December 2015, IDC #US40653915e
IDC MarketScape
IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Enterprise WLAN 2015–2016
Vendor Assessment
Nolan Greene
Rohit Mehra
THIS IDC MARKETSCAPE EXCERPT FEATURES: RUCKUS

IDC MARKETSCAPE FIGURE

FIGURE 1
IDC MarketScape Worldwide Enterprise WLAN Vendor Assessment

Source: IDC, 2015

Please see the Appendix for detailed methodology, market definition, and scoring criteria.
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IN THIS EXCERPT
The content for this excerpt was taken directly from IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Enterprise WLAN
2015–2016 Vendor Assessment (Doc #US40653915). All or parts of the following sections are
included in this excerpt: IDC Opinion, IDC MarketScape Vendor Inclusion Criteria, Essential Guidance,
Vendor Summary Profile, Appendix and Learn More. Also included is Figure 1.
IDC OPINION
This IDC study represents the vendor assessment model called the IDC MarketScape. This research
is a quantitative and qualitative assessment of the characteristics that explain a vendor's success in
the marketplace and help anticipate the vendor's ascendancy. The study assesses the capability and
business strategy of 12 of the top enterprise wireless LAN (WLAN) vendors. This evaluation is based
on a comprehensive framework and a set of parameters expected to be most conducive to success in
providing enterprise WLAN solutions, during both the short term and the long term. As the enterprise
WLAN market is highly competitive and relatively mature, all vendors performed relatively well in the
study. Key findings include:
 The enterprise WLAN market continues to see consistent growth and compelling innovation.
These overarching trends overlap with unprecedented developments in wireless speeds, RF
innovation, and wired and wireless interoperability, as well as a greater level of choice for end
users in terms of delivery model.
 Organizations of all sizes, across segments and verticals, are increasingly shifting wired
network workloads onto wireless as well as leveraging wireless and mobility to improve
customer engagement and bring new products and services to market.
 Although the enterprise WLAN market is inching toward maturity, there are still opportunities
for growth including greenfield deployments in areas such as retail and large public venues,
where WiFi is increasingly used to engage customers, as well as modernizing back-office
operations. Verticals such as education and healthcare still command a major share of the
overall market, with some regional and country-level variances. There are still tremendous
growth opportunities in emerging markets as well.
 As small to midsize businesses realize greater need for enterprise-grade WLAN solutions,
vendors are targeting the midmarket and SMB space unlike never before, primarily through
cloud-managed and integrated control models.
 Across all segments and verticals, enterprise IT is evaluating the role of the cloud in
networking. Cloud-managed WLAN models can help reduce physical infrastructure and
improve operational agility. In distributed enterprises with centralized IT operations, cloud-
managed models can be what makes enterprise-grade WLAN possible.
 Enterprise WLAN vendors are beginning to realize and evangelize the potential of IoT as a
growth opportunity, along with SDN and open standards, to bring more efficiency to the
campus network.
 The momentum behind unified wired and wireless networking incrementally grows. Pure-play
WLAN vendors are increasingly joining forces with wired networking vendors to offer best-of-
breed solutions with varying degrees of management integration, joint R&D, and channel
synergies.
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 M&A activity has been rife in this industry, with four deals (Extreme Networks–Enterasys
Networks, Zebra Technologies–Motorola Solutions' Enterprise business, Aruba Networks–
Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), and Fortinet–Meru Networks) having closed since the
publication of the preceding IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Enterprise WLAN 2013–2014
Vendor Analysis (IDC #243354, September 2013).
IDC MARKETSCAPE VENDOR INCLUSION CRITERIA
This research includes analysis of 12 of the largest enterprise WLAN vendors spanning IDC's research
coverage and with global or regional importance. This assessment is designed to evaluate the
characteristics of each firm — as opposed to its size or the breadth of its services. It is conceivable, and
in fact the case, that specialty firms can compete with multidisciplinary firms on an equal footing. As
such, this evaluation should not be considered a "final judgment" on the firms to consider for a
particular project. An enterprise's specific objectives and requirements will play a significant role in
determining which firms should be considered as potential candidates for an engagement.
In total, 12 firms were evaluated in this IDC MarketScape. They are (in alphabetical order): ADTRAN,
Aerohive Networks, AirTight Networks, Cisco (including Cisco Meraki), D-Link, Extreme, Fortinet-Meru,
Aruba-HPE, Huawei, Ruckus Wireless, Xirrus, and Zebra. For inclusion in this IDC MarketScape,
vendors had to demonstrate two years of general worldwide availability of a standards-based WLAN
portfolio and should have reached a critical mass of shipments and/or revenue.
Explanation of Changes from IDC's 2013–2014 Enterprise
WLAN MarketScape
The networking industry has seen a steady flow of M&A activity, and the enterprise WLAN space is no
exception. Since our previous study (see IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Enterprise WLAN 2013–2014
Vendor Analysis, IDC #243354, September 2013), four major enterprise WLAN vendor acquisitions
were completed, leading to two consolidations and two name changes. To this end, HP Networking
and Aruba Networks are now combined and renamed as Aruba-HPE in this study. Similarly, Fortinet
(not included in previous IDC Enterprise WLAN MarketScapes) purchased Meru, and their combined
portfolio will be assessed under the name Fortinet-Meru. Extreme Networks completed its acquisition
of Enterasys in November 2013. Zebra Technologies purchased the enterprise WLAN portfolio of
Motorola Solutions in 2014 and quickly rebranded the existing products. Finally, Extricom folded and
its assets were acquired by Allied Telesis, which is not included in this study.
ESSENTIAL BUYER GUIDANCE

