Enterasys Touts 802.11 APEnterasys Touts 802.11 AP

ANDOVER, Mass. -- Enterasys Networks Inc., a global provider of Business Driven Networks(TM) for enterprise customers, today announced the general availability of the company's next-generation wireless local area network (WLAN) access point (AP), the RoamAbout AP3000.

The RoamAbout AP3000 delivers a highly functional and cost-effective solution to enterprises, both as a standalone AP or as part of a centrally managed enterprise networking architecture. With simultaneous support for both 5GHz and 2.4GHz frequencies, and the IEEE 802.11a, b and g standards, the AP3000 protects customers' investments in existing wireless equipment, while supporting future migration to higher bandwidth products and applications.

"The RoamAbout AP3000 provides Enterasys with a price- and feature-competitive product in the highly competitive enterprise wireless market, enabling Enterasys to attack the market and better serve its existing installed base of enterprise wireless LAN customers," said Joel Conover, principal analyst, Enterprise Infrastructure, Current Analysis. "The RoamAbout AP3000 enables Enterasys to extend its rich policy-based management and user authentication technologies beyond the constraints of the wired network, further differentiating the Enterasys network solution from the competition."

The AP3000 also supports advanced security features such as Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) and the emerging 802.11i standard with AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) for wireless security. This standard overcomes many of the security concerns associated with wireless LAN deployments, enabling customers to build a true "secure edge" on their networks. Customers can also centrally manage any number of AP3000 units using Enterasys' NetSight Atlas network management software to provide system-level control over their wireless infrastructure.

"Novell has partnered with Enterasys for four years on the wireless network for our annual BrainShare conference," said Mike Morgan, director for events at Novell, Inc. "Keeping the 6,000 attendees up and running wirelessly for a week is a daunting challenge, but Enterasys has always delivered. We're excited about the features of AP3000, particularly on the security front. BrainShare participants are mobile power users, with a lot of critical data on their wireless devices, so we want them to have confidence the wireless network is secure. We're looking forward to another successful BrainShare 2004 with Enterasys."

The launch of the AP3000 also marks Enterasys' 10th year in the wireless LAN market, since initially launching its RoamAbout wireless product line in January 1994. This makes Enterasys one of the most experienced and proven vendors in the industry.

"For 10 years our customers have relied on the RoamAbout wireless LAN product line for innovation and reliability. During that time, Enterasys has been first-to-market with innovations such as power-over-Ethernet, high-speed card buses and SNMP v3 support," said Mark Aslett, president, Enterasys Networks. "The AP3000 represents the latest innovation in our RoamAbout platform, and supports Enterasys' Secure Networks solutions by providing highly secure, standards-based wireless connectivity at the edge of the network."

Enterasys Networks Inc.