Leading Canadian Institution Realizes Dramatic Improvements for both 802.11n and 802.11ac Devices
Aruba Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:ARUN), a leading provider of
next-generation network access solutions for the mobile enterprise,
today announced that Ryerson University, Canada’s leader in innovative,
career-focused education, is deploying Aruba’s 802.11ac solution in its
new Ted Rogers School of Management, as well as in select locations
across campus. The progressive University, which maintains a campus in
the heart of downtown Toronto, will also upgrade many of its existing
Aruba access points to the Aruba
AP-220 Series 802.11ac APs and plans to use Aruba’s 802.11ac
solution including the patented ClientMatchTM
technology, for all new installations, moving forward. In its
initial deployment of 802.11ac, Ryerson is already seeing significant
increases in performance for both 802.11ac, as well as older, 802.11n
devices and anticipates speeds of up to 800 Mbps when the network is
complete.
Ryerson University has long been regarded as a technology innovator in
the academic world and a leader in application-based teaching wherein
students not only learn theory, but how to apply that theory. For
example, The University’s Digital
Media Zone is a unique integration between local, Toronto businesses
and Ryerson students that results in numerous entrepreneurial ventures
and student-led start-ups, as well as traditional job placements for
students. Network connectivity and, in particular, wireless access, is
crucial to the operation of the Digital Media Zone, as well as Ryerson’s
entire campus. While Ryerson’s location is ideal for daily interaction
between the campus and the surrounding community, it also presents
numerous challenges for the IT department. Mourad Michael, Assistant
Director of Communications Infrastructure for Ryerson, explained, “Our
campus is surrounded by high-rise buildings. As a result, we’re
frequently plagued by signals and rogues from all over campus and the
surrounding area. Secure and reliable coverage is critical in this kind
of environment.“
In addition, like many universities, Ryerson is witnessing an explosion
of mobile devices on campus and, in keeping with its reputation for
technological innovation, the University wants to ensure that its
30,000+ students and 2,700 staff and faculty can all connect to
important applications and resources anytime and from anywhere on
campus. Said Michael, “Our campus is very large with two brand new
buildings and one more – a new student learning center – under
construction. Connecting across the entire campus is paramount for the
University and the neighboring community that interacts with us.”
As an already satisfied Aruba Networks customer, Michael said it was an
easy decision to turn to Aruba for Ryerson’s network upgrade and
expansion. With an ultimate goal of moving to a complete 802.11ac
infrastructure in the future, Ryerson has already deployed 250+ of the
1,000 Aruba AP-225 802.11ac access points it plans to install throughout
its three-story business school, and to replace some of its older model
Aruba APs across campus. Ryerson is also using a mix of Aruba
AP-135 and AP-105
access points, Aruba
Mobility Controllers and the AirWave
Network Management System. Aruba
Remote Access Points (RAPs) are offered as a standard service for
University departments that need to establish virtual, remote offices,
as well.
“Currently, we have 90-95 percent wireless coverage across our campus,”
said Michael. “We’d like to get to 100 percent and cover some of the
current ‘dead zones’ such as a few green areas on campus where students
like to convene and need access. The goal is to ensure that all new
installations are 802.11ac, and, as budget allows, we hope to upgrade
the entire campus to .11ac to deliver improved performance and bandwidth
to all our users.”
Performance is one of the key benefits of Ryerson’s 802.11ac deployment.
With the combination of Aruba’s AP-225 access points and unique
ClientMatch technology, which matches mobile devices to the best
possible access point each time they connect, 802.11n devices in the
school have achieved speeds of up to 600Mbps, and 802.11ac clients are
expected to experience speeds of up to 800 Mbps, once the network is in
full production.
With the upgraded and expanded Aruba network, Ryerson can ensure that
all of its users – which can hit peaks of 15,000 concurrent connections
– have the right access to the educational tools they need. For example,
with the Aruba mobility controllers, Ryerson has created different roles
to allow student of a particular school (such as the business school) to
access resources, groups and applications specific to their department.
Michael noted that most students use video – both for educational and
entertainment purposes – and the University is quickly moving away from
analog or digital phones and deploying Voice over IP (VoIP) via the
wireless network. In addition to its classrooms, which are all
wireless-enabled, Ryerson relies on the wireless network for
administrative purposes, connecting its campus cash registers and card
swipe machines and using the network for asset tracking.
In the future, Ryerson is considering adding Aruba’s ClearPass
Access Management System and AirGroup
capabilities to the mix for onboarding of mobile devices and to manage
Apple Bonjour traffic, respectively. With its expanded Aruba network in
place, Ryerson expects to continue serving its distinctive mix of
students, faculty, businesses and the surrounding community, providing
them with secure, reliable and high-performing connectivity.
About Aruba Networks, Inc.
Aruba Networks is a leading provider of next-generation network access
solutions for the mobile enterprise. The company’s 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 enables IT organizations and
users to securely address the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) phenomenon,
dramatically improving productivity and lowering 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, Africa 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,
and for the latest technical discussions on mobility and Aruba products
visit Airheads Social at http://community.arubanetworks.com.
© 2014 Aruba Networks, Inc. Aruba Networks’ trademarks include Aruba
Networks®, Aruba The Mobile Edge Company® (stylized), Aruba Mobility
Management System®, People Move Networks Must Follow®, Mobile Edge
Architecture®, RFProtect®, Green Island®, ETips®, ClientMatchTM,
Virtual Intranet AccessTM, ClearPass Access
Management SystemsTM, Aruba InstantTM,
ArubaOSTM, xSecTM,
ServiceEdgeTM, Aruba ClearPass Access
Management SystemTM, AirmeshTM,
AirWaveTM, Aruba CentralTM,
and “ARUBA@WORKTM. All rights reserved. All
other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Aruba Networks, Inc.
Pavel Radda, +1-408-419-0294
Director of Corporate Communications
pradda@arubanetworks.com
or
LSH Communications for Aruba Networks
Lori Hultin, +1-818-879-4651
Principal
lhultin@arubanetworks.com