 Organizations must consider near- and long-term needs for the 802.11ac standard. Some
vendors have announced their plans to release Wave 2 802.11ac access points (APs), with a
few shipping. Other vendors have yet to announce availability of Wave 2–capable APs. IDC
recommends that organizations evaluating new WLAN infrastructure should consider their
needs for 802.11ac. Organizations for which their current 802.11n deployments are not
meeting business needs should consider an immediate upgrade to 802.11ac. For
organizations with WLAN infrastructures that are meeting today's needs, IDC recommends
waiting until a broader set of Wave 2–capable platforms are available. This time frame will vary
according to vendor but will happen in 2016. In addition, when upgrading to Wave 2,
organizations may need to upgrade their cabling and switching infrastructure; a good reseller
or integrator can guide this process.
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 Cloud-managed network models continue to become more common and have grown in
capability. Small to midsize organizations and "distributed enterprise" (organizations with a
centralized IT and dispersed remote locations) often find that cloud-managed WLAN allows for
an accessible, enterprise-grade delivery model. Cloud-managed WiFi is generally more opex
oriented than capex oriented and can be a viable option for organizations seeking greater
operational agility and centralized policy controls.
 There are a number of architectural options for enterprise WLAN. These include physical
controller based, virtual controller, cloud managed, and APs with integrated control. There are
strong cases to be made for all of these, and final decisions should be made based on
individual business needs. In any case, it may be worthwhile to consider vendors with flexible
architectural models as business needs change.

In choosing an enterprise WLAN solution, organizations must consider the possibilities for
creating additional business value from the technology. New WLAN applications for customer-
facing location-based services (LBS), network analytics, and in-venue WiFi–enabled tools are
leading to new monetization opportunities in retail, hospitality, healthcare, education, and other
verticals.

