HP, Cisco Ranked As Top WLAN Vendors

Buoyed by its acquisition of Aruba Networks, HP was named by IHS as one of the top providers of enterprise WLAN infrastructure along with rival Cisco.

Aerohive Networks, Ruckus Wireless and Zebra rounded out the IHS Infonetics WLAN Infrastructure Vendor Scorecard. The report analyzes the top five revenue producers in the WLAN market.

"Consolidation in the WLAN market has bifurcated the vendor landscape into end-to-end networking providers that can address the whole range of enterprise networking requirements, such as Cisco and HP, and WLAN specialists like Aerohive, Ruckus and Zebra that focus on a particular niche or new ways of solving old problems," Matthias Machowinski, research director for enterprise networks and video at IHS, said in a prepared statement.

HP acquired Aruba for $3 billion in a deal that was finalized in May. "HP's strong brand and existing portfolio, coupled with the acquisition of Aruba, strengthens its position as a preferred provider of end-to-end networking solutions," Machowinski said.

"No surprises here," Lee Badman, a WLAN expert and Network Computing contributor, said in an email, adding that he doesn't believe HP would be in the report without its Aruba acquisition.

The IHS Infonetics WLAN scorecard evaluates top WLAN vendors on a variety of factors, including market share, buyer feedback, and market momentum.

"Cisco has rock-solid fundamentals and positive feedback from enterprise buyers that will assure its dominant position in the years to come," Machowinski said. He cited Aerohive's focus on controller-less WLAN technology as fueling its success, while praising Ruckus' combination of solid financials with a differentiated hardware platform and Zebra's focus on asset tracking.

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When HP moved to acquire Aruba, some experts expressed concern about potential for HP to handle the merger. Matthew Norwood, a network engineer and blogger, wrote in a blog post last month that he was told by someone in charge of the product disposition between HP and Aruba that HP will decide Aug. 18 which products to keep. That will help Aruba partners and customers with their future purchases, he said, but added that the bigger picture will be answered next year, after HP splits into two separate companies.

Last year, HP said it planned to split itself into two companies, one for enterprise computing business and the other a personal systems and printing unit.

"Unfortunately, I think we have another six months or so before we get a good feel for where this ship is headed," he wrote. "I am hoping it all works out for the best. ...If it doesn’t, the industry will go on, but it will be worse off if a solid competitor in the wireless space fades off into obscurity."