Juniper and Ruckus sittin in a tree...

The season of networking vendor partnerships continues with Juniper and Ruckus announcing their collaboration last Tuesday. The move represents a likely pairing, as Juniper looks to bolster its wireless offerings in a reputable Ruckus, known for it innovation when it comes to all things WiFi.

Originally paired with Aruba last year to integrate wireless functionality with their switches and routers, Juniper's new partnership with Ruckus confirms the Aruba arrangement isn't headed anywhere. With Hewlet Packard acquiring Aruba for $3 billion this spring, it comes with little surprise that Juniper would seek a new player to fill the wireless hole in their portfolio.

Ruckus has earned a reputation as an innovation leader in the industry. Earlier this year, the company was the first to announce a line of 802.11ac wave 2 access points. Since then, Aruba is the only competitor to announce their own line of wave 2 gear, slated to hit the market in July. Cisco is likely next to make a similar proclamation.

In addition to Tuesday's news of Juniper and Ruckus joining forces, and HP's recent acquisition of Aruba, Fortinet also recently announced their plans to purchase Meru Networks for $44 million. That deal is slated for July as well. All told, 2015 is shaping up to be an interesting year for laying the foundation of future wireless offerings, as vendors jockey for their own competitive edge in a competitive industry.

Announcing the NEW CopperWiFi.com!

We've been working hard on some major changes to CopperWiFi.com and we're finally ready!

First, we have updated our branding.  We have a new logo and color scheme that we feel brings us up to date.  It feels cleaner and more inline with our goals and direction here at CopperWiFi.com.

We've updated our Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube pages as well as other social media with the new look.  If you haven't already, follow the links and like, follow, etc to stay up to date with what we are doing.  Everything from new blog posts to product releases and updates will be announced there first.

Second, we have completely redesigned the site.  Again, we focused on a clean, updated appearance and ease of use.  Our goal is to give visitors the best information about our products and the best prices possible.  Let's be honest, CopperWiFi.com has a lot of competition.  We want to make buying wireless networking equipment as easy to understand as possible.  We want our customers to be as well in formed as possible.  That is the reason for everything we do, from writing this blog to organizing our products into customizable bundles so you know what you need to order, what's available, and what will be in the box when your shipment arrives.

We have also added a new "Add to Quote" button on every product.  This enables users to quickly and easily submit a request for quote to get CopperWiFi.com's best pricing for larger orders and quantities of product.

We've made many more small tweaks to the site, all with the aim of streamlining and simplifying your experience.  Come by, take a look, and let us know what you think!

Fortinet acquiring Meru

Image source: marketbusinessnews.com

Last week saw a number of important announcements to the world of enterprise wireless. In particular, the same day Aruba announced their 802.11ac wave two line of access points, Fortinet announced plans to acquire Meru Networks. Fortinet, a world leader in the cyber-security space, looks to position themselves as a compelling option in the enterprise wireless market with the addition of Meru's 33 patents that set it apart as a leading brand in seamless wireless roaming and capacity.

A compelling solution to BYOD and the Internet of Things

Analysts and experts have reasonably predicted a massive increase in the number of wireless devices competing for airtime on wireless networks over the next five years. Emerging technologies have made it easier than ever to apply WiFi capabilities to every-day devices, appliances, and wearables - from smart watches, to HVAC systems, to security cameras, and even washers and dryers. However, the proliferation of these devices not only puts a massive strain on the ability of existing infrastructures to properly handle all the competing signals, it also indicates substantial security concerns, as wireless data transfers are notoriously easy to access without authorization. The future of enterprise wireless network access demands not only systems that can service many devices at once, but also do so securely. 

Image source: datasciencebe.com

Fortinet already boasts highly secure WiFi solutions, including access points and security appliances that have been among the fastest growing in their advanced technology portfolio. Meru, on the other hand, has routinely blown the competition away when it comes to managing seamless connectivity for numerous devices across a single channel - patented technology that has given them a substantial edge in terms of capacity with 802.11ac wave one. There's no reason to believe they won't continue to enjoy that edge once they release wave two systems and devices. Both Ruckus and Aruba have already announced wave two product lines hitting the market by quarter 3 of this year. 

Fortinet is shelling out $44 million at $1.63 per Meru share, and expected to conclude during the third quarter of this year. Not too shabby considering Meru reported $90.9 million in revenue for 2014, albeit down from $105.7 million in 2013.