THOUSAND OAKS, CA--(Marketwired - May 22, 2013) - Xirrus®, the leader in high-performance Wi-Fi, today announced that Dirk Gates, the company's executive chairman and founder, will speak at the Ethernet Innovation Summit, taking place May 22-23, 2013 at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California. Gates joins fellow industry luminaries, including Gordon Bell, principal researcher at Microsoft and inventor of Bell's Law of Computer Classes; Robert Metcalfe, co-inventor of Ethernet and Metcalfe's law; and Andy Bechtolsheim, co-founder of Sun Microsystems. Xirrus is also the exclusive provider of wireless Internet access at this year's Ethernet Innovation Summit.
In addition, Gates has been named one of the finalists for the Ethernet 'Idol' Innovation Award. The award winner will be determined by an audience vote during the Charity Gala Dinner at the Computer History Museum on May 22. All proceeds from the awards will be donated to Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education.
Summit leaders invited Gates for his consistent demonstration of innovation in the wireless networking industry. Gates' industry contributions can be traced to 1988, when he founded Xircom with Kirk Mathews, on the premise of delivering Ethernet connectivity to mobile computers. In 1989, Gates and Xircom introduced an industry first, the Pocket LAN Adapter, connecting notebook PCs to a network. The introduction of Xircom PC Cards, including the RealPort series, brought the company to fame. By eliminating the problem of lost, forgotten, or broken cable connectors, the RealPort series provided robust and reliable communications by integrating connectors directly into the card. Xircom was acquired by Intel in 2001. Subsequent to the acquisition, Gates founded Xirrus as the premier wireless network company for large public venues.
This year's Ethernet Innovation Summit, hosted by Global NetEvents, celebrates the 40th anniversary of Ethernet, an invention that has evolved into a $100 billion a year market. The summit begins on May 22nd, with a conference organized by PARC to explore the history of the innovation process and culture that created Ethernet. The following day, May 23rd, the summit continues with a NetEvents-style day of discussions, including debates and industry briefings. This year's summit brings together IT professionals and analysts from 35 countries across the globe. The press is expected to reach over two million CIOs, MIS Managers/Directors, IT Professionals & Service Providers throughout the world.
As the sole Wi-Fi provider to Ethernet Innovation Summit, Xirrus will ensure thousands of IT leaders have reliable connectivity to the wireless network in a high-density environment supporting thousands of concurrent users utilizing smartphones, tablets, and laptops.
Xirrus has been nominated as a finalist for the NetEvents Innovation Awards, for its Enterprise Wireless products and solutions. Xirrus was recognized for delivering wired-like performance over a wireless network while supporting up to 2000 people on one access point (AP); as the only solution that provides application control at the wireless network edge; for its cloud-based zero-touch configuration; and for providing solution scalability of 2-16 APs, including RESTful APIs which simplify the integration of the network with analytics, location services, and network access control. Award winners will be selected by an independent panel of IT industry experts along with leading technology journalists and analysts. Award announcements will take play at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California, on May 22nd, at the "Ethernet's 40th Birthday" charity gala.
Finally, Gates will speak on a panel, "The new wireless standard. Breakthrough? Or more of the same?", where he will provide insight regarding what enterprise users need to know about WLAN developments and where mobility fits in IT.
The new wireless standard. Breakthrough? Or more of the same?
Introduced and chaired by Chris Depuy, Vice President, Carrier IP Telephony, Wireless LAN & Wireless Packet Core Market Research, Dell'Oro Group
What: Panel Discussion
- 802.11ac reduces interference and promises 3-10 times the throughput. What more might it deliver to the mobile user?
- BYOD challenges - how can companies manage and secure their data as employees use their own portable devices on these high-speed networks?
Where: Computer History Museum, Mountain View, California
When: Thursday, May 23, 2013, 11:00AM - 11:30AM
Who: Dirk Gates brings more than 15 years of executive management experience to Xirrus, as well as a track record of success evolving a high-tech startup into a world-class, publicly traded company. Having founded Xircom, Inc. in 1988 on the premise of delivering Ethernet connectivity to mobile computers, he attracted venture funding from Greylock, grew the company to 2,000 employees, and achieved revenues of $500 million and a market cap in excess of $2 billion. During his tenure as Chairman and CEO, Mr. Gates led Xircom into the wireless arena through partnerships and acquisitions that positioned the company to deliver mobility solutions based on IEEE 802.11, GPRS and Bluetooth technologies. He subsequently negotiated the sale of Xircom to Intel Corporation in March of 2001. Mr. Gates holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from California State University at Northridge and an MBA from Pepperdine University.
About NetEvents
Since 1996, our team has organized one of the key communication channels between press, analysts, equipment manufacturers, software companies, telecoms operators, datacenter/hosting companies, system integrators, IT channel partners and leading industry associations in the networking and telecoms marketplace -- NetEvents. NetEvents brings together technology leaders and opinion shapers, including Presidents, CEOs, CTOs and senior VPs from leading tech companies plus the top press and analysts from the 4 continents of the world. NetEvents provides these organizations with a unique opportunity to meet the media, and other influential parties, in an informal yet focused environment. It is based on a successful program, highly valued by the world's leading technology companies, to establish quality relationships with press, analysts and other key industry partners throughout the world. Participation at NetEvents is an efficient, cost-effective and highly productive complement to your existing marketing communications program.
About Xirrus, Inc.
Xirrus is the leading provider of high-performance wireless networks. Xirrus' Array-based solutions perform under the most demanding circumstances with wired-like reliability and superior security. The Xirrus wireless solutions provide a vital strategic business and IT infrastructure advantage to the education, healthcare, government and enterprise industries that depend on wireless to operate business-critical applications. Headquartered in Thousand Oaks, CA, Xirrus is a privately held company that designs and manufactures its products and solutions in the USA. For more information please visit: http://www.xirrus.com and follow us on Twitter: @Xirrus.
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