It is important to consider the security capabilities of any WLAN solution. While all solutions
profiled in this document will meet the minimum security requirements of most organizations,
IT decision makers should look at advanced security needs, support for vertical-specific
protocols and compliance needs, and level of integration offered with non-WLAN security
tools.
 Support and services from vendors, resellers, integrators, and managed service providers
(where applicable) cannot be overlooked in the vendor selection process. Good vendors,
resellers, integrators, and managed service providers will provide competent guidance through
the RFP, installation, and training processes while being accessible for ongoing support
throughout the infrastructure's life cycle. This is especially important for organizations with lean
internal network staff.
 The networking industry's move to greater support for open source and multivendor initiatives
like SDN will begin to have impact in enterprise WLAN in the medium term. Organizations
should determine their strategies around SDN and open networking and choose a WLAN
vendor with an aligned strategy.
 To assist in the vendor selection process, organizations, IT, and end users are encouraged to
utilize the visual graphic in this IDC MarketScape research (refer back to Figure 1), along with
the vendor text profiles, to help in developing a short list of potential enterprise WLAN vendors
to consider for their WLAN deployment project(s).
VENDOR SUMMARY PROFILES
This section briefly explains IDC's key observations resulting in a vendor's position in the IDC
MarketScape. While every vendor is evaluated against each of the criteria outlined in the Appendix,
the description here provides a summary of each vendor's strengths and challenges.
Ruckus
Ruckus is rated as a Leader in this IDC MarketScape. Founded in 2004, Ruckus has seen a meteoric
rise to become the third-largest enterprise WLAN vendor by revenue. Initially focusing its best-in-class
RF innovation on the carrier market, Ruckus is now regarded as a widely applicable enterprise
solution. Ruckus' sweet spot is in the midmarket, although Ruckus continues to expand its footprint to
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SMBs and large, carpeted enterprises. Verticals where Ruckus has had success include hospitality
and education. More recently, Ruckus has sought to gain more foothold in retail and get increased
traction in the burgeoning area of Smart City deployments.
The greatest area of differentiation for Ruckus has historically been around its RF capabilities, built
upon its pioneering BeamFlex adaptive antenna (beamforming) technology. Despite being among the
later entrants to the Wave 1 802.11ac market, Ruckus was the first enterprise vendor to announce
Wave 2 802.11ac. Having increased its market share consistently since IDC's first Enterprise WLAN
MarketScape, Ruckus has been making portfolio enhancements to expand both upmarket and
downmarket. Recently introduced offerings include Ruckus Unleashed, a solution with control
integrated into the AP for single-site SMBs; the SmartZone platform for wireless infrastructure
management and flexible upward scalability; and Xclaim, a simplified entry-level enterprise WLAN
solution. Ruckus has also recently announced partnerships with Brocade and Juniper to develop open-
standards wired and wireless interoperability and unified management. In addition, Ruckus continues
to strengthen its value-added service offering by refreshing its WiFi location–based services platform
SPoT, adding partners for BLE and analytics capabilities.
These introductions are necessary for Ruckus to be a viable option in verticals such as retail. Ruckus
has been making other portfolio enhancements to expand both upmarket and downmarket, which
include the SmartZone platform and Xclaim. Historically, Ruckus has been considered weaker with
regard to embedded security and BYOD management relative to its largest competitors. To this end,
Ruckus acquired Cloudpath Networks in October 2015 in an effort to bolster its ongoing BYOD and
security strategies.
Strengths
 Ruckus is generally regarded as one of the most innovative companies with regard to RF
functionality. Ruckus has reasserted this with its speed to market with Wave 2 802.11ac.
 The channel infrastructure for Ruckus is well developed and supported across the world, with
over 11,000 channel partners and distributors as well as strong relationships with carriers.
Ruckus is one of the most ubiquitously available enterprise WLAN portfolios globally.
 Ruckus offers great choice in deployment options, with traditional controller-based, integrated,
and cloud-managed access points. Ruckus also offers flexibility for organizations to change
architectures as needs evolve.
 Ruckus is the first enterprise WLAN vendor to achieve Hotspot 2.0 certification.
Challenges
 Ruckus' BYOD onboarding and management capabilities are less advanced compared with
the company's closest direct competitors.
 Ruckus does not offer a native unified network access management platform, although newly
announced partnerships with Brocade and Juniper are aimed at making this less of a potential
roadblock.
 As of today, Ruckus has fewer advanced security tools for the larger players in its target
markets.
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APPENDIX
Reading an IDC MarketScape Graph
For the purposes of this analysis, IDC divided potential key measures for success into two primary
categories: capabilities and strategies.
Positioning on the y-axis reflects the vendor's current capabilities and menu of services and how well
aligned the vendor is to customer needs. The capabilities category focuses on the capabilities of the
company and product today, here and now. Under this category, IDC analysts will look at how well a
vendor is building/delivering capabilities that enable it to execute its chosen strategy in the market.
Positioning on the x-axis, or strategies axis, indicates how well the vendor's future strategy aligns with
what customers will require in three to five years. The strategies category focuses on high-level
decisions and underlying assumptions about offerings, customer segments, and business and go-to-
market plans for the next three to five years.
The size of the individual vendor markers in the IDC MarketScape represents the market share of each
individual vendor within the specific market segment being assessed.
IDC MarketScape Methodology
IDC MarketScape criteria selection, weightings, and vendor scores represent well-researched IDC
judgment about the market and specific vendors. IDC analysts tailor the range of standard
characteristics by which vendors are measured through structured discussions, surveys, and
interviews with market leaders, participants, and end users. Market weightings are based on user
interviews, buyer surveys, and the input of a review board of IDC experts in each market. IDC analysts
base individual vendor scores, and ultimately vendor positions on the IDC MarketScape, on detailed
surveys and interviews with the vendors, publicly available information, and end-user experiences in
an effort to provide an accurate and consistent assessment of each vendor's characteristics, behavior,
and capability.
Market Definition
Enterprise WLAN
IDC breaks wireless LAN (WLAN) infrastructure into three segments: WLAN equipment, WLAN
connectivity, and WLAN IT services. This IDC MarketScape competitive analysis is primarily focused
on the WLAN equipment category but looks at other segments to deliver complete enterprise wireless
solutions.
Product Class
The WLAN equipment category is segmented into enterprise and consumer infrastructure:
 Enterprise: Enterprise-grade access devices are WLAN access devices designed for use in
multiaccess point systems or for standalone deployments and typically have a rich and
upgradeable feature set. There are two types of enterprise-class access point (AP) devices:
independent (traditional) and dependent. Deployments are in building or outdoor.
 Consumer: Consumer-grade access devices are products designed for small-office/home
office (SOHO) and consumer (residential) deployments. Access points and gateways/routers
with WLAN functionality that sell for under $200 are typically included in this category.
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Product Category
 Controller/switch: Access point controllers typically manage access to the network, load
balance users, enforce security policies, and provide a number of higher-level network
services. This functionality is typically packaged in a Layer 2 or 3 edge or core controller,
integrated in an Ethernet LAN switch, or an appliance. These are products designed to
integrate a WLAN infrastructure with a wired Ethernet network through automating WLAN
access point configuration and RF management.
 Access points: This category includes equipment that acts as an intermediary between the
wired and wireless part of the network by receiving and transmitting 802.11 packets. The
packets are sent over a set of predefined bands in the 2.4GHz and 5GHz radio spectrums to
and from associated wireless client devices. Access devices are connected to the wired
network either directly through Ethernet cables or via wireless connections to other access
devices. WLAN may also be used for establishing LAN-to-LAN bridges that usually involve
providing connectivity between buildings without the use of cabling. The current generation of
APs have one or more (typically two) radios with the 802.11n standard but are backward
compatible to support legacy 802.11a/b/g protocols. Increasingly, WLAN vendors are
introducing APs that support the emerging 802.11ac standard.

