Xirrus has launched the XR-series Wireless Arrays, the first modular, chassis-based wireless switch aimed at providing improved performance and modularity to provide increased security in the network. Along with the wireless switch, it has also released 6.0 of its network management system – Xirrus Management System (XMS). This device is expected to cater to the needs of organizations to handle high capacity by providing hight device density supporting hundreds of Wi-Fi device users per Array. Each of the arrays would also provide multi-gigabit wireless bandwidth.
The motivation behind this product arises from the tremendous growth in the Wi-Fi market recently. Supporting this view, Michael King, Research Director at Gartner said “Wi-Fi-enabled devices will grow from less than 1 billion units in 2010 to more than 3 billion in 2015. This growth has been driven by notebook PCs and, more recently, tablets and smartphones. The expectations of wireless connectivity continue to grow, as workers in remote offices visit the headquarters, and where newer employees look at wired connectivity not only as legacy, but even archaic, technology.”
“With the explosive growth in mobile devices entering the enterprise, IT teams need to get serious about deploying a wireless infrastructure than can deal with the volumes of devices and data traffic that are overwhelming networks today,” said Dirk Gates, Founder and CEO of Xirrus.
Compared to conventional thin APs and controllers, the wireless Arrays integrate from 4 to 16 internal radios, a high-gain directional antenna system, multi-gigabit switch/controller, firewall, and threat sensor into a single access device that can support an additional 16 remote radios from the same chassis. This provides 4X the coverage and up to 8X the bandwidth and capacity of the conventional thin AP architectures. This would help achieve high-quality secure-wireless across under most demanding circumstances, with fewer devices, cables and switch ports. This will also result in lesser maintenance expenses.
The Xirrus Management System (XMS) provides wireless-network lifecycle management for configuration and policy management, performance monitoring and reporting, security monitoring, troubleshooting, and ongoing maintenance. This system allows for easier deployment of the XR-series Wireless Arrays. Some of the features of XMS include Device identification, Remote packet-capture, Enhanced IDS/IPS functionality, Legacy AP management and Form factor flexibility.
