Riverbed Acquires WLAN Provider

A number of network vendors have recently turned their focus towards acquiring or partnering with wireless network providers. Riverbed (News - Alert) is the latest such vendor to do so, announcing earlier this week that it has acquired Xirrus, a WLAN provider. The main goal of this acquisition is to integrate the technology of Xirrus into its own software defined solution, SteelConnect.

SteelConnect is a software as a service offering that allows businesses to create SD-WAN networks entirely in the cloud, and integrate native applications seamlessly into those networks. Integrating the WLAN capabilities of Xirrus into its platform will make the services of SteelConnect more accessible (and thus useful) than ever before. This should take its revolutionary platform and expand its offerings even further.

“The SteelConnect offering is unique in that it is the first SD-WAN solution that has extended the power of policy-based orchestration out to the broader reaches of the distributed network,” Paul O’Farrell, Senior Vice President of the Riverbed SteelConnect, SteelHead and SteelFusion Business Unit at Riverbed, said in a statement. “By combining the advanced Wi-Fi capabilities of Xirrus and SteelConnect’s intuitive and powerful orchestration, we're taking a bold step to bring the power of policy-based network management out to the wireless edge.”

By leveraging the Wi-Fi that Xirrus can provide, Riverbed will be able to expand its SteelConnect platform further than ever before. This will even further expand the platform’s appeal.

“The SteelConnect offering is unique in that it is the first SD-WAN solution that has extended the power of policy-based orchestration out to the broader reaches of the distributed network,” Paul O’Farrell, Senior Vice President of the Riverbed SteelConnect, SteelHead and SteelFusion Business Unit at Riverbed, said in a statement. “By combining the advanced Wi-Fi capabilities of Xirrus and SteelConnect’s intuitive and powerful orchestration, we're taking a bold step to bring the power of policy-based network management out to the wireless edge.”

As wireless networks become more and more sought after to expand platform offerings, it should not serve as a surprise as more of these acquisitions begin to take place. Software providers will continue to place their focus on the cloud and wireless connectivity.