Gartner Research

Critical Capabilities for Enterprise Wired and Wireless LAN Infrastructure

Published: 04 January 2023

Summary

Vendors scored in this research provide functionality for basic connectivity needs. However, infrastructure and operations leaders also require capabilities for AI/ML-driven network assurance, automation, policy enforcement and Internet of Things containment, for which there is more differentiation.

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Overview

Key Findings
  • The Gartner scores for the five defined use cases point to little differentiation between the top four vendors, indicating that their portfolios can address a wide variety of enterprise use cases, independent of company size and vertical market.

  • Hardware capabilities are increasingly commoditized, with declining differentiation among network providers.

  • Many organizations are connecting a growing number of Internet of Things (IoT) devices converging onto the corporate network, raising the importance of IoT device visibility and security.

  • Network management platforms and product roadmaps point to a growing emphasis on artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML)-driven analytics, aimed at baselining, monitoring and proactively resolving network

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  • ALE
  • Arista Networks
  • Cambium Networks
  • Cisco (Catalyst)
  • Cisco (Meraki)
  • CommScope (RUCKUS)
  • Extreme Networks
  • Fortinet
  • HPE (Aruba)
  • Huawei
  • Juniper
  • TP-Link
  • Wired LAN
  • Wireless LAN
  • Network Security
  • Management and Administration
  • Network AIOps Features
  • IoT Device Containment
  • Unified Wired and Wireless LAN
  • Hands-Off NetOps
  • Remote Branch Office
  • Wired-Only Refresh/New Build
  • WLAN-Only Refresh/New Build

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Critical Capabilities: A deeper look into provider offerings

How does a Critical Capabilities report work?

As a companion to the Magic Quadrant™, a Critical Capabilities report scores competing products and services against a set of meaningful differentiators. It reveals which options are the best fit in various use cases to help you focus on the vendors best suited to your needs.

A Critical Capabilities report is more than just a diagram. You also get:

Sharper focus

Narrow down the product and service criteria most important to you.

Individualized use cases

Use interactive features to customize usage scenarios based on your organization’s unique needs.

Faster decision making

Use data to speed up provider selection and accelerate the procurement process.

A Gartner Critical Capabilities report is just one of our many offerings.

We provide actionable, objective insight to help organizations make smarter, faster technology decisions to stay ahead of disruption and accelerate growth.

Pick the right provider with confidence

We use a Critical Capabilities report, the Magic Quadrant and more to ensure you select the best-fit provider to avoid the costly repercussions of a poor decision.

Align deal structures and optimize spend

We benchmark pricing against the market so you avoid unnecessary charges.

Reduce complexity and risk

We analyze contract terms and conditions to protect you against future price increases and unanticipated costs.

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