Cisco OfficeExtend empowers teleworkers

By Networks Asia Editors | Jul 25, 2011

Cisco is extending the corporate wireless network from the office to the home teleworker, incorporating existing control, management and security infrastructure.

The Cisco OfficeExtend solution comprises the Cisco Aironet 600 Series OfficeExtend Access Points, Cisco wireless controllers and the Cisco Wireless Control System. Requiring no intervention from end users, IT professionals can remotely manage home access points alongside the corporate infrastructure.

“Migrating to the second generation wireless service module will allow us to effectively scale our wireless system to meet the demands of students and faculty,” says Ron Hutchins, associate vice provost of Research and Technology and chief technology officer at Georgia Institute of Technology. “Wireless has become the preferred network connection method and, therefore, has become a critical service for us. Moving to the next-generation service module allows us to protect our existing investment and be ready for ever increasing wireless networking demands.”

The Cisco Aironet 600 Series incorporate an 802.11n dual-radio design that supports both 2.4 and 5 GHz radio bands, allowing access to the least congested and highest performance band available. By providing separate corporate and personal Service Set Identifiers (SSIDs), the access points segment private traffic from corporate traffic, allowing personal traffic, such as in the home, to be directed to the Internet rather than to corporate controllers.

Other features include four integrated Ethernet ports for connecting IP phones, printers and other network devices in the home office to deliver a complete teleworking mobility solution.

The Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Wireless Service Module chassis supports up to 500 corporate and "teleworking" access points and can be scaled to support the increasing number of mobile devices running rich-media applications such as telepresence, voice and virtual desktops.

Meanwhile, the Cisco Wireless Service Module 2 for the Catalyst 6500 also includes Cisco CleanAir technology for interference management, Cisco ClientLink beamforming technology to boost client performance, and Cisco VideoStream technology to optimize multicast video over wireless.

These new solutions complement the Cisco Virtual Office (CVO) solution with additional wireless connectivity options for teleworkers. They are both voice- and video-ready to optimize the performance of rich media communications.

"The proliferation of smart mobile devices, the adoption of cloud services, and even government regulation are all changing the concept of workplace, and many employees have both the expectation and need to work from home,” says Ray Smets, vice president and general manager of Cisco’s Wireless Networking Business Unit. “The Cisco OfficeExtend solution addresses the need for organizations to provide simple, highly secure wireless access to company resources for teleworkers either at home or in the office.”

For smaller networks, the new Cisco 2500 Series Wireless Controllers and software for the Cisco ISR G2 Services-Ready Engine offer 802.11n service for up to 50 access points and 500 clients. Customers can deploy controller functionality either physically with the Wireless Services Module or the 2500 Series Wireless Controller, or online by downloading the software on demand to the ISR G2 Services Ready Engine module. These also include the CleanAir, ClientLink and VideoStream technologies.

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