The growing number of connected devices in the enterprise is driving strong demand for Wi-Fi equipment that networking firm Riverbed Technology Inc. is determined to seize.

To bolster its efforts, the provider on Wednesday acquired wireless access point maker Xirrus Inc. for an undisclosed sum. The deal buys Riverbed a line of WiFi equipment that targets a wide variety of environments ranging from office buildings to conference venues. Xirrus sells the hardware alongside several management services that aim to help network administrators run their deployments more efficiently.

The centerpiece is XMS-Cloud, a control console that can centralize much of the day-to-day work involved in managing a company’s WiFi gear. It provides features for automating the deployment of new access points, enables administrators to remotely update settings and monitors key operational metrics. Companies with even more advanced needs can buy various value-added tools from Xirrus including a positioning system for locating the devices connected to their networks.

Riverbed stated that the provider’s technology will help “expand” its SteelConnect management service. The goal is presumably to extend the platform’s scope beyond handling wide-area connections between hubs such as branch offices and cloud deployments, its current function, to local WiFi links as well.

As for Xirrus’ access points, Riverbed plans to sell them through its partners. The products that the company is gaining as part of the deal will enable it to open a new front against the other contenders in the network management segment. Among them is Cisco Systems Inc., which likewise has its own line of WiFi equipment, and Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co. with its Aruba subsidiary.

Riverbed’s entry into this market comes hot on the heels of fellow network supplier Arris International plc acquiring access point provider Ruckus Wireless in a $800 million deal. The seller was Brocade Communications Systems Inc., which offloaded the business ahead of its own imminent buyout by Broadcom Ltd. One of the motives behind the decision to drop Ruckus was likely the fact that Broadcom sells chips to Cisco and several of the other top WiFi gear players.

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