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DAILY NEWS AND INFORMATION
FOR THE GLOBAL GRID COMMUNITY / JUNE 30, 2003: VOL. 2 NO. 26
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Breaking News -
Networking:
Strix Introduces Complete
Wire-Free Enterprise Network
Strix Systems, Inc. announced Access/One Network, the first complete
wireless
local area network system. Unlike traditional wireless LAN solutions, which
require wired Ethernet at every access point, the Access/One Network uses a
wireless Ethernet backhaul. In addition, while traditional wireless LAN
solutions are difficult to plan, the Access/One Network automatically
configures itself, adapting to changes without requiring human intervention.
The Access/One Network serves all wireless devices using 802.11 a/b/g,
Bluetooth, or future RF technologies simultaneously on a single enterprise
network. The inclusion of enterprise-class management tools provides
additional flexibility, while standards-based authentication and encryption
ensure security.
"Until today, wireless LAN solutions, whether fat, thin, or switched, all
had
one common problem -- they were all tied to Ethernet cables, which creates an
expensive logistics challenge for many organizations," said Bruce Brown,
Chairman and CEO, Strix Systems. "The Access/One Network eliminates the need
for Ethernet cabling all the way back to the wiring closet and provides the
security, flexibility, and automatic operation required to keep costs low
while boosting productivity and performance."
By providing mobility for any wireless device, the Access/One Network
enhances
user productivity. Whether users carry a notebook, tablet, PDA, or other
Bluetooth or wireless LAN device, the Access/One Network enables them to stay
continually connected to the network as they move about the building --
without requiring special software on the device. Further, the Access/One
Network supports nearly three times the number of Bluetooth devices (20) as do
standard Bluetooth access points.
Simplifying Network Expansion
As one of the world's fastest growing market research firms, Lieberman
Research Worldwide is constantly looking to expand. "The Access/One Network
was the right solution for our growing company," said David Froemke, director
of information technology at LRW. "Once we lease additional space in our
building, we will simply drop however many nodes we need in the new location
and turn them on, the network takes care of the rest."
Access/One Network modules are designed to stack on top of one another to
form
a network node, which provides localized connectivity and intelligence.
Multiple network nodes connect in a mesh to form a unique wireless system for
each organization. The Access/One Network provides a mesh topology to make it
easy and cost-effective to plan and configure a wireless network.
Mesh topology is the next step in network evolution, beyond centralized
switching and lightweight access points. Mesh topology enables self-
configuring, self-healing, and highly scalable networks. Distributed
intelligence routes traffic on optimal paths, limits broadcasts and
bottlenecks, simplifies installation requirements, and grows proportionately
to provide connections for thousands of wireless devices.
"Strix has taken a systems approach to wireless LAN networking," said Allen
Horwitz, vice president of networking at Pacific Coast Cabling, a Southern
California company that recently implemented Access/One Network. "The
Access/One Network significantly reduces the barriers to deploying a secure
wireless LAN network, while optimizing bandwidth, and enterprise class
manageability."
Easing Wireless Security Worries
The Access/One Network provides a full array of standards-based tools to
cost-
effectively secure the wireless network. In addition to using WEP and WPA
standards, the Access/One Network also incorporates AES encryption and tools
to defeat rogue access points to further strengthen protection against
unauthorized activity.
While the Access/One Network is designed to self-configure, self-tune,
self-
diagnose, and self-heal, it also offers IT administrators a variety of
management capabilities to manually maintain control and visibility of the
wireless network. The Access/One Network can be configured and monitored with
a Web browser from a built-in Web server interface or with a command line
interface from a terminal or PC connected via Telnet.
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