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Aruba Networks, Inc.: The University of Manchester Selects 802.11n Wireless Network From Aruba Networks and Authorized Partner

^{Published on 2009-06-01 22:20:34, Last Modified on 2009-06-01 22:22:16 - Market Wire}
 

SUNNYVALE, CA--(Marketwire - June 2, 2009) - Aruba Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: [ ARUN ]), a global leader in wireless LANs and secure mobility solutions, today announced that it has been selected by The University of Manchester to upgrade its campus wireless network with a high-speed 802.11n solution. The University of Manchester is the UK's largest single-site university, and depends heavily upon IT infrastructure to support its 35,000 students, 11,400 faculty and staff, and world-class research, innovation, and learning initiatives. To address wireless usage that outstripped the capability of its legacy Cisco 'Fat' AP network, meet demanding future video and virtual learning needs, and provide pervasive coverage that may ultimately require in excess of 4,000 access points, the university conducted an extensive technical review of single, multi-channel, and adaptive wireless LANs. Aruba was selected after the university determined that its wireless LANs were more scalable, Adaptive Radio Management (ARM) was easier to deploy, and overall the network was more easily managed than competing systems. The network will be supplied by authorized platinum Aruba partner, Pervasive Networks.

"We looked for a solution that could scale to deliver a pervasive wireless network on campus, yet would be cost effective and both easy to deploy and easy to manage," said Darren Hankinson of The University of Manchester's IT Services. "Aruba won on all points: its ARM technology makes deployment simple and automates a lot of the management; it's easy to build and manage all the different user communities we need to support; and the scalability of the solution is exemplary."

Aruba's massively scalable centralized architecture delivers switch-like performance while lowering IT operating expenses by simplifying network set-up, expansion, and updates. A master-local design allows master Mobility Controllers in the data center to manage and update dispersed controllers supporting local 802.11n access points. This field-proven architecture minimizes IT overhead while delivering visibility into, and fine-grained control of, the entire network.

An ICSA-certified policy-enforcement firewall provides identity-based security, Quality of Service control, and traffic management capabilities. The firewall classifies traffic on the basis of user identity, device type, location, and time of day, and provides differentiated access for different classes of users. Guest access to applications and resources, and even bandwidth consumed, are tightly controlled by the firewall and an integrated captive portal.

Aruba's Mobility Controllers authenticate users through Active Directory, RADIUS, LDAP and other commonly employed databases. Until such time as they are decommissioned, traffic from the 400 legacy Cisco 'Fat' APs will be passed through the Aruba controllers for authentication to deliver a uniform end-user experience.

To optimize Wi-Fi performance in real-time, ARM technology uses infrastructure-based controls to manage how Wi-Fi clients interact, and ensure that 802.11n data, voice, and video applications have sufficient network resources to operate properly. Acting on their own, Wi-Fi clients do not always work cooperatively with other clients, or select the optimal band, channel, and access point. These issues are exacerbated in environments like lecture halls and dormitories with high-bandwidth applications and densely packed clients. ARM has been demonstrated to increase 802.11n throughput by more than 200%, enabling more than 100 laptops to reliably display multi-media lectures delivered from a single access point.

"Scaling a wireless LAN to support thousands of high-speed 802.11n access points is no mean feat," said Bob Vickers, sales director of Aruba UK and Ireland. "It requires high throughput controllers, automatic management of the ever-changing RF environment, and centralized management. The University of Manchester validated that the robustness and scalability of Aruba's adaptive wireless LANs make them a best-in-class solution for the rigors of a large university deployment."

About Aruba Networks

People move. Networks must follow. Aruba securely delivers networks to users, wherever they work or roam. Our mobility solutions enable the Follow-Me Enterprise that moves in lock-step with users:

 -- Adaptive 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi networks optimize themselves to ensure that users are always within reach of mission-critical information; -- Identity-based security assigns access policies to users, enforcing those policies whenever and wherever a network is accessed; -- Remote networking solutions ensure uninterrupted access to applications as users move; -- Multi-vendor network management provides a single point of control while managing both legacy and new wireless networks from Aruba and its competitors. 

The cost, convenience, and security benefits of our secure mobility solutions are fundamentally changing how and where we work. Listed on the NASDAQ and Russell 2000® Index, Aruba is based in Sunnyvale, California, and has operations throughout the Americas, Europe, Middle East, and Asia Pacific regions. To learn more, visit Aruba at [ http://www.arubanetworks.com ]. For real-time news updates follow Aruba on Twitter at [ http://twitter.com/ArubaNetworks ].

About Pervasive Networks

Pervasive Networks is a managed services and solutions provider focusing on the innovation, implementation, integration and management of networked technology to facilitate communication and collaboration at any time and from anywhere. Established in 1998, Pervasive helps customers achieve their business objectives through innovative technology and a focus on the security, agility, availability and mobility of the solutions they provide. Pervasive has successfully managed projects of all sizes, and supports customers' operational requirements through a flexible life-cycle services offering.

© 2009 Aruba Networks, Inc. AirWave®, Aruba Networks®, Aruba Mobility Management System®, Bluescanner, For Wireless That Works®, Mobile Edge Architecture, People Move. Networks Must Follow., The All-Wireless Workplace Is Now Open For Business, RFprotect, Green Island, and The Mobile Edge Company® are trademarks of Aruba Networks, Inc. All rights reserved. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.