Aruba unveils improved wireless architecture to handle Wi-Fi device growth

Wireless network firm Aruba has announced a wireless architecture system designed to help firms cope with the growing number of Wi-Fi enabled devices such as tablets and smartphones entering office environments.

The Mobile Virtual Enterprise (Move) system is designed to ensure IT staff are better placed to let workers bring in these devices without having to manually set up each one before allowing access to the corporate wireless local area network (WLAN).

Chris Spain, the firm's vice president of product management, told V3.co.uk that with Wi-Fi networks becoming the core connectivity method in most enterprises, it was vital that access was made simple, effective and secure.

"With the Move product the network itself will automatically identify and set policies for any new product on the network using 'device fingerprinting', that takes advantage of technology we acquired from Amigopod," he said.

"This means, for example, that any product running Apple's iOS operating system will be automatically detected and the relevant policies put in place with regards the network access it should be granted, removing the need for any increase in IT staff interference."

These capabilities are incorporated within an upgrade of the firm's operating system, ArubaOS. Version 6.1 also provides the ability to monitor the use of the FaceTime application that uses a Wi-Fi connection between iPhone devices.

Aruba said that it estimated the use of the Move system would help reduce both opex and capex costs by 70 per cent overall by combining the ability to manage all network types, be that wired, wireless, VPN or remote access through a single system.

Spain added that providing this service was only going to become more important over time as  sales of smartphones and tablets increase.

"The rate of change of device being used by staff is increasing all the time, so firms are going to have to adapt to this in order to be able to more easily manage the increase in devices trying to access their networks," Spain added.

Aruba's AirWave network management software is also set to be upgraded, to 7.3, to increase its capabilities for managing both fixed and wireless networks, by making it more context aware and incorporating the ability to monitor devices on the network.

The firm has also introduced a series of new hardware products including two new access points – the AP-134 and AP-135 – that both offer data rates of up to 450Mbit/s and have MACSec authentication and encryption credentials built in as standard.

Furthermore, the firm is releasing a new access switch, the S3500, that offers either 24 or 48 port functionality and an outdoor access point, the AP-175, that has encryption as standard too.

The products and software updates are scheduled to ship over the coming two or three months, with pricing to be announced on release.