Ruckus Wireless Acquires Software To Securely Add New Devices To Wi-Fi Networks

Ruckus Wireless is buying Wi-Fi onboarding and security software specialist Cloudpath Networks, which partners say will help drive sales in the midmarket for the Sunnyvale, Calif.-based vendor.

"This is going to help us sell into the midmarket more easily and more smoothly," said Gary Berzack , CTO and COO of New York-based eTribeca, a solution provider and Ruckus partner.

"Ruckus, being the No. 3 wireless vendor out there, has not had a complete software onboarding portfolio compared to Aruba and Cisco and had to rely on third parties," said Berzack. "This acquisition is a stake in making a whole onboarding solution. What this does for Ruckus is it allows them to control the technology and the pricing to compete more effectively."

[Related: CRN's Mergers and Acquisitions News Page]

Ruckus said it plans to "immediately" implement the privately held Westminster, Colo.-based company's software into its Smart Wi-Fi portfolio for the education, retail, enterprise and hospitality markets. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

Ruckus CEO Selina Lo said the acquisition is a significant leap forward in simplifying wi-fi security for both BYOD and IT devices.

"We believe that Cloudpath has the easiest-to-use and most secure onboarding solution on the market," said Lo in a statement.

Cloudpath’s flagship Enrollment System enables networks to simply and securely adopt certificate-based Wi-Fi, eliminating the IT support costs and user frustration associated with passwords, according to the statement.

It providers a common entry point to securely bring new devices onto a network, with its solutions used by enterprises and retailers to apply distinct access policies based on user, role and device for employees, guests and vendors, according to Ruckus.

PUBLISHED OCT. 22, 2015