Aruba Networks® Announces the Mobility-Centric Enterprise Access Network

Aruba Networks®, Inc. (NASDAQ: ARUN) today announced significant enhancements to its industry-leading access networking product portfolio, designed to give businesses more flexibility, scalability and security with their mobile networks. These new network "on-ramps” are key elements of the Aruba Mobile Virtual Enterprise (MOVE) architecture, enabling the development of a converged wireless and wired network that costs up to 50 percent less to deploy and as much as 70 percent less to operate than legacy wired access networks.

Aruba Networks S3500 and Aruba Mobility Controllers(S3500 at top) The Aruba S3500 portfolio of Mobility Access Switches is a new class of product that enables integration of wireless and wired networks into a single architecture. The S3500 enables user mobility by inheriting policies from Aruba mobility controllers, then enforcing those policies locally in the wiring closet. The S3500 also greatly simplify network operations with zero-touch configuration and the elimination of VLANs in the wiring closet. The 24- or 48-port S3500 supports PoE+ and can be deployed as an overlay to an existing switched infrastructure. (Photo: Business Wire)

"Businesses today expect their knowledge workers to be accessible anytime and anyplace. Workers themselves expect ubiquitous connectivity, so that they can do their work whenever and wherever they like," said Mike King, research director at Gartner Research. "This means that organizations have to deploy the appropriate on-ramps at all points on the network – indoor and outdoor – in both small areas and large. Organizations should also seek to define a mobility strategy that integrates wireless and wired assets that can deliver a single set of policies regardless of the connection method, device or location."

The Game Changer: Role-Based Wired Access for Mobility

Aruba also introduced the S3500 portfolio of Mobility Access Switches, a new class of product designed to extend Aruba's industry-leading role-based access to the wired network and deliver true integration of wireless and wired networks into a single architecture. The S3500 enables user mobility by inheriting policies from Aruba mobility controllers, then enforcing those policies locally in the wiring closet. The S3500 also greatly simplifies network operations with zero-touch configuration and the dramatic simplification of VLAN management. This enables IT to drive down the cost and time associated with deploying and managing highly complex, legacy wired LANs. The S3500 is available in 24- or 48-port models, with or without support for PoE+. The S3500 can be deployed as an overlay to an existing switched infrastructure.

"Aruba's new S3500 mobility switch is a fantastic innovation, enabling us to converge our wireless and wired access networks with all of the visibility and control that we've only had on Aruba wireless until now," said Mike Redeker, CTO for ATB Financial, a leading financial institution headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta.

FaceTime… meet Wi-Fi® that Works

The multifunction Aruba AP-134 and AP-135 access points (APs) deliver wire-like performance at data rates up to 450 megabits-per-second (Mbps) per-radio, and are designed to support multimedia applications such as video even in high density client environments. The AP-134 features two 3X3 MIMO dual-band 2.4GHz/5GHz radios with external interfaces for detachable antennas. The AP-135 features the same radios with integrated antennas. MACSec authentication and encryption on the AP-134 and AP-135 enables secure one-to-one connection between the AP and the switch port in the wiring closet.

Enterprise-Grade Wi-Fi in Three Minutes for Remote and Branch Offices (ROBO)

Aruba Instant™, which virtualizes Aruba Mobility Controller capabilities on an 802.11n AP, is the first solution of its kind to combine enterprise-grade features and functionality with the affordability and simplicity of an entry-level standalone WLAN. This implementation enables enterprise-grade security and reliability supporting hundreds of simultaneous users. Groups of independent Aruba Instant networks spread across multiple locations may be managed in the cloud using Aruba Airwave software. Aruba Instant deployments are easily extensible to Aruba controller-based access networks.

The Multimedia-Grade Wi-Fi Experience, Outdoors

The multifunction Aruba AP-175 is an affordable, fully-hardened outdoor 802.11n AP that provides maximum deployment flexibility for enterprise campus extension and other outdoor environments. The AP-175 delivers wire-like performance with data rates up to 300Mbps per radio. Featuring two 2X2 MIMO dual-band 2.4-GHz/5-GHz radios with quad antenna interfaces, the AP-175 provides wireless LAN access with background monitoring, wireless IPS and spectrum analysis, as well as Remote AP (RAP) functionality.

"The Aruba MOVE architecture is designed for mobility first, addressing the needs of the increasingly mobile workforce and the organizations that support them," said Jeff Gardner, CEO of Carousel Industries, an Aruba sales partner. "The breadth and quality of solutions and support that Aruba provides to Carousel helps us meet our customers' needs, regardless of where they are on the mobility adoption curve."

"Access networks built on port and cable-based architectures for the past 20 years no longer meet the needs of today's mobile enterprise," said Hitesh Sheth, chief operating officer for Aruba. "The LAN as we have known it is dead. IT departments need answers to address the mobility revolution, and Aruba is in a unique position to provide them with solutions that work."

For additional information on Aruba MOVE: www.arubanetworks.com/the-lan-is-dead

To read the companion announcement made today on the Aruba MOVE architecture, visit the Aruba web site: www.arubanetworks.com/news-releases/aruba-networks-move-architecture-accelerates-the-enterprise/

(Hilarious!) Videos – Mobility challenges and Aruba MOVE:

• The CEO and his iPad -- "Meow" - www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTdnrTRTykY
• The CEO and his iPad -- "Anything Else?" - www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2yDrw4k8gU
• The CEO and his iPad -- "Hold on, Let Me Check" - www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSjsK0CVwVg
• Going to Brazil -- "Emailllllllll" - www.youtube.com/watch?v=kF1TLzKXBcg
• Going to Brazil -- "Time Machine" - www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjVYF4kuws4
• Going to Brazil -- "Second Life" - www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_XR7ss2NW8

About Aruba Networks, Inc.

Aruba is a global leader in distributed enterprise networks. Its award-winning portfolio of campus, branch/teleworker, and mobile solutions simplify operations and secure access to all corporate applications and services - regardless of the user's device, location, or network. This 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.

© 2011 Aruba Networks, Inc. Aruba Networks’ trademarks include ^®, Aruba Networks^®, Aruba Wireless Networks^®, the registered Aruba the Mobile Edge Company logo, Aruba Mobility Management System^®, Mobile Edge Architecture^®, People Move. Networks Must Follow^®, RFProtect^®, and Green Island^®. All rights reserved. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Specifications are subject to change without notice.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements related to expected benefits and availability of our products, expected performance of our products, anticipated demand for new products and features offered by us, future market and customer demand conditions and position of our products in the market. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, as well as assumptions which, if they do not fully materialize or prove incorrect, could cause Aruba's results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties that could cause our results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements include our ability to react to trends and challenges in our business and the markets in which we operate; the adoption rate of our products; shortages or price fluctuations in our supply chain; our ability to compete in our industry; fluctuations in demand, sales cycles and prices for our products and services; and our ability to successfully market and transition customers to next generation products; as well as those risks and uncertainties included under the captions "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations," in Aruba's report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal second quarter ended January, 31, 2011, which was filed with the SEC on March 11, 2011, and is available on Aruba's investor relations Web site at www.arubanetworks.com and on the SEC Web site at www.sec.gov. 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.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6646967&lang=en