Aruba Networks is providing companies with tight integration between their wireless and wired networks with the launch of Aruba Management Suite 7.
Most firms need to manage vast numbers of different mobile devices from multiple vendors. Rather than point solutions for different end devices, Aruba provides a single point of visibility for multi-vendor environments. It enables organisations to link management of mobile devices with the wired infrastructure efficiently, as it now manages edge switches from HP and Cisco. This means companies can have transparency across the network and makes it easier for them to solve problems quicker, as well as provide compliance reports, historical reporting and fault management across the network.
“If the wired network is not working then the wireless network is not working, therefore you need to link both together,” said Roger Hockaday, Aruba’s director of marketing for EMEA
Key features include the ability to deliver unified network management not only as software or an appliance but also via software-as-a-service.
“Not everybody has the skills set in the time of recession to manage their network 24/7. Some people might need it just for a month or two. And schools, for example, which are starting to depend on wireless networks, don’t have a wireless manager or the money to do it. So they can outsource that,” said Hockaday.
Another key enhancement of the latest version is the Mobile Device Manager (MDM) module, which provides over-the-air management of a range of business-critical devices. It can identify the location and power capacity of dumb devices as well as manage handheld scanners and wireless printers.
User interfaces and dashboards are customisable, so global companies can tailor the views into the network according to location or by specific job functions.
Aruba management Suite 7 is currently in beta and will be released in March.
