November 14, 2005
EUROPE'S LEADING OFFICE FURNITURE MANUFACTURER EMBRACES SECOND-GENERATION TRAPEZE WIRELESS LAN MOBILITY SYSTEM
Enhanced Security, Productivity and Flexibility Extended to Three Locations
PLEASANTON, Calif. ? Nov. 14, 2005 ? Trapeze Networks?, the award winning provider of the wireless LAN (WLAN) Mobility System?, today announced Kinnarps, Europe?s third largest office furniture manufacturer, has developed a workplace showcase around the company?s second-generation Mobility System.
Cutting the networking cables enables Kinnarps employees to work more effectively with its customers, rearrange the showroom floor to accommodate new products, with minimum disruption to the staff and provide an increasing number of wireless services to its customers throughout its buildings.
Leveraging the improvements in security and performance found in the Trapeze Mobility System, wireless consulting firm Building Zones Ltd. was able to design workspaces that allow employees to be ?more effectively mobile both within the office and in a variety of locations outside the office, including the home,? said George Bartley, managing director of Building Zones.
Wireless technology has enabled more staff to use laptops and benefit from the flexibility this offers. ?We can now work seamlessly anywhere in the building maintaining internet connectivity when we move from one access point coverage to another,? said Tony Gamble, Kinnarps? IT director. ?Sales staff can access their files and company documentation when they are with clients on the showroom.?
According to Gamble, there is a move away from personal desk space to more open-plan and activity-based work settings facilitated by wireless technology. At Kinnarps, an area of booths was designed to provide sales staff with a quieter place to make important customer calls. There are also more facilities for team working with informal comfortable seating areas, as well as traditional enclosed meeting rooms. Mobile textures soundproofing screens can be used to provide additional privacy in the open plan area.
Minimizing Staff Disruptions
Kinnarps introduces new furniture products every six months, which necessitates rearranging the showroom floor on a regular basis. By eliminating cabling, the showroom can be altered, as needed, with minimum disruption to the staff. The fact that the office can be changed easily allows Kinnarps to be more innovative and experimental in their workplace designs.
Installing the Trapeze Mobility System provides robust connectivity due to an integrated systems approach to WLAN management, through the use of the innovative RingMaster? planning and management software suite. RingMaster and the Mobility Exchange? switch centralize the management of the infrastructure resulting in a ?near wired? experience for the user, regardless of how many times the showroom is reconfigured.
The user benefits result from a single network logon without the need to re-authenticate or re-logon whenever they roam throughout the company. Maintaining Internet connectivity as we move about ?means we no longer lose time reconnecting in a new area,? said Gamble.
In addition to improving connectivity, the system is more secure due to the extensive amount of user information stored in the Mobility Exchange switch. ?There is greater visibility in the system which gives us more confidence,? said Gamble.
This increased visibility into the system and its users, enabled Kinnarps to add a wireless visitor network to provide clients/visitors with access to the internet. The Mobility System maintains a separation between the visitor network and the corporate network so there are no security risks.
Increasing the Wireless Services for the Customer
In the medium term, the Trapeze Mobility System also offers Kinnarps with the opportunity to extend the services it provides wirelessly. The first service which will be transferred to the wireless infrastructure is telephony voice over IP.
Increasing the Wireless Services for the Customer
In the medium term, the Trapeze Mobility System also offers Kinnarps with the opportunity to extend the services it provides wirelessly. The first service which will be transferred to the wireless infrastructure is telephony voice over IP.
?One of the attractions of this higher performance system is the possibility to transfer telephony onto the wireless infrastructure,? Gamble acknowledged. ?This will eliminate the costs associated with maintaining the existing telephone system, which includes a number of PBXs. We are also planning to provide video and location-based services to clients in specific parts of the building.?
?We are pleased to work with visionary companies like Kinnarps who consistently try to push the technology envelope,? said Bartley of Building Zones. ?Achieving a robust, reliable wireless infrastructure was the first priority for Kinnarps, and based on our experience as a Trapeze partner, we knew the Mobility System would meet their current and future needs. All the elements high on the priority list, seamless wireless integration, state-of-the-art security and real-time planning and management tools, are integral parts of the mobility solution.?
About Kinnarps
Kinnarps is one of the top 3 furniture manufacturers in Europe with over 200 showrooms in some 24 countries. It has established itself as a respected partner in delivering complete office solutions, incorporating space planning, design and furniture for all types of business setting and experience in technology and how it can benefit business by embracing new ways of working. With clients in both the private and public sector, Kinnarps has gained a reputation for delivering inspiring yet practical working environments with a strong emphasis on quality of service and ?green? credentials.
About Building Zones
Building Zones, part of the Cordless Group*, is a wireless consultancy, implementation and managed services company. It provides wireless access solutions, enabling employees and client/visitors to connect to the internet from their laptops, pocket devices or mobile phones. This provides workers with greater mobility and flexibility.
Building Zones has pioneered the wireless visitor network to provide visitors/clients with access to the internet, typically in foyers, conference auditoriums, restaurants and meeting rooms with potential for coverage in the entire workplace. Building Zones has installed a large number of wireless visitor access zones, including the most used hotspot in central London, which is in The British Library. Other clients include Morgan Sindall, CIPD, Cushman Wakefield, TSK Group and Orangebox. www.buildingzones.com
*The Cordless Group was founded in 1994, with the publication of the Cordless Office report, and has been a pioneer in the wireless space, providing thought leadership, knowledge and foresight to companies around the globe.
About Trapeze Networks
Trapeze Networks delivers the power of business applications and services to the mobile enterprise workforce. The company's wireless LAN Mobility System enhances productivity, introduces new efficiencies and accelerates business response time by delivering secure mobility for roaming users and sophisticated services for both users and IT, all while offering the lowest total cost of ownership of any WLAN infrastructure provider. Trapeze announced a partnership with 3Com Corp. (NASDAQ: COMS) in August 2004, a partnerships with both D-Link and Nortel (NYSE/TSX: NT) in March 2005, and a partnership with Enterasys Networks in May 2005. Trapeze is the recipient of nine industry awards, including InfoWorld's Technology of the Year award for the best WLAN solution in recognition of its product and technology strength. Founded in March 2002, Trapeze has raised $72.5 million in venture funding to date and is headquartered in Pleasanton, Calif., U.S.A.