Independent (traditional) AP: Independent (in-building, standalone) access points, or
traditional access points, include network processing hardware, are set up and configured with
standalone configuration tools, and have a full feature set that allows them to operate as
independent endpoints on the wired network.
 Dependent AP: Dependent access points ("thin" or "light" or "managed" or "in-building-thin"
access points) rely on a centralized controller or alternate management and control platform
(integrated, cloud based, or virtualized) for operation and management. They may be lighter in
terms of onboard network processing hardware, although that difference has started to erode
recently as controller-based architectures are also being deployed using alternate centralized
or decentralized solutions for provisioning and managing network parameters and policies.
 Gateways/routers: Gateway/routers are networking devices that connect local area networks
(LANs) at home or SOHO environments to wide area networks (WANs) or other LANs. The
WAN connectivity can be provided through cable modems, DSL modems, or a cellular/mobile
network.

LEARN MORE
Related Research

IDC MaturityScape: Enterprise WLAN (IDC #US40211115, December 2015)

IT's 3rd Platform Drives Need for Network Innovation (IDC #259317, September 2015)
 Market Analysis Perspective: Worldwide Enterprise Communications Infrastructure, 2015 (IDC
#259364, September 2015)
 Worldwide WLAN 2Q15 Market Share Update (IDC #259193, September 2015)
 The Next Wave of 802.11ac WiFi Is Coming: What Enterprise IT Needs to Know (IDC
#256787, June 2015)
 Worldwide Enterprise WLAN 2014–2018 Forecast (IDC #252694, December 2014)
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Synopsis
This IDC study provides an assessment of the capabilities and business strategies of 12 vendors in the
worldwide enterprise WLAN market for 2015–2016.
"There is a vast range of enterprise WLAN options speaking to the many needs of the market," says
Nolan Greene, research analyst, Enterprise Network Infrastructure. "The 802.11ac standard, cloud-
based delivery models, network analytics and value-added services, and technology partnerships are
bringing about new possibilities for organizations to fulfill business objectives through the WiFi
network. This IDC MarketScape can be helpful to organizations that are considering a move to a new
enterprise WLAN solution, including new deployment options."

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