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Aruba Networks' New "AirWave OnDemand" SaaS Brings Multi-Vendor Wireless LAN Management to the Cloud


Published on 2009-10-27 21:44:48 - Market Wire
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SUNNYVALE, CA--(Marketwire - October 28, 2009) - [ Aruba Networks, Inc. ] (NASDAQ: [ ARUN ]), a global leader in 802.11n wireless LANs and secure mobility solutions, today announced the release of [ AirWave OnDemand ] (AoD), an enterprise-class network management and monitoring solution, deployed using the software as a service (SaaS) model. The subscription-based service, housed at a secure Aruba data center, uses dedicated, virtual instances of Aruba's award-winning multi-vendor [ AirWave Wireless Management Suite ] (AWMS) to remotely manage and monitor enterprise wireless LANs. The full suite of AWMS features, including multi-vendor network management, is available through AoD. Subscribers can monitor and change wireless LAN settings, generate compliance reports, locate users and Wi-Fi devices, and diagnose problems from any Internet connection.

Like other SaaS applications, AoD does away with the expense of installing and operating servers and managing software. It also provides new business opportunities to service providers and resellers by allowing them to build managed wireless LAN services on top of AoD.

"Aruba's announcement of AirWave OnDemand catches a big IT wave and rides it in an exciting new direction," said Craig Mathias, a principal with the mobile and wireless advisory firm Farpoint Group. "Cloud services, virtualization, and the Web redefine best practices when it comes to so many areas of IT, and now to wireless LAN management. AirWave OnDemand allows organizations of any size to obtain the benefits of an enterprise-class network management solution at a practical price point."

"We required the ability to rapidly field our wireless tabletop Ziosk™ payment and entertainment devices in restaurants around the country," said Viren Balar, CTO of TableTop Media. "AirWave OnDemand has been the perfect solution for us because it's easy to use and provides the comprehensive operations management we need without any upfront expense. This solution fits well for small to medium sized businesses with wireless devices to manage."

AirWave OnDemand offers users the same enterprise-class management, monitoring, and reporting capabilities as AWMS but on a subscription basis:

-- Network management and monitoring of devices from more than 15 different vendors including Aruba, Cisco, HP, and Motorola;

-- Extensive status and reporting including Payment Card Industry (PCI) [ compliance-assistance reports ];

-- Location services to track the position and movement of wireless devices;

-- Network and device [ diagnostics and performance assessment ];

-- Comprehensive Help Desk support;

-- Wired and wireless [ rogue detection ];

-- Wireless intrusion detection.

The service supports compatible Fat APs and controller-based wireless LANs. Subscriptions are available on a monthly or annual basis, and a reseller program is available for those wishing to remarket AoD-based services.

"AoD was built from the ground up to make it simpler and less costly to deploy, maintain, and monitor a wireless LAN," said Bryan Wargo, General Manager of Aruba's AirWave group. "The service is user friendly and very easy to learn. An automated sign-up process launches the subscription, and the cost of support is built into the subscription fee. No other cloud-based management or monitoring service comes close to matching the convenience, features, or flexibility we've built into AoD."

The AoD service is in early customer deployment phase and will be generally available starting in December 2009.

About Aruba Networks

People move. Networks must follow. Aruba securely delivers networks to users, wherever they work or roam, using a combination of award-winning solutions:

 -- Adaptive 802.11n Wi-Fi networks optimize themselves to ensure that users are always within reach of mission-critical information. Rightsizing expensive wired LANs by replacing them with high-speed 802.11n Wi-Fi reduces both capital and operating expenses; -- Identity-based security assigns access policies to users, enforcing those policies whenever and wherever a network is accessed; -- Remote networking solutions for branch offices, fixed telecommuters, and satellite facilities ensures uninterrupted remote access to applications; -- 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 ].

© 2009 Aruba Networks, Inc. AirWave®, Aruba Networks®, Aruba Mobility Management System®, Bluescanner, For Wireless That Works®, Mobile Edge Architecture, People Move. Networks Must Follow., RFProtect, The All Wireless Workplace Is Now Open For Business, 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.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements related to (1) the expected performance of AirWave OnDemand, and (2) the pace of adoption of cloud-based services. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, as well as assumptions which, if they do not fully materialize or prove incorrect, could cause the market performance of AirWave OnDemand and the pace of adoption of AirWave OnDemand services to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information available to us as of the date hereof, and we assume no obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

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