Blanket Coverage Delivers Mobile Voice and Data Services Across Campus
SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aruba Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:ARUN), a global leader in wireless LANs and secure mobility solutions, today announced that the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK) in Lebanon, a leading educational institute for information technology has deployed a campus-wide Wi-Fi network managed by the AirWave Wireless Management Suite (AWMS) at its Jounieh site north of Beirut. USEK is a private Catholic university founded in 1961 by the Lebanese Maronite Order, and currently has over 7,000 students and a staff of 1,000. The new network consists of 600 access points and six 3600 Mobility Controllers. Installed as part of an infrastructure modernization initiative, the network is now used for e-learning applications, electronic class registration, guest Internet access, and wireless voice over IP (VoIP) communications. The network was installed by Aruba authorized partner, TripleC.
“We recognized that to support world class research and learning initiatives in today’s world, it was imperative that we provide wireless connectivity everywhere on campus,” said Ziad Eid, USEK’s IT Director. “We initially thought that our incumbent wired LAN vendor would win the project with their wireless solution. What we didn’t expect was that one vendor, Aruba, would so distinguish itself by exceeding our technical requirements and offering the best price.”
The town of Jounieh has a population of 200,000, and the university is centrally located in a densely urban environment. Neighboring Wi-Fi networks and other wireless systems had caused extensive interference with the university’s legacy wireless system. Compounding these issues, Wi-Fi clients do not always work cooperatively with other clients, or select the optimal band, channel, and access point.
Aruba developed ARM technology to automatically correct for these situations and allow the network to run reliably at all times. ARM uses infrastructure controls to optimize the RF band and channel selection, power output levels, access point loading, airtime allocation, and interference mitigation. By closing the gap between the theoretical performance of Wi-Fi clients and what is achieved in real-world deployments, users enjoy a better wireless experience.
ARM also provides a high degree of survivability in the event of damage to an access point. By automatically adjusting the power levels of nearby access points, ARM automatically fills in any coverage gaps in the event an access point is taken out of service. In contrast, single channel networks that always operate at full power – or Wi-Fi arrays that pack multiple access points into one vulnerable enclosure – are susceptible to service outages if a device fails. In the case of Wi-Fi arrays, the impact of an outage is multiplied many fold because so many radios are affected.
“Wi-Fi performance is excellent, which we attribute to its highly effective Adaptive Radio Management technology,” continued Eid. “Because of this feature our faculty, staff, and students have reliable and equitable access to the network at all times, wherever they may be on the campus.”
Network management services on campus are handled by AWMS. AWMS incorporates key features that are considered essential to every wireless network yet are generally lacking in proprietary management solutions:
- Support for multiple generations of technology, wireless standards, and vendors through a single console interface;
- Comprehensive diagnostics, advanced troubleshooting, and reporting;
- Extensive Help Desk features and interfaces to third-party trouble ticket solutions;
- Ability to monitor individual interfaces, including Wi-Fi radios, and configure the access ports.
“When considering a wireless build out the best choice is to opt for a best-in-class solution, not just the default option offered by the incumbent LAN provider,” said Ammar Enaya, regional director of Aruba Middle East and North Africa. “USEK’s due diligence highlighted that Aruba’s overlay Wi-Fi solution was the best technical choice, but also far more economical than the integrated wired–wireless alternative offered by the incumbent LAN vendor.”
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, Facebook, or the Green Island News Blog.
© 2010 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.
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