It’s no secret that the cloud is becoming an increasingly popular way to store and manage data. According to a recent study, 55% of companies have seen an increase in efficiency after they started using a cloud hosting service, probably because 14% of companies also downsize their IT after cloud adoption. In short, companies have discovered the cloud can save money, time, and resources. As a result, the international cloud market is growing fast: By next year, experts predict the global cloud equipment market will reach $79.1 billion.
Now, one major IT company believes it can use the cloud to create the fastest WiFi network in the world.
Riverbed, an IT company that specializes in WAN optimization, has acquired Xirrus, an enterprise WiFi vendor, to improve the SteelConnect SD-WAN platform.
“The addition of Xirrus is exciting because it extends WiFi all the way out to the edge,” said Paul O’Farrell, SVP and GM of SteelHead and SteelFusion, in a recent speech. “It’s not just a Meraki-killer. It could be much more broadly disruptive in the WiFi market. HPE Aruba is also in its target zone.”
Xirrus’ goal is to construct the most high-speed and scalable WiFi networks in the world and maintain them through a cloud-based approach.
Xirrus’ clientele ranges from smaller companies to larger businesses such as Disney’s Swan and Dolphin Hotel and global law firm Paul Hastings. Before the merger, however, both Xirrus and Riverbed had been facing difficulties connecting SD-WAN and WiFi.
The cloud computing industry has already seen substantial integration between SD-WAN and mainstream networking, and Riverbed views WiFi as the next step of the integration process.
“We did the deal because we were seeing increased overlap in these markets…But more and more we are being asked to provide a better story around WiFi, especially in retail,” said O’Farrell. “In order to do that, we have to have more bandwidth.”
Bruce Miller, VP of product marketing at Xirrus, is confident that Xirrus’ vertical market strategy will converge well with Riverbed.
“We have verticalized a lot of go-to-market strategies, many of which overlap with Riverbed, but others of which are in addition to what they have done,” said Miller. “Microsoft Office 365 partners see us as an add-on to their business, and we have over 200 MSPs in our program.”
Considering that each month, 50,000 small businesses become Microsoft Office 365 customers, this could be good news for everyone involved — if the promised technology pans out.
For now, Malissa King, Senior Director of Global Channels and Inside Sales at Xirrus, is feeling positive about the acquisition.
“We do see a great opportunity both for our partners and for Riverbed partners.”
