SANDIA NATIONAL LABS CHOOSES ARUBA FOR SECURE MOBILE ACCESS TO CORPORATE DATA
Builds Production Wireless Network for 8,000-employee site
Sunnyvale, CALIFORNIA, November 2, 2004 - Aruba Wireless Networks (Aruba) today announced that the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration's (NNSA) Sandia National Laboratories has chosen Aruba's centralized security and wireless LAN management system to build a wireless network to service hundreds of simultaneous wireless users spread throughout its large Albuquerque campus. The system will provide Sandia staff and guests with secure mobile, on-demand access to valuable corporate data and resources while they are meeting or collaborating.
Dallas Wiener, a wireless systems engineer for Sandia, said "Aruba's centralized WLAN system meets our demands for a highly secure, scalable network that could seamlessly overlay wireless services atop our existing wired infrastructure."
Sandia's goal is to provide users with secure mobile access to network resources while they are away from their desks. According to Sandia, deploying wireless in common meeting areas facilitates increased collaboration and allows information to be exchanges more quickly and efficiently. "Wireless also holds advantages for various groups at Sandia, including Sandia's medical and manufacturing groups," Wiener said. The medical group, for example, is using wireless to improve patient-doctor interaction. Sandia doctors are using wireless-enabled tablet PCs to interact with patients while having full network resources at their fingertips.
The majority of wireless devices used will be laptops and PDAs. In addition, some groups will use wireless-enabled barcode scanners and printers. Sandia is also considering the use of Wi-Fi enabled VoIP phones.
Security and Scalability Matter Most to Sandia
Security is the first and foremost issue for Sandia, Wiener said. In turn, advanced security features, such as its built-in statefull firewall and wireless intrusion protection system (IPS) were important factors in the decision to deploy the Aruba system. The system provides Sandia with rogue AP detection and destruction, AP and station impersonation detection and prevention, ad hoc network protection, AP denial of service (DoS) protection, and protection against other wireless attacks such as man-in-the middle and MAC spoofing.
"The importance of security in laboratories and other mission-critical environments such as Sandia's is well illustrated in their year long search for a solution and one that can painlessly scale to support a massively large campus," said Keerti Melkote, co-founder and vice president of Product Management and Marketing for Aruba. "Sandia's selection of Aruba demonstrates how our system, with its advanced security and unique grid services architecture, is uniquely addressing enterprise problems that others have not and cannot begin to address."
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About Sandia National Laboratories
Sandia (www.sandia.gov) is a multiprogram laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed Martin Company, for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-AC04-94AL85000. With main facilities in Albuquerque, NM, and Livermore, CA, Sandia has major research and development responsibilities in national security, energy and environmental technologies, and economic competitiveness.
Aruba Wireless Networks is a trademark of Aruba Wireless Networks all trademarks of their respective companies. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.