Colubris Networks, a pioneer of intelligent, multiservice WLAN systems technology, unveiled today a strategy to unify wireless and wired network infrastructures for enterprises and service providers based on its next-generation Unified Services Network (USN) architecture. Enabling the delivery of multiple services over a single wireless/wired infrastructure, the USN drives distribution of voice, data and video services, reduces operations costs, optimizes security and improves scalability.
The Colubris USN strategy will be supported by the release of two new and complementary products to drive enterprise consolidation of wireless and wired networks – the MultiService Controller and the Unified Edge Switch – to be delivered over the next 18 months.
“Gander Mountain is deploying Colubris products at our retail stores and in the new corporate headquarters building,” said Lou Hernandez, network engineer, Infrastructure Group, Gander Mountain. “In the store environment we are using Colubris for voice, desktop applications and inventory control using handhelds. Productivity enhancement for employees and the need for secure vendor access are the reasons we deployed wireless in our corporate offices.”
With WLAN becoming increasingly ubiquitous as a preferred access medium for network resources and with multiservice traffic patterns on the rise, enterprises are demanding new levels of performance for scalability, security, resiliency and operating cost management that cannot be achieved by approaches that segregate an overlay WLAN from the LAN.
Embracing the need for unification of the WLAN with the LAN, the first phase of the Colubris USN is the creation of a distributed WLAN/LAN switching architecture with centralized management and control. This approach lets customers with existing standards-based Ethernet switches upgrade their networks quickly and cost effectively, providing for ready unification of WLAN with the large LAN switching installed base in a manner that is future-proofed for rapid increases in multiservice traffic, including via evolving standards such as 802.11n.
The second phase of the Colubris USN will be the unification of WLAN/LAN traffic and applications onto a single edge switching platform for new switch installs and upgrades. As a result, it will no longer matter where or how data, voice or video services originate because they will be carried over the same unified network. By eliminating unnecessary and expensive WLAN overlay networks and simplifying management, organizations will benefit from richer business-enhancing applications while reducing operating expenses and capital equipment costs.
“Unified LANs may be the last big step in what has been a rapid and continuous evolution of WLANs,” said Craig Mathias, a Principal with the wireless and mobile advisory firm Farpoint Group (Ashland, MA). “And since the full transition to unified architectures will take three to five years, the distributed switched approach defined by Colubris should provide a solution for today and a smooth transition to the future.”
Enabling Unified Services Networks: Colubris Networks’ New Products
To support the transition to unified wireless/wired networks, Colubris is scheduled to release two new products – both industry firsts.
This summer, the company will introduce the first MultiService Controller product family that – in tandem with an Ethernet switch in legacy networks – will provide customers with a distributed WLAN/LAN switching architecture. Colubris will also be at the forefront of the industry move to Unified Edge Switching with the release of Colubris offerings in the first half of 2006.
Colubris MultiService Controllers provide a distributed switching architecture with centralized management and control. These capabilities include centralization of WLAN Quality of Service (QoS) for business-critical applications, security and roaming, improved network resiliency, and a tenfold increase in scalability when compared to today’s WLAN switch solutions.
Further driving the unification of WLAN/LAN services over a single network infrastructure, Colubris’ unified edge switch will integrate the company’s advanced wireless and networking capabilities with the latest industry advances in switching processor and software technology. It will provide all the benefits and functionality of today’s WLAN controllers/switches and wired switches – QoS, VLAN policies, IDS/IPS, authentication, mobility and applications (voice, data and video) – in a stackable and affordable package. Pricing and product name will be announced at a later date.
“The Colubris vision is to lead the industry in elevating WLAN from a niche, overlay, simple-data-access phenomenon that is somehow different and segregated from the LAN network, to a world where WLAN is a ubiquitous access medium that is tightly integrated with the LAN for pervasive and simple multiservice access to network resources. Overlay approaches were fine when WLAN was still in the enterprise experimental stage, but the enterprise needs the benefits of unification for WLAN to effectively and efficiently enter the enterprise mainstream,” said Barry Fougere, president and CEO, Colubris Networks. “With the MultiService Controllers for legacy LAN switching environments and the Unified Edge Switch for new installs, Colubris will be providing enterprises with a leadership path to achieve unprecedented levels of scalability, security, resiliency and cost performance.”
Editor’s Note: Colubris Networks will be exhibiting in Booth #925 at NetWorld+Interop Las Vegas 2005, May 3-5, and demonstrating its MultiService Controller product family. The company is also exhibiting in Booth #809 and presenting at the Wireless LAN Event, April 20-21, in Olympia, London, UK. For those interested in meeting with company executives at either show, please contact Bob Olson at Colubris Networks, bolson@colubris.com (781) 547-0367, or Bryan Grillo at CHEN PR, bgrillo@chenpr.com (781) 466-8282 ext 29.
About Colubris Networks
Colubris Networks is the leading global provider of intelligent multiservice wireless LAN systems for service providers and enterprises. The company’s award-winning products deliver seamless, secure access to broadband services and applications while integrating into existing network infrastructure, security and management systems. Colubris Networks’ equipment is deployed by more than 1,000 organizations worldwide. For more information, visit the company at www.colubris.com, or info@colubris.com.
