UK based Building Zones and Synaptic Solutions first in EMEA to reach Pinnacle of Meru partner program

Wireless expert system integrators make the grade in new partner program 

London, UK – Monday, 23rd March,  2009 - Meru Networks has announced that in recognition of outstanding work and commitment to the highest pre- and post-sales support standards, Surrey-based Building Zones and Reading-based Synaptic Solutions have become the first in the UK to achieve Meru Pinnacle Partner status, the highest level of reseller accreditation issued by Meru Networks.

In announcing the recognition, Dave Kelly, Meru VP of international sales said “We’re thrilled by the heights which Building Zones and Synaptic Solutions have achieved in a short period of time.  They have deployed Meru’s innovative and industry-leading technology at many customer sites, to the great satisfaction and benefit of those customers.  They are exemplary representatives of our company, and have earned every bit of recognition our program provides.”

As Meru Networks continues to raise the bar in wireless networking, it is wholly committed to the reseller channel, driving all sales leads through its reseller partners.  The company will not be tempted to compromise on quality in order to broaden market coverage, Kelly added.  “The channel is at the heart of our strategy, so it’s important that it has the same integrity as our technology. We don’t compromise on quality, whether it’s on the service we offer to wireless network users, or the service we offer our partners. We would prefer to wait until the quality of partner emerges from our system than dilute the channel.”

Meru’s attention to engineering principles led research analysts The Gartner Group to place Meru’s technology in a category of its own in the wireless networking market, hailing Meru Networks as the world’s only fourth-generation wireless vendor.  This distinction means Meru is the only vendor that creates a wireless network on a single radio channel, through its patented virtual cell(tm) technology. Whereas previous generations of WLAN technology delivered a patchwork of coordinated individual networks emanating from multiple access points, Meru achieves one unified wireless network. The benefit of this pioneering technology for end users is that they can maintain constant sessions, without time-wasting termination of sessions as they roam around a campus. Having a single, unified wireless network also makes installing and administering the system far more cost-effective.  Wireless networking companies hoping to catch up with Meru will have a mountain to climb.

Like its networking technology, Meru achieves a high-quality end-to-end channel with consistently good service: no weak spots and no drop outs.

Meru revitalised its channel in Q3 2008, creating three distinct types of partner:  Value, Distribution and Pinnacle, a new premium category. Some 40 companies across EMEA are currently working towards Pinnacle, the highest level of accreditation. So far, only two have achieved the ultimate accolade.

“The key element is support. We offer outstanding pre- and post-sales training to our channel, and in return we will recognise partners who achieve high standards in level one and level two support to our mutual customers. Synaptic Solutions and Building Zones have both achieved this,” said Kelly.

“We like to think we’re like our networks: Easy to connect to, we don’t lose sight of you and we’re easy to do business with,” said Kelly. “Some vendors compete with their channel by selling direct, which sends out a confusing and conflicting message to their partners. We’re consistently supportive, and offer consistently good margins.”

Mark Hatton, managing director of Nottingham-based Meru distributor Sphinx, agreed. “In five years, I’ve never seen the demand for any technology grow so quickly.  Because it’s robust end-to-end technology, it’s brilliant for voiceover IP. The underlying architecture is so well engineered that the design and planning stages of a project are reduced, saving channel partners vital time and resources. So they’ve created a lot of excitement in sectors like schools and healthcare and campus networks. But there’s still plenty of growth potential. I expect more resellers might want to join the channel as partners and make really good margins. I suspect Cisco resellers might not be making the same money.”

Meru would welcome any new applicants to the channel, because the vendor is far from over-subscribed, Kelly added. Companies that already sell other wireless vendors’ products may be pleasantly surprised at the level of advances that Meru has achieved. Though it can take six months to achieve Pinnacle status in the channel, it is worth it for the lucrative long-term benefits.

This is a view echoed by Jason Green, chief technology officer at Meru’s Pinnacle partner Building Zones.

“If you’ve sold other wireless LANs, you know how unpredictable everything can be. With other vendors, each microcell has to be painstakingly planned out, in case it interferes with the next. But Meru has worked it all out in advance. With Meru’s virtual cell and virtual port technology, there’s no interference and all access points can be on full power,” said Green. The return on the investment in preparation means massive savings on installation, management and support.

Meru’s virtual port technology makes the entire wireless network appear to be emanating from same port with the same mac address. This means a PC or laptop accessing the network does not have to re-connect constantly, each time with a new network ID, as the user moves around the campus. This continuity makes Meru the only vendor to offer the quality of service (QoS) needed for voice over IP on a wireless network. Meru’s capability to work with all the radio frequencies and standards available for wireless networks means it can adapt to any circumstances and offers a more granular administration of bandwidth on the network. “It gives you the same functions you’d have on a cabled network,” said Green, “but no-one’s ever achieved that over wireless.”

Synaptic Solutions, one of the two companies that recently achieved Pinnacle Partner status, is a leading wireless system integrator within the healthcare, educational and industrial environments. Bart Bowser, Synaptic Solutions’ commercial director, said: “Through our extensive knowledge of networking and WLANs, we have found Meru’s architecture surpasses the ability of others, allowing us to deliver a ‘wire-like high performance experience’ to critical applications within these verticals. Others have found this more challenging.”

Synaptic Solutions’ experience and relationship with Meru has evolved over many years. Bart Bowser went on to say: “It’s a great honour to receive this recognition from Meru, the world’s leader in wireless networking. Today and in the future, through this partnership we will be able to truly offer to our customers complete wireless innovation.”