The Shift in How and Where We Work

We are today witnessing the coalescence of multiple technology breakthroughs into products that herald a fundamental shift in where and how we work:

• High-speed 802.11n wireless LANs and portable computing platforms make it feasible to deploy an all-wireless workplace free from the limitations of wired Ethernet access ports;
• Multi-core processors and hardware-based encryption accelerators make possible high-throughout wireless LAN access points and controllers capable of handling the volumes of encrypted traffic, and the wide range of applications, expected in an all-wireless workplace;
• Energy efficient semiconductors and power supplies make possible products that perform more functions but consume less energy than previous alternatives;
• Infrastructure-based controls and Quality of Service can deliver the reliability and determinism required by a broad range of applications, from computer connectivity to telephony and streaming video;
• Identity-based security with central encryption, strong authentication, and access control policies enable roaming users to be correctly identified, regardless of where or how they access the network, enhancing mobility in ways not possible using legacy security mechanisms.

What lies before us is a workplace in which users have greater mobility to choose where they work, copper cabling takes a backseat to Wi-Fi as the primary access method, and information technology (IT) infrastructure does more but uses less power. The all-wireless workplace affords secure mobility to all users, whether in a traditional office or campus, at home, or on the road.

Mobility, Sustainability, and Society

Our newfound mobility will have profound environmental, economic, human, and social effects. Sustainability (in terms of energy and resource consumption), user efficiency and productivity, space/architectural/urban planning, and the total cost of network/facility ownership will all be impacted. Additionally, unfettered mobility will result in a wide range of new applications and jobs - perhaps even whole new categories of employment - not previously anticipated or conceivable.

Run under the auspices of Aruba Labs, the advanced research arm of Aruba Networks, the objective of The Green Island Project is to foster multi-disciplinary research on these effects, to examine the micro- through macro-level impact of the all-wireless workplace. The scope is broad, the research opportunities boundless.

Participation in The Green Island Project is open to all educational institutions (from elementary through higher education) that have deployed an Aruba secure mobility solution. Commercial institutions will be considered on a case-by-case basis. In either case the application process is the same:

• Step 1: Contact The Green Island Project at greenisland@arubanetworks.com and request a Research Application. Commercial institutions should also identify target goals and objectives for the project;
• Step 2: Submit a completed Research Application;
• Step 3: If approved you will be assigned a Green Island contact and the project schedule will be reviewed and agreed upon.

Research Topics

While research on all topics is encouraged, from time to time The Green Island Project will publish specific research subjects of special interest that will receive greater consideration during the application review process. The current list of such projects includes sustainability, user efficiency and productivity, space and architectural planning, and the total cost of network/facility ownership.

In keeping with the open community orientation of Aruba Labs, and notwithstanding special circumstances in which intellectual property dictates otherwise, project findings will be disseminated among all members of The Green Island Project. There are multiple vehicles through which this might occur, and the application form allows users to preferentially select the ones of greatest value for specific projects. Choices include, among others:

• White paper and/or technical paper publication;
• Public speaking engagement Webinar, audio pod cast, video pod cast, or other form of electronic broadcasting;
• AirHeads User Group speaking engagement;
• Publication on the Aruba Labs, Aruba, or third party Web site(s)

Contact Information

The Green Island Project is managed from Aruba Labs in Sunnyvale, California. You may contact the program manager by sending an e-mail to greenisland@arubanetworks.com.