companies to streamline expenses and re-focus on customers. One of the Aironet 1140 Series Access Point’s main selling points appears to be its ability to deliver high-quality video and rich media communications, as well as voice. What is Cisco expecting the market reaction to be to this product, given that businesses are taking hard looks at their telecom budgets? What types or sizes of companies is Cisco targeting with this product?
CK: Cisco continues to see customers investing in wireless and mobility, given their ability to reduce costs and offer productivity enhancements. As such, Cisco expects to see a very strong reception to the Aironet 1140 Series access point. The platform allows enterprises to do more with their mobility infrastructure – supporting a broad variety of applications, including high definition video. Cisco is targeting the Aironet 1140 Series to offices of all industries. The characteristics of the access point make it very well suited to indoor office environments.
MobilityTechzone: A week after this product’s release, Barack Obama will be sworn in as our next president. Obama made good use of technology to win the White House, and he’s seen by many as our most savvy president in that regard. What, if anything, are you hoping to see from the new administration as far as our industry goes? What would you like to see the administration put more emphasis on – creating the kind of national broadband infrastructure that supports mobile solutions, or boosting employment rates themselves, with an eye on revitalizing businesses that may become Cisco clients?
Jeff Campbell (pictured left): Innovation and technology will be key drivers to grow our economy, manage our energy consumption, and transform the way we work, live, play and learn. Cisco is pleased that President-elect Obama and his team truly understand this. We are encouraged that they view technology and innovation as a way to grow U.S. jobs and the overall economy.
We have had many fruitful discussions with the Transition team on how to best capitalize on the power of U.S. innovation. Our initial suggestions include: expanding broadband access to the underserved, improving access to those already served, and developing and leveraging ICT applications such as Smart Grid to enable smart energy use and consumption. We also suggest driving advanced technologies that will improve our nation’s education system and help create the workforce of the future.
We particularly applaud the emphasis that President-elect Obama has placed on innovation in green technology. Strong investment in green technology will lead to new job creation, energy independence, and improvement in fighting climate change.
With regard to broadband, Cisco supports the creation of a national broadband infrastructure as the backbone for future economic growth and job creation. Thus far, Cisco’s focus in discussions with the Administration is on three areas aimed at addressing deficiencies in our current “state of broadband” in a manner that will stimulate investment and create jobs in the short term while providing a long term economic asset to the American public.
First: rural and underserved areas. Create a grant program to incentivize deployment of broadband infrastructure in underserved areas. Broadband service should be at least 10 mbps downstream/2 mbps upstream to all households and businesses in a particular underserved area. The goal of the program must be to deliver the most cost effective solution at least cost to the public.
Second, upgrade existing infrastructure. Although the private sector is investing billions in upgrading broadband infrastructure to meet future bandwidth needs of 20-100 mbps , that investment is limited and not geographically uniform. In order to encourage an increase and acceleration of such investment, tax credits and expensing provisions should be created over a 1-3 year period.
Finally, encourage adoption. There are a multitude of methods by which government can encourage the use of broadband in areas such as education, healthcare, government services, and many more. One particular area of interest is small and medium businesses where increased use of broadband technologies can increase productivity, reduce costs and create jobs. Government can use tax credits and other means to encourage adoption of broadband by this and other sectors.
MobilityTechzone: In our recent interview with you, you told us that it’s essential for businesses to invest in wireless security, even in this slower economy. Specifically, he said that IT should invest in wireless intrusion prevention tools that provide comprehensive visibility into the wireless medium to mitigate the threat of rogue access points and better help the business meet regulatory compliance requirements, such as PCI and HIPAA. In releasing the Aironet 1140 Series Access Point, Cisco notes that its Unified Wireless Network ensures the security of collaboration and communication applications. How is that done?
CK: The Aironet 1140 Series access point integrates seamlessly into the Cisco Unified Wireless Network and as a result, takes advantage of the existing security solutions currently available from Cisco. The Aironet 1140 Series supports the latest securities protocols including WPA2 and 802.11n technology requires the use of WPA2 as a default. Additionally, the access point can serve as part of the Cisco Adaptive Wireless IPS solution to detect security anomalies in real-time as they occur. This provides the greatest flexibility in allowing enterprises to meet not only the demands of the mobile user, but do so with the same level of security that is currently available across the entire portfolio.
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Michael Dinan is a contributing editor for MobilityTechzone, covering news in the IP communications, call center and customer relationship management industries. To read more of Michael's articles, please visit his columnist page.
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Michael Dinan
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