Aruba Wireless Networks Named Official Wi-Fi Provider Again For Networld-Interop Las Vegas 2004’s Event Network, The ENET
Voice and Data Over Wireless Takes Center Stage
SAN JOSE, California - January 20, 2004 - For the second year in a row, Aruba Wireless Networks (Aruba) has been selected by NetWorld+Interop as the official wireless provider for the eNet, NetWorld+Interop Las Vegas 2004’s unique environment that showcases the full capabilities of an integrated network and mirrors the networks of today’s leading corporate enterprises.
Unlike sponsorship programs where vendors pay to provide various products and services, to become an official provider at NetWorld+Interop, vendors participate in a rigorous and competitive RFP process against other suppliers.
"For IT professionals, informed purchasing decisions and planning require a deep understanding not only of the wireless technology itself, but also how the technology inter-relates to the overall network ecosystem," said Stephen Wylie, director of Content and Programs at NetWorld+Interop.
"We selected Aruba again because we found its centralized Wi-Fi solution for voice and data to be among the most secure and easiest to integrate with the vast array of other products and technologies we’re showcasing. These are the very issues that IT professionals are paying close attention to as they evaluate wireless purchasing options and Wi-Fi is on the top of everyone’s list."
Aruba’s Wi-Fi switching technology will be used to provide 802.11 wireless services within a number of areas within the Las Vegas Convention Center including the network operations center (NOC), the network services help desk and the volunteer lounge.
This year, Aruba will provide select NOC staff with voice communication badges that allow direct voice peer-to-peer communications over 802.11. Aruba’s Wi-Fi system is the only platform that delivers stateful flow classification for different users and devices. This lets NOC engineers, for example, to only allow SIP (session initiation protocol) traffic for devices it recognizes as voice over IP phones.
The NetWorld+Interop eNet is built in collaboration with leading hand-selected networking vendors that put their products to the test of the ultimate networking challenge. The eNet offers reliable, high-speed network services to all NetWorld+Interop exhibitors, staff, conferences and meeting rooms. This dream network addresses an organization’s complete networking needs and sets the bar for innovation and expertise.
Aruba remains the only Wi-Fi supplier to offer a full line of modular and stackable Wi-Fi switches along with 802.11a+b/g dual-purpose access points. All of these products will be deployed to support eNet technicians across the 1 to 2 square mile Las Vegas Convention Center. Aruba access points will be distributed throughout the show floor to provide 802.11a (54 Mbps) and 802.11b/g (11 and 54 Mbps) access to the team as well as advanced RF spectrum management.
With the Aruba Wi-Fi system, eNet engineers can troubleshoot remote problems from the NOC. Wireless performance can be automatically optimized and tuned on the fly with bandwidth contracts set and enforced on a per-user basis. Stateful mobile firewall policies can also be applied on a per user or per user group basis to ensure the highest levels of wireless security.
Advanced wireless intrusion detection and prevention capabilities built into Aruba’s Wi-Fi switching system will let eNet engineers detect and prevent malicious attacks and impersonations. This eliminates the need for a discrete overlay system of wireless sensors. Aruba’s Wi-Fi switching system is also being used to provide user-based access control. This allows different groups of users to receive different types of network access, security and services.
Network Operations Center (NOC) personnel will manage the Aruba Wi-Fi switching system with Computer Associates’ Unicenter wireless network management system used as a central control center for the majority of wired and wireless network components.
"From the beginning, we built our Wi-Fi switching system for industrial-strength applications where multi-layered wireless security and high performance scalability are simply mandated," said Keerti Melkote, co-founder and vice president Marketing and Product Management at Aruba Wireless Networks. "Finding out what’s real and what works is why IT managers come to NetWorld+Interop. We’re proud to have been chosen again to show them."
Pioneered by Aruba, Wi-Fi switching is the newest technology developed to help company’s better build, secure and centrally manage large 802.11 environments. Wi-Fi switching combines a variety of wireless functions such as encryption, intrusion detection, RF management, mobile firewalling and VPN concentration within a single within a single high performance processing and switching system.
The NetWorld+Interop exhibition and conference runs May 9 through May 14, 2004 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
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