Campus and branch office access networking is evolving to support better user experiences and use cases such as edge networking. Infrastructure and operations leaders must identify vendors that are positioned to meet changing requirements for access network connectivity, automation and management.
Strategic Planning Assumptions
By 2023, over 90% of enterprise campus networks will segment network-attached devices into tunnels through role-based policies, up from less than 5% in 2019.
Market Definition/Description
Gartner defines the wired and wireless LAN access infrastructure market as those vendors supplying enterprises with networking hardware and software that enable devices to connect to the enterprise wired LAN or Wi-Fi network.
These devices may include:
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Laptops
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Smartphones, tablets and other mobile smart devices
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Networked office equipment
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Sensors, cameras and other Internet of Things (IoT) endpoints
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Other fixed or mobile devices communicating to a wired switch port or a wireless access point at the edge of the enterprise infrastructure
Enterprise wired and wireless local-area networking components include:
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Hardware — Physical network elements including:
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Wireless access points
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Wired switches
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Wireless LAN controllers (physical or virtual), if needed
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Software — Network service applications that are cloud-based, on-premises appliance or virtual appliance, including but not limited to:
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Network management
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Network monitoring
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Guest access
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Onboarding services
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AAA security/authentication
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Policy enforcement
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Intrusion detection systems/wireless intrusion detection systems
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Location services
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Performance management
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Network assurance
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Network automation
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IoT management
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Application visibility
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This research evaluates wired and wireless LAN (WLAN) access infrastructure solutions for enterprises that procure and manage their own campus or branch access networks (i.e., “do it yourself” [DIY]). It does not cover wired and wireless access networking infrastructure for service providers such as telecom or other managed network service (MNS) providers. It also does not evaluate vendors based on their products for adjacent markets such as large public venues, small office/home office, commercial and industrial settings, or point-to-point solutions.
