Aruba copies Meru? You decide.

Aruba copies Meru? You decide.

By CWNP On 09/30/2008 - 7 Comments

http://www.wi-fiplanet.com/news/article.php/3774851

If you haven't read the articles or gotten the countless press releases, Aruba just released ARM 2.0.  The more I read about ARM 2.0, the more it sounds like Meru...someone who's technology Aruba dedicated a 31-page whitepaper to dismissing earlier this year.  "Coordinated Channel Access", "Airtime Fairness", and "Performance Protection" are all concepts pioneered by Meru and absolutely TRASHED by Aruba in their whitepaper here:

http://www.arubanetworks.com/pdf/technology/whitepapers/wp_RFARCH.pdf

So now we trash the ideas and features of the competition publicly in long, detailed, inaccurate whitepapers - immediately followed by announcing the same ideas and features in our own company and products?   What the @!#$&^ ??  It's not like people aren't watching and listening already.

I've harped on this topic before...here:

http://www.cwnp.com/community/articles/whitepaper_lies.html

My mom used to say, "have you no shame?"...I think that's applicable here.  People just don't care what kind of BS their marketing dept throws out there.   As the market gets more competitive, they go to greater lengths to make a dollar - at the expense of their integrity.  Sad really.  Again, I think we need an industry watchdog organization that filters the BS (marketing propaganda), but since I don't know how to start such an organization I'll just volunteer to use this blog to expose this sort of behavior from whatever vendor deserves it.

I'll be honest with you about the example I've used here - I have no bone to pick with Aruba.  They listen to product feedback.  They make a top-notch products...a little hard to configure perhaps...but a high-quality product nonetheless. They have some seriously smart people there as well - developers, SEs, and management.  However, they need to chill with the marketing hoopla (including picking on specific other vendors) already.  They, like some others, need to learn that it's "Everybody against Cisco until further notice."  The 5% guy shouldn't pick on another 5% guy when the 70% guy is over there fast becoming the 75% guy.  Comprende?

 

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