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SUNNYVALE, Calif.--([ BUSINESS WIRE ])--Aruba Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:ARUN) today announced that [ Arcadia University ], a Philadelphia-based global university and pioneer in international education, has implemented an Aruba Networks wireless LAN to deliver campus-wide access to the institutionas students, staff, faculty and guests. Working with integrator Comm Solutions Company of Malvern, PA, Arcadia has deployed the new WLAN to improve coverage, reliability and performance across the universityas academic buildings, residence halls and outdoor areas. The University is also expanding its bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policy, allowing students, staff and faculty to connect to the network with their own personal devices.

"Arcadia University is a great example of how the right wireless network foundation can enable not only a better working and learning environment for higher education faculty, students, and staff, but can elevate a campus to provide innovative, cutting-edge programs that benefit the entire community"

Arcadia is a top-ranked, private co-educational university offering bacheloras, masteras and doctoral degrees to more than 4,000 students from among 80 fields of study. Arcadia is recognized as a leader in study-abroad programs and international education and maintains educational centers and offices in more than 20 countries.

Prior to installing the Aruba WLAN, Arcadia had experienced problems with its existing wireless network including spotty, unreliable coverage, particularly in some residence halls and academic buildings wherein connections were frequently dropped. In addition, Arcadia hoped to extend wireless coverage to a brand new campus building called the Commons, where students congregate and many of the executive offices are housed. The Commons also includes a state-of-the-art Great Room with seating and capacity for approximately 500 people. Finally, Arcadia wanted to expand its outdoor wireless footprint to cover the main campus.

aIt was crucial for us to build a wireless network that could address the needs of our entire population of students, faculty, staff and administrators,a said Steven Alter, Vice-President and CIO, Arcadia University. aWorking with Comm Solutions and Aruba Networks, we were able to design a wireless network that increased both coverage and reliability across campus. Weave expanded our outdoor footprint so that the main campus footprint has wireless coverage and simultaneously, weave experienced 100 percent up-time on the network since deploying in mid-January.a

To achieve this campus-wide wireless access, Arcadia deployed Arubaas M3 mobility controllers, and 200 Aruba access points including AP-105s, AP-125s, AP-124s and AP-135s, as well as the Aruba RAP-2s which provide access for Arcadiaas remote users. In addition, Arcadia is using Aruba AirWave to manage the network and ClearPass Guest Access to enable the guest network.

A key priority for Arcadia was continuing a liberal BYOD policy while ensuring solid security. Like most college campuses, Arcadia already dealt with students bringing a wide variety of devices including laptops, smartphones, tablets, gaming boxes and more onto campus and expecting network access. To accommodate students while ensuring security for staff and faculty, and enabling guest access, Arcadia implemented three separate wireless networks: the student network requires device registration to ensure that devices are safe to connect and to allow students to receive updates and patches; a separate network allows Arcadia staff and faculty to access their applications and data safely and securely; finally, a third guest network allows visitors to connect to the Internet while on campus.

Using the new Aruba wireless LAN, Arcadia can offer innovative, new programs such as bringing its reference library directly to students. Once a week, Reference Librarians bring their laptops to the Commons area to provide immediate, on-site assistance, as an alternative service point. The new network has also allowed Arcadia to host a variety of academic conferences.

aEssentially, weave transformed Arcadia into a more vibrant campus,a Alter commented. aHaving the latest in wireless technology allows us to recruit and retain both students and top-notch staff and faculty, as well as provide innovative services to the surrounding community.a

aWe worked closely with Arcadia Universityas IT department to evaluate coverage models and provide the best possible design for their needs,a said Bill Carr, Chief Mobility Architect, Comm Solutions Company. aTogether, we were able to deliver a solution designed for resiliency and recovery in the event of network incidents, but more importantly, ensured no negative impact for the users - Arcadiaas students, staff and faculty. This is an excellent example of how proper network design translates into a better user experience.a

aArcadia University is a great example of how the right wireless network foundation can enable not only a better working and learning environment for higher education faculty, students, and staff, but can elevate a campus to provide innovative, cutting-edge programs that benefit the entire community,a said Robert Fenstermacher, director of product and solutions marketing at Aruba Networks. aWeare pleased to see that Arubaas wireless solutions are enabling universities like Arcadia to embrace new technologies and systems, to improve upon existing BYOD policies and to develop creative solutions for their campus and the broader community.a

About Aruba Networks, Inc.

Aruba Networks is a leading provider of next-generation network access solutions for the mobile enterprise. The companyas Mobile Virtual Enterprise (MOVE) architecture unifies wired and wireless network infrastructures into one seamless access solution for corporate headquarters, mobile business professionals, remote workers and guests. This unified approach to access networks dramatically improves productivity and lowers capital and operational costs.

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 ] and [ Facebook ].

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