Many of us like the smell of a new car. Few like the smell of new software.
But don't conclude it's all gloom and doom for the new vendors. Based on the number of high-profile customer engagements touted by the start-ups, many enterprises appear willing to test the waters with tactical pilot deployments of new products from unproven companies. They've waited this long to make a more strategic decision, so why not wait a little longer?
That makes 2004 a critical year for the WLAN industry, even if it's not the year during which all our wireless problems will be solved. As start-ups gain field experience, the inevitable bugs will be eradicated. Vendors will battle not only to provide a core suite of basic services but to differentiate themselves from the pack with unique features. As for Cisco and other incumbent providers, they'll have their chance to prove that evolution makes more sense than revolution when it comes to the critical needs of modern enterprises.
Dave Molta is a senior technology editor at Network Computing. He is also assistant dean for technology at the School of Information Studies at Syracuse University and director of the Center for Emerging Network Technologies. Molta's experience includes 15 years in IT and network management. Write to him at [email protected].
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Have fears of your WLAN gear turning into a legacy albatross kept your mobile implementations localized--or worse yet, nonexistent? We sympathize. Whenever a technology's standards are in flux, as are those for 802.11 (insert letter du jour), it's tempting to stay on the sidelines.
The new HPE Aruba 730 series Wi-Fi 7 access points tout high performance, enhanced security, location tracking capabilities, and more.
Verizon is demoing crowd analytics technology that uses 5G along with AI and mobile edge computing to give stadium operators insights into the flow of fans throughout a venue.
As we move closer to fully realizing the potential of Wi-Fi 7, it becomes evident that the RF, signaling, and throughput tests are not merely procedural checkpoints but the pillars of excellence in wireless communication.
