Study Finds Majority of Best-In-Class Companies Will Deploy 802.11n Networks Within The Next Two Years

Improved Productivity Driving Strong Adoption of Wireless Networks

SUNNYVALE, Calif., July 23, 2007 – A recently commissioned wireless LAN (WLAN) study completed by Aberdeen Research in partnership with Meru Networks and other wireless vendors, states that a whopping 82 percent of best-in-class organizations say they will deploy 802.11n networks within the next 24 months. According to the report entitled, “Measuring the Real Value of Wireless LAN Deployments, June 2007”, the top drivers to implement any wireless network are: improved productivity, decreased cost of doing business, streamlined deployment and management of network infrastructure and replacement of older obsolete networking infrastructure.

“Morrisville State College is upgrading their network to 802.11n due to outdated technology. In making this move, it was extremely important to the College to have the fastest performance along with ease of deployment and management, as the campus traffic changes semester to semester,” stated Jean Boland, CIO at Morrisville State College.

Of more than 315 companies surveyed by Aberdeen, the IT managers in the top organizations acknowledged that they received 60 percent fewer Wi-Fi support calls and they spent 11 percent less time adding people to their wireless network. In addition, best-in-class organizations reported a 21 percent increase in workforce productivity due to use of a corporate WLAN. The best-in-class organizations were noted as leveraging more wireless technologies and using them consistently in a more policy-driven manner.

“Our research has found that a large majority of best-in-class organizations either are currently or were in the planning stages of implementing an 802.11n network. Further, we have identified the tangible value of deploying a WLAN in the enterprise, showing the measurable increases that best-in-class organizations can achieve in productivity and flexibility of their workforce,” said Philippe Winthrop, research director, Wireless and Mobility at Aberdeen Group. “The keys to success are a collaborative, company-wide approach and careful execution throughout deployment.”

The report acknowledged that participating companies fell into one of three categories – laggard, industry average, or best-in-class – which were compared on five areas in their selection of WLAN solutions and WLAN business integration strategy. The categories were determined by the following five attributes:

1. Process and polices related to WLAN usage
2. Headcount for managing wireless networks
3. Working knowledge of WLAN
4. Technology selection of appropriate tools and intelligent deployment
5. Ability of organization to measure the benefits of technology deployment

Further, the report highlighted that best-in-class organizations will accelerate the planning for integrating voice and video to improve productivity and collaboration. Fifty-three percent of the best-in-class organizations indicated that they plan to deploy a VoFi system in the next 12 months.

To download a copy of the report, please visit: http://www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?spid=30410836&cid=3998

About Meru E(z)RF Application Suite
The Meru E(z)RF Application Suite—a key component of the Meru Mobile SCALE Solution— provides network administrators with applications for planning, RF visualization, locationing, centralized monitoring, fault management, reporting and configuration of enterprise wireless networks of all sizes. The Meru Mobile SCALE solution also includes Meru APs, Controllers, and System Director operating system. With Meru, organizations can easily and efficiently enable the All-Wireless Enterprise—a pervasive wireless infrastructure for business-critical applications, including toll-quality voice, high-capacity data and video.

About Meru Networks
Meru Networks is the global leader in wireless infrastructure solutions that enable the All-Wireless Enterprise. Its industry-leading innovations deliver pervasive, wireless service fidelity for business-critical applications to major Fortune 500 enterprises, universities, healthcare organizations and local, state and federal government agencies. Meru's award-winning Air Traffic Control technology brings the benefits of the cellular world to the wireless LAN environment, and its WLAN System is the only solution on the market that delivers predictable bandwidth and over-the-air Quality of Service with the reliability, scalability, and security necessary to deliver converged voice and data services over a single WLAN infrastructure. Founded in 2002, Meru is based in Sunnyvale, California. For more information on Meru Networks and its products, visit www.merunetworks.com or call (408) 215-5300.