Summary

Cisco Systems, Inc. deployed a global WLAN in 2000, and within 18 months, 27 percent of their staff were using it as their primary access medium. Ubiquitous coverage and comprehensive entitlement dramatically increased the uptake of the solution. Careful project and program management were adopted during the deployment, and the global network was deployed in 400 sites in four months. Security has continued to evolve in line with industry trends. Cisco believes the global WLAN has resulted in real productivity benefits in the tens of millions of dollars. Enhanced services such as wireless voice and guest WLAN networking have added to the success of the solution.

Cisco IT is undertaking a major global redesign of its solution in late 2005, and the NexGen WLAN will be based on the Cisco integrated wireless network family, including the Cisco centralized WLAN solution for large and medium sites and the Cisco distributed WLAN solution for small sites. Significant additional enhanced services are being planned, including outdoor mesh wireless coverage, location-based services for asset tracking, and significantly improved security with integrated wireless intrusion detection services.

The Cisco solution continues to evolve and provide real-world, tangible, everyday benefits to every Cisco employee in every office around the globe.