Meru Networks Announces the First Secure 'Retail-Ready' Wireless LAN Solution

SUNNYVALE, Calif. and NEW YORK, Jan. 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- (NRF 2011) – Meru Networks, Inc. (Nasdaq: MERU), the leader in virtualized and optimized 802.11n enterprise wireless networking, today announced its secure "retail-ready" solution for the marketplace, designed to enable businesses to improve operations, reduce OpEx and CapEx and streamline end-to-end order fulfillment transactions. Retailers increasingly depend on mobile solutions to remain competitive in a marketplace where instantaneous access to pricing and product information can make or break a sale. Meru's Service Assurance Platform is purpose-built for the retail and warehouse environment, delivering superior connectivity and mobility even under unpredictable environments. With Meru, retailers around the world are able to support crucial wireless applications for inventory location and management, mobility, and order fulfillment that can drive business efficiency and productivity to deliver a transparent end-user experience – all at up to a 30 percent CapEx savings and up to 50 percent OpEx savings.

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"Reliable connectivity is critical to Diapers.com warehouse operations.  With Meru's unique Virtualized WLAN infrastructure and single channel architecture, we can cover our facility with no RF planning," said David LaFond, director of infrastructure, Diapers.com (a Quidisi company). "Increasing coverage is 'set and forget' with no additional site surveys needed, thanks to Meru's Virtual Cell technology."

Key Facts

• According to EHI Retail Institute, retail organizations have listed their WLAN infrastructure as the most strategically important IT project over the next few years for outlet locations.(1)
• From specialty to large retailers, warehouse operations, mall outlets and convenience stores, customers are migrating from their legacy microcell implementations to Meru's Service Assurance Platform for a "rescued rollout."
• As smartphones & application-centric mobile devices become pervasive, the WLAN in the retail store is under pressure to support a high density of mobile VoIP and data users. Meru's WLAN 500(TM) demonstration, where Meru supported 500 wireless VoIP, streaming video and data devices in a 500-square-foot area, proves how retailers can offer their customers access to intelligent retail applications and social networks for product information, pricing comparison and in-store digital marketing to enable immediate buying decisions.
• Offering retailers visibility across their extended enterprise from a central helpdesk, IT teams now have visibility into their stores' wireless network operations with Meru wired/wireless controllers and access points, mobile device diagnostics, rogue APs and non-Wi-Fi interference sources with both predictive and historical diagnostics.
• Meru also provides extensive security and compliance capabilities that help retailers achieve Payment Card Industry (PCI) DSS compliance, a mandate from credit card providers.
• Meru will be showcasing its secure "retail-ready" solutions in Booth #1275 at NRF 2011.

Supporting Quote

Bob Parker, group vice president of research, IDC Retail Insights

"With wireless network traffic in stores expected to increase by an order of magnitude (10 times) in the next five years, it will be critical that retailers choose a solution that provides a more reliable experience and better security. Meru offers a set of 802.11n-based products that are 'retail-ready' for high-traffic store environments, providing the performance, manageability and security – all at a price point that makes it cost-effective to roll out across multiple locations."  

About Meru Networks

Founded in 2002, Meru Networks develops and markets a virtualized wireless LAN solution that cost-effectively optimizes the enterprise network to deliver the performance, reliability, predictability and operational simplicity of a wired network, with the advantages of mobility.  Meru's solution represents an innovative approach to wireless networking that utilizes virtualization technology to create an intelligent and self-monitoring wireless network, and enables enterprises to migrate their business-critical applications from wired networks to wireless networks, and become all-wireless enterprises.  Meru's solutions have been adopted in major industry vertical markets, including education, healthcare, hospitality, manufacturing and retail.  Meru is headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif., and has operations in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific.  For more information, visit www.merunetworks.com or call (408) 215-5300.  

This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding Meru Networks expectations, hopes, plans, intentions or strategies, including, but not limited to statements regarding Meru's ability to support wireless applications for inventory location and management, deliver  mobility and service assurance, the ability to boost employee productivity, the ability to deliver up to 30 percent lower CapEx and up to 50 percent OpEx savings, and the ability to rapidly scale to support the expansion of business operations. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, as well as assumptions that, if they do not fully materialize or prove incorrect, could cause our results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties include those described in Meru Networks' documents filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information available to Meru Networks as of the date hereof, and Meru Networks assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

Meru Networks is a registered trademark of Meru Networks, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

(1) Figure 14, Page 22: IT projects in outlets, EHI Retail Institute 2009

SOURCE Meru Networks, Inc.