Cisco Cisco Aironet 3600e Access Point 백서
Farpoint Group White Paper – September 2012
Midmarket Wireless LANs
1
hile the journey is far from over, the ongoing evolution of wireless LAN
(WLAN) technologies and systems has brought us to the point where such
connectivity has simply become an expectation – everywhere. Early wireless
(WLAN) technologies and systems has brought us to the point where such
connectivity has simply become an expectation – everywhere. Early wireless
LAN systems (which we worked on at the time of our founding more than two decades
ago) could at best be described as curiosities, with high prices, very limited performance
in terms of both range and throughput, and no industry standards. And yet, to us and a
few others, the potential was very clear indeed: mobile people with mobile computers
need mobile networks, and it was also clear that advances in basic radio technologies,
very large scale integrated (VLSI) circuit technology (lower power consumption, lower
cost, and smaller form factors) and other radio components, network and wireless
protocols, standards, reliability, security, management, and, of course, total cost of
ownership (TCO), would eventually yield the sophisticated, capable, high-performance,
and broadly-applied WLAN technologies and systems of today. These advances, in turn,
spawned equally-remarkable end-user demand that continues to accelerate even today.
We have thus moved well past WLANs as suitable only for specialized and vertical-
market applications (which, of course, remain as key sources of demand for WLAN
connectivity) to the wireless LAN as primary or default access in all key venues –
businesses and organizations of all forms, the residence, and public spaces. And, of
course, such connectivity is more than appropriate for all applications and all forms of
traffic, including time-bounded voice telephony and streaming video. The key challenge
to date has been increasing both capacity and coverage as users demand ever-higher
levels of service with an ever-growing arsenal of wireless devices.
The WLAN is thus today the new edge of the enterprise network, with connectivity
provisioned across floors, buildings, campuses, and even to remote locations like branch
offices and into the residence for telework applications. Indeed, we would go so far as to
argue that the wireless LAN is now the primary access vehicle for the majority of users
everywhere, and, in fact, essential – a “must have” as opposed to a “nice to have”
capability that converts convenience into productivity. And the success of any network
today must be judged in terms just how productive the users of that network are.
Businesses of all forms are consequently embracing the wireless LAN at a perpetually-
remarkable pace. And, given the advances in the field noted above, firms of all sizes and
types can today realize a cost-effective path to wireless-LAN success. It’s important to
point out, however, that wireless LANs are not, and in fact never have been, a one-size-
fits-all proposition. And it’s not just a matter of the differences in scale required across
the range from small to large firms; indeed, today we’re seeing meaningful if not vital
product differentiation that is making it easier than ever for firms of all sizes to obtain,
manage, and grow with WLAN solutions that are most appropriate to a broad range of
considerations and conditions – the subject of this Farpoint Group White Paper.
Understanding Wireless LANs: The Special Needs of Midmarket Firms
The basic element of any wireless-LAN solution is, of course, the access point (AP),
which performs the vital task of provisioning access for wireless users to the remainder of
ago) could at best be described as curiosities, with high prices, very limited performance
in terms of both range and throughput, and no industry standards. And yet, to us and a
few others, the potential was very clear indeed: mobile people with mobile computers
need mobile networks, and it was also clear that advances in basic radio technologies,
very large scale integrated (VLSI) circuit technology (lower power consumption, lower
cost, and smaller form factors) and other radio components, network and wireless
protocols, standards, reliability, security, management, and, of course, total cost of
ownership (TCO), would eventually yield the sophisticated, capable, high-performance,
and broadly-applied WLAN technologies and systems of today. These advances, in turn,
spawned equally-remarkable end-user demand that continues to accelerate even today.
We have thus moved well past WLANs as suitable only for specialized and vertical-
market applications (which, of course, remain as key sources of demand for WLAN
connectivity) to the wireless LAN as primary or default access in all key venues –
businesses and organizations of all forms, the residence, and public spaces. And, of
course, such connectivity is more than appropriate for all applications and all forms of
traffic, including time-bounded voice telephony and streaming video. The key challenge
to date has been increasing both capacity and coverage as users demand ever-higher
levels of service with an ever-growing arsenal of wireless devices.
The WLAN is thus today the new edge of the enterprise network, with connectivity
provisioned across floors, buildings, campuses, and even to remote locations like branch
offices and into the residence for telework applications. Indeed, we would go so far as to
argue that the wireless LAN is now the primary access vehicle for the majority of users
everywhere, and, in fact, essential – a “must have” as opposed to a “nice to have”
capability that converts convenience into productivity. And the success of any network
today must be judged in terms just how productive the users of that network are.
Businesses of all forms are consequently embracing the wireless LAN at a perpetually-
remarkable pace. And, given the advances in the field noted above, firms of all sizes and
types can today realize a cost-effective path to wireless-LAN success. It’s important to
point out, however, that wireless LANs are not, and in fact never have been, a one-size-
fits-all proposition. And it’s not just a matter of the differences in scale required across
the range from small to large firms; indeed, today we’re seeing meaningful if not vital
product differentiation that is making it easier than ever for firms of all sizes to obtain,
manage, and grow with WLAN solutions that are most appropriate to a broad range of
considerations and conditions – the subject of this Farpoint Group White Paper.
Understanding Wireless LANs: The Special Needs of Midmarket Firms
The basic element of any wireless-LAN solution is, of course, the access point (AP),
which performs the vital task of provisioning access for wireless users to the remainder of
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