As
users become increasingly mobile and business applications become more
interactive, innovative wireless services and applications are
critical in helping companies maintain agility and differentiation. ® addresses need for enterprise-class wireless connectivity and next generation wireless solutions with
Cisco Unified Wireless Network. This unified wired and wireless
solution delivers the industry's best wireless LAN security,
innovation, and investment protection. The Cisco Unified Wireless
Network supports real-time business-critical applications, creates a
secure, mobile, interactive workplace for organizations deploying WLANs
and delivers greater reliability and higher throughput with 802.11n.
This document introduces the products, features, benefits, and future
migration plans of the Cisco Unified Wireless Network.
Challenge
Mobility
is changing the way organizations do business. Real-time interaction,
instant messaging, text paging, voice services, network access while
traveling, and real-time network access in the office are transforming
the business environment. In an increasingly competitive business
environment, companies need fast responses and want immediate results.
Today's
business climate requires anywhere, anytime connectivity. Unlike past
technology advancements that were driven by technology professionals,
the explosion of enterprise wireless LANs (WLANs) is being driven by
mobile users, traveling executives, wireless applications, and mobility
services like voice services, guest access, and location services. The
acceleration of enterprise adoption of WLAN technology is radically
transforming business operations, the network edge, data centers, and
centralized IT control.
WLANs are now business-critical. End users are mobility enabled with lapps,
handhelds and business critical mobile devices. They are embracing the
freedom and flexibility of wireless connectivity. Business executives
are recognizing the competitive advantage of business-critical mobile
applications. Organizations are deploying WLANs increase employee productivity, enhance collaboration, and improve responsiveness to customers.
The
increasing need for anytime connectivity is creating new challenges
for today's networking professionals, who must respond to the growing
demand for WLANs in an era of tight budgets and reduced resources.
These networking professionals are discovering that in the absence of a
corporate sanctioned wireless network, employees are deploying their
own unauthorized access points that put the entire network at risk.
Network
managers need to protect their networks and deliver secure WLAN access
for their organizations. They need a wireless infrastructure that
embraces the unique attributes of radio frequency (RF) technology and
effectively supports today's business applications. They need to keep
their wired network secure while laying a foundation for the smooth
integration of new applications that embrace wireless technology.
Network managers need a WLAN solution that takes full advantage of
existing tools, knowledge, and network resources to cost-effectively
address critical WLAN security, deployment, and control issues.
Solution
The
Cisco Unified Wireless Network is the industry's only unified wired
and wireless solution to deliver cost-effective, high performance
wireless networks for business critical mobility. This innovative
solution brings mobility to endpoint devices and users, providing them
with anytime, anywhere network access. This award-winning solution
delivers industry-leading mobility services that enable innovative
applications to streamline business operations and improve
productivity.
The
Cisco Unified Wireless Network combines the best elements of wireless
and wired networking to deliver scalable, manageable, and secure WLANs
with a low total cost of ownership. It includes innovative RF
capabilities that enable real-time access to core business applications
and provides proven enterprise-class secure connectivity. It supports a
seamless working environment by combining the mobility of wireless
with the performance of wired networks through the delivery of 802.11n
wireless networks. The Cisco Unified Wireless Network delivers the same
level of security, scalability, reliability, ease of deployment, and
management for wireless LANs that organizations expect from their wired
LANs.
The
Cisco Unified Wireless Network is an integrated end-to-end solution
that addresses all layers of the WLAN, from client devices and access
points, to the network infrastructure, to network management, to the
delivery of advanced wireless services integration and award-winning,
worldwide, 24-hour product support. It delivers the industry's best
wireless LAN security, innovation, and investment protection. It
integrates innovative access point technology with an award-winning
centralized management system, intelligent control, real-time location
services and a wide array of interoperable Cisco Compatible client
devices. It is the only solution that supports
like 802.11n and enterprise wireless mesh that offer greater
performance and extended reach for pervasive wireless connectivity.
The
Cisco Unified Wireless Network helps reduce overall operational
expenses by simplifying network deployment, operations, and management.
