Companies keep using the phrase a4Acloud computinga4 to describe their services. I don&'t think it means what they think it means.
That includes Sequoia capital-backed Meraki, a provider of wireless networks and access points that users can manage through the Internet. Meraki announced today that it has raised $15 million in its third round of funding.
Meraki develops software and hardware to create and manage wireless networks for larger enterprises and governmental organizations. The company manufactures actual wireless access points that users can manage through web-based interfaces, similar to some other online companies that offer their services through the web. The company generates revenue from a subscription-based model that includes access to its web services and sales of its routers.
But that doesna4a4t necessarily make it a cloud computing company a4a4 ita4a4s more of a mesh networking company, meaning it lets its users manage a series of interconnected wireless access nodes that serve as receivers and broadcast points. Cloud computing involves a series of Web-connected networks and the ability to run services on remote servers, not just having a web-based interface for software. Meraki does use a web-based interface to manage its wireless networks a4a4 but users can access their routers from the Internet by definition because they are planted on a network.
Meraki plans to use the funding to spin up its marketing efforts and continue developing new wireless access points. Meraki has tried a few marketing stunts, like supplying four square miles of San Francisco with free wi-fi, but didna4a4t disclose what kind of marketing plans it has with its $15 million.
The latest round of funding brings Merakia4a4s total funding up to $40 million. Google has also backed the San Francisco, Calif.-based company, which was founded in 2006. Merakia4a4s clients include Starbucks, Toyota and Stanford University, and the company said it has deployed around 17,000 networks as of the end of 2010. DAG Ventures and Northgate Capital also participated in the most recent round.
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Companies: Meraki
Companies: Meraki
Matthew Lynley is VentureBeat's enterprise writer. He graduated from the University of North Carolina, where he studied math and physics, in May 2010. He has reported for Reuters. He currently lives in San Francisco, California. You can reach him at mattl@venturebeat.com (all story pitches should also be sent to tips@venturebeat.com), and on Twitter at @logicalmoron.
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