Cisco was accused today of attempting to create an alternative standard to WiFi in the wireless networking market, by creating a new "CCX compatible" logo. The Cisco message is: "You need a smart 'edge' to the wireless Internet." But consultant Cees Links, a former vice-president at Agere, believes that the only people who definitely need that smart edge are Cisco people.
The giant networking company is anticipating the new Cisco WiFi architecture announcements next week, and has revealed that it is going to give away its CCX - Cisco Client Extensions - software standards to make the rival concept of "dumb edge networks" obsolete.
"This is the kind of big company play you can get away with if you dominate a market," said Links. "In effect, it will appear to give everybody access to high security features that Cisco alone has. But in fact, it will prevent other manufacturers of wireless access points - like Proxim and Symbol and so on - who won't have access to what CCX means."