With this solution, several, hundreds, or thousands of central or
remotely located access points can be easily managed from a centralized
management console. The flexibility of the Cisco Unified Wireless
Network allows network managers to design networks to meet their
specific needs, whether implementing highly integrated network designs
or simple overlay networks.
Building Enterprise-Class Wireless LANs
The
Cisco Unified Wireless Network is deployable in corporate offices,
hospitals, retail stores, manufacturing floors, warehouse environments,
educational institutions, financial institutions, local and national
government organizations, and other locations worldwide. It supports
Wi-Fi enabled business applications and active RFID devices for a
variety of uses, including mobile healthcare, inventory management,
retail point-of-sale, video surveillance, real-time data access, asset
tracking, and network visibility.
The
Cisco Unified Wireless Network enables on-the-road access from venues
such as public hotspots, hotels, convention centers, and airports for
mobile users and traveling executives. It delivers real-time mobility
services to a variety of business environments, providing enhanced
security, voice services, guest access and location services for campus
and branch offices. Customers can confidently deploy the Cisco Unified
Wireless Network knowing that their investment is protected.
Cisco Unified Wireless Network Elements
The
Cisco Unified Wireless Network is composed of five interconnected
elements that work together to deliver a unified enterprise-class
wireless solution. The five interconnected elements are client devices,
access points, network unification, world-class network management,
and mobility services. Beginning with a base of client devices, each
element adds capabilities as network needs evolve and grow,
interconnecting with the elements above and below it to create a
comprehensive, secure WLAN solution (Figure 1). Cisco offers a wide
range of WLAN products to support the five interconnecting elements of
the Cisco Unified Wireless Network (Figure 2).
Figure 1. Cisco Unified Wireless Network Elements Work Together to Deliver a Unified Enterprise-Class Wireless Solution
Figure 2. Cisco Unified Wireless Network Product Portfolio
The
Cisco Unified Wireless Network is an industry-leading, comprehensive
solution that encompasses client devices, access points, controllers,
switches and routers, world-class management, and mobility services
with enterprise-class support. It provides solid investment protection
via a robust product portfolio, unified next-generation architecture,
smooth migration path to future enhancements, and extensive technology
migration programs. It supports real-time business-critical
applications and creates a secure, mobile, interactive workplace for
organizations deploying WLANs.
Cisco Unified Wireless Network Deployment
The
five elements of the Cisco Unified Wireless Network are fundamental to
building secure, successful enterprise-class WLANs. Customers can
select the Cisco Unified Wireless Network elements and products that
best meet their wireless networking needs. Customers can begin with
client devices, , and ; and then add additional elements, such as , and the , as their wireless networking requirements grow.
The
Cisco solution is services-oriented. In addition to full support for
802.11n and 802.11a/b/g, it includes support for dynamic RF management
capabilities and immediate support for mobility services including
voice services, flexible guest access, real-time high resolution
location services and enhanced security with a built-in Intrusion
Prevention System (IPS) that includes support for Network Admission
Control (NAC) and the Cisco Self-Defending Network. These mobility
services are built-in and ready for immediate implementation or can be
deployed over time via a phased integration. Customers decide when and
how to implement these mobility services based on their organizational
timelines and requirements.
Details about each element of the Cisco Unified Wireless Network are listed below.
Client Devices
More
than 95 percent of today's notebooks are Wi-Fi enabled, and a diverse
array of specialized Wi-Fi client devices and Wi-Fi tags are now
available for industry-specific applications. To address enterprise
WLAN needs, client devices must interoperate securely with leading WLAN
infrastructures and must consistently provide the features that
organizations require.
Cisco Compatible and Cisco Aironet Client Devices:
Cisco Compatible client devices, tags or Cisco Aironet client devices
are strongly recommended for the Cisco Unified Wireless Network. With
more than 90 percent of shipping client devices certified as Cisco
Compatible, almost any client device that is selected will support
Cisco's powerful advanced features.
