Contact Information: Contact: Trent Waterhouse Enterasys Networks +1 978 684 1506 trent@enterasys.com Michelle Barry BridgeView Marketing +1 603 809 2748 michelle@bridgeviewmarketing.com
Enterasys and Siemens Enterprise Communications Positioned in the Visionaries Quadrant in Leading Analyst Firm's Wireless LAN Magic Quadrant
Evaluation Based on Ability to Execute and Completeness of Vision
| Source: Enterasys
ANDOVER, MA--(Marketwire - December 3, 2008) - Enterasys and Siemens Enterprise Communications
today announced that the company was positioned in the visionaries quadrant
in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Wireless LAN Infrastructure 2008 report
(Gartner ID Number G00163188). According to the report, "A vendor in the
Visionaries quadrant demonstrates an ability to increase features in its
offering to provide a unique and differentiated approach to the market. A
visionary will have innovated in one or more of the key areas of WLAN
technologies (convergence, security, management or operational
efficiency)."
"Differences in WLAN architecture, enhanced security and management
features separate the offerings from each vendor," the report stated.
Moreover, "Although WLAN vendors continue to innovate more rapidly on the
technology front, the traditional wired infrastructure vendors are
marketing increasingly compelling arguments for combined application
services such as management of wired and wireless networks."
Published 26 November 2008, the Gartner report stated, "While all vendors
continue to support basic end-user connectivity, additional requirements
for security, management, voice capabilities, and integration with
management or security appliances continue to drive vendor selections."
"We are pleased by our positioning in Gartner's Magic Quadrant and believe
that this is confirmation that our convergence, security, management and
operational efficiency are fundamental strengths," said Chris Crowell,
Enterasys EVP Operations and CTO. "Capital savings can result from
competing the combined wired and wireless business between multiple vendors
in a challenging economic environment. Our integrated switching,
management software, and security across wired and wireless networks enable
IT to complete their projects on-time within the constraints of a reduced
budget."
Gartner evaluated a vendor's ability to execute using the criteria of
products, overall viability, sales execution/pricing, market responsiveness
and track record, marketing execution, customer experience and other
criteria. A vendor's completeness of vision was evaluated based on market
understanding, marketing strategy, product strategy, business model,
innovation and other criteria.
Enterasys and Siemens believe tightly integrated wireless offerings help
customers efficiently deploy unified communications that are mobile and
secure. The standards-based, open-architecture solutions are backed by
industry-leading global support and services from both Enterasys and
Siemens. The Open Communications approach means that customers can
leverage existing investments and avoid forklift upgrades -- making
wireless mobility more practical, achievable and
cost-effective.
Convergence
The Enterasys/Siemens offering uniquely enables voice and HD video
communications across the WLAN. Mobile clients for unified communications
(UC) and fixed mobile convergence (FMC) extend corporate telephony features
to mobile users on both WLAN and cellular networks via RIM BlackBerry,
Nokia Symbian, and Windows Mobile devices with Apple iPhone support coming
soon.
Security
The Enterasys and Siemens full suite of integrated wired and wireless
security features include embedded wireless intrusion prevention and
location-based services. When deployed in conjunction with the Enterasys
Dragon® intrusion prevention system (IPS) and Enterasys network access
control (NAC), identity-based policy privileges are unified across the
wired and wireless infrastructure to deliver role-based access control --
regardless of connectivity method.
Management
New management software integration between Enterasys and Siemens provides
end-to-end visibility of wireless access points, controllers and wireless
clients. The integration between Enterasys and Siemens products delivers
improved network management efficiency and wired/wireless infrastructure
topology mapping and visibility for network administrators.
Operational Efficiency
Customers deploying Enterasys and Siemens wired and wireless networks have
validated that the technology requires less money, people and time
resources to meet business needs for voice, video and data communications.
Unlike competitors, the embedded intelligence and security of the Enterasys
network automates move/add/change reconfiguration without requiring a call
to the help desk or manual network operations involvement. Business users
gain mobile access to their voice, video or data content from any device,
anywhere -- while embedded security ensures only the right users have
access to the right information from the right place at the right time.
Connectivity
A new C20N wireless controller network expansion module (NEM) integrates
wireless switching into the Enterasys Matrix® N-Series LAN switches
without occupying any additional slots in the chassis. The C20N expands
the current C20, C2400C and C2400E controllers for office, campus and
enterprise deployments to deliver unified and/or overlay WiFi connectivity.
A wide range of indoor and outdoor intelligent, enterprise-class access
points (APs) provide reliable coverage while optimizing traffic flow for
each application with specific capabilities for healthcare and
manufacturing industries.
Unique plug and play AP configuration and highly efficient power over
Ethernet (PoE) technologies dramatically simplify network deployment and
avoid infrastructure upgrade costs by enabling a dual-band 3x3 MIMO 802.11n
access point to be powered by a standard IEEE 802.3af PoE port found on
many deployed LAN switches.
About the Magic Quadrant
The Gartner Magic Quadrant is copyrighted 2008 by Gartner, Inc., and is
reused with permission. The Magic Quadrant is a graphical representation
of a marketplace at and for a specific time period. It depicts Gartner's
analysis of how certain vendors measure against criteria for that
marketplace, as defined by Gartner. Gartner does not endorse any vendor,
product or service depicted in the Magic Quadrant, and does not advise
technology users to select only those vendors placed in the "Leaders"
quadrant. The Magic Quadrant is intended solely as a research tool, and is
not meant to be a specific guide to action. Gartner disclaims all
warranties, express or implied, with respect to this research, including
any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.
About Enterasys Networks
Enterasys is part of a joint venture with Siemens Enterprise Communications
led by The Gores Group, LLC. Enterasys delivers Secure Networks™ that
ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of IT services and
the business users that rely on them -- without sacrificing performance.
Thousands of enterprises, government agencies and educational institutions
in more than 70 countries worldwide rely on our convergence, compliance and
connectivity solutions to deliver business-oriented, identity-based
visibility and control of individual user and application priority and
security. The company's culture is centered on the principle, "There is
nothing more important than our customers." Enterasys' standards-based,
open-architecture approach to network security offers a long technology
lifecycle and significant operational and business benefits, while reducing
total cost of ownership. Information about Enterasys' award winning,
policy-enabled switches, routers, wireless products, security software and
services is available at www.enterasys.com.
About Siemens Enterprise Communications
Siemens Enterprise Communications is a joint venture between the private
equity firm The Gores Group, and Siemens AG. The joint venture incorporates
Siemens Enterprise Communications GmbH & Co. KG, its worldwide affiliates
and the businesses of Enterasys Networks and SER Solutions, creating a new
leader in enterprise communications -- strong in unified communications,
contact centers and secure networks. More than 14,000 employees worldwide
follow an Open Communications approach, providing enterprise communications
and data networking solutions for enterprises of all sizes. This enables
business processes to be more productive, faster and more secure within any
network or information technology infrastructure. In fiscal 2007 Siemens
Enterprise Communications generated revenues of approximately 3.2 billion
Euros. For more information about Siemens Enterprise Communications, please
visit www.siemens.com/open.
About The Gores Group
The Gores Group, LLC, founded in 1987, is a private equity firm focused on
acquiring controlling interests in mature and growing businesses which can
benefit from the firm's operating experience and flexible capital base. The
firm combines the operational expertise and detailed due diligence
capabilities of a strategic buyer with the seasoned M&A team of a
traditional financial buyer. The Gores Group maintains offices in Los
Angeles, Boulder and London. For more information, please visit
www.gores.com.