By providing third party tested compatibility, the
program helps to ensure the widespread availability of client devices
from a variety of suppliers that are interoperable with a Cisco WLAN
infrastructure. More than 300 wireless devices are Cisco Compatible
certified today (with more being added all the time). More than 90
percent of today's notebooks are Cisco Compatible certified.
Cisco
shows its commitment to leading innovation by providing pre-standard
features through the Cisco Compatible Extensions program to fulfill
customer's diverse enterprise application requirements. Cisco enables
its partners to provide software upgrades for Cisco Compatible mobile
devices to help ensure investment protection and a migration path to
future industry standards and to future Cisco WLAN infrastructure
features. IT managers can confidently deploy their WLANs, even if they
serve different client device types, when Cisco Compatible client
devices are used.
For
WLANs using chokepoints, the Cisco Compatible Extensions Program for
Wi-Fi tags provides customers with the ability to mix and match Wi-Fi
tags from different vendors as well as implement mixed-vendor
applications for high-accuracy deterministic location-based
notifications. Notifications triggered by the entry or exit of a tag
from a specified zone, doorway, or gate; and process control events
such as those used in manufacturing can be used to deliver a variety of
solutions.
No
other WLAN vendor has the ability to take advantage of tomorrow's
enhancements today, providing the ability to confidently deploy robust,
scalable, secure, and manageable solutions. With the Cisco Compatible
Extensions program, Cisco is able to deliver next-generation WLAN
features-today.
The
Cisco Unified Wireless Network also supports Wi-Fi Certified or IEEE
802.11 clients, but Cisco Compatible or Cisco Aironet client devices
are recommended for their innovative, advanced Cisco-verified features.
Cisco Secure Services Client: The
Cisco Secure Services Client
is also recommended. The Cisco Secure Services Client is a software
supplicant that enables organizations to deploy a single authentication
framework on multiple device types to access both wired and wireless
networks. This capability helps organizations simplify management,
improve security and lower their total cost of ownership (TCO). The
software client manages the user and device identity and the network
access protocols required for secure access. It delivers intelligent
services to optimize and simplify the user experience when connecting
to a Cisco unified wired and wireless network.
Access Points
Organizations
need secure Wi-Fi connectivity for WLAN clients via access points that
adhere to standards, while also delivering specialized air/RF
deployment, management, and performance features. Organizations also
need reliable WLAN solutions for wide-area networking for outdoor
areas, campuses, or building-to-building connectivity.
Additionally,
some organizations need to provide connectivity to indoor areas that
are difficult or hard-to-wire. These organizations need a simple and
flexible way to extend wireless connectivity to areas of an enterprise
facility or structure where running Ethernet cable would be too
difficult, aesthetically undesirable, or simply impossible.
Cisco Aironet Access Points and Bridges:
Cisco offers a range of enterprise-class robust and high performance
access points and wireless bridges designed to fit the needs of a
variety of installation environments and requirements. The Cisco
Aironet family offers the broadest, most flexible line of wireless
devices in the industry, with products for the carpeted enterprise,
ruggedized environments, hard-to-wire areas, and challenging
environments like the outdoors.
• Cisco Aironet Access Points:
Cisco Aironet access points provide ubiquitous network access for a
variety of indoor and outdoor wireless environments. Customers are
encouraged to deploy Cisco Aironet lightweight access points to receive
all the features, benefits, and mobility services of the Cisco Unified
Wireless Network. Organizations can offer robust coverage with
802.11a/b/g or deliver greater performance with 5x the throughput and
unprecedented reliability using 802.11n. They can also choose to deploy
the Cisco enterprise wireless mesh solution for hard-to-wire
locations.
Cisco
Aironet is an award-winning, industry leading platform with worldwide
market share leadership. It is the standard for enterprise WLANs. Cisco
Aironet access points offer secure, manageable, and reliable wireless
connectivity with exceptional capacity, range, and performance. They
support a wide array of deployment options such as single or dual
radios, integrated or external antennas, rugged metal enclosures and
enterprise wireless mesh for indoor and outdoor locations. Cisco Aironet
access points deliver the versatility, high capacity, security, and
enterprise-class features demanded by WLAN
