LEADING GERMAN ENGINEERING SCHOOL FACHHOCHSCHULE GIEFLEN-FRIEDBERG CHOOSES ARUBA FOR WLAN
Value, Modularity and Centralized Management Are Key Decision Criteria
GIEßEN/FRIEDBERG, Germany, November 23, 2006 - The Fachhochschule (FH) Gießen-Friedberg, a technical university with around 9,000 students, has selected Aruba Networks Mobile Edge solution as the infrastructure for its new wireless LAN (WLAN). Aruba's Mobile Edge network architecture assures secure mobile access to data within the university network, as well as mobile access to the Web, for staff, professors and students of the Fachhochschule.
The new FH WLAN infrastructure includes an Aruba 2400 mobility controller which, serves as a single-box platform for WLAN, VPN and firewall functionalities. All of the network management and monitoring can be carried out from a single central location. In the first phase of the deployment, more than 30 Aruba 61 access points (APs) were installed.
For secure authentication, FH is using 802.1X and intends to implement the roaming service established by the Deutsches ForschungsNetz e.V (DFN), a Germany-wide computer network for academic and research purposes. Under this service, FH will offer WLAN access to professors and students from universities all over Germany. FH, the hosting university, would make the physical access available while the authentication would be carried out by the user's home university. In this way, each user could log into the WLAN using the same user name and password he uses at his own university.
The decision to go for Aruba was multi-facetted, according to Burkhard Gerlach, IT manager of the Fachhochschule. "For a public educational institution, value for money is of paramount importance - and here Aruba excels. Furthermore, the operating expenses are extremely low, as the entire WLAN infrastructure can be managed from one central point. The modular design of the Aruba solution also guarantees us investment protection as we are able to build up our network bit by bit as necessary."
The WLAN enables the university to meet the expectations of its students who want campus-wide wireless access to the university's network, online course information, study materials, classwork, and other university news, in addition to Internet access. Although the installation is still quite new, several hundred students are regularly using the FH Gießen-Friedberg WLAN.
By the end of 2006, FH plans to install two additional mobility controllers, as well as another 30 APs. The extended WLAN will make network access available in buildings which have not been able to offer wired network connections.
The planning, installation and management of the FH Gießen-Friedberg WLAN was realized in cooperation with Aruba's reseller, SEiCOM Communication, and another partner.
About the Fachhochschule Gießen-Friedberg
The Fachhochschule Gießen-Friedberg was founded in 1971 through the joining of the state-run engineering schools of Gießen and Friedberg and with over 9,000 students and 230 professors is one of the largest state-run universities of applied sciences in the region of Hessen. The university currently offers around 50 diploma and bachelor courses in eleven subject areas, concentrating mainly on technical subjects such as mechanical engineering, IT and biotechnology. The FH puts great emphasis on practically orientated courses. In this regard, all the teaching staff have had at least 5 years experience in industry before beginning their teaching career and furthermore, it is compulsory in all degree courses for all students to undergo a period of practical training in industry. The FH Gießen-Friedberg is also involved in the field of in-service training. Further information on the FH Gießen-Friedberg can be obtained on their website www.fh-giessen-friedberg.de.
About Aruba Networks, Inc.
Aruba Networks is a fast-growing enterprise infrastructure company enabling the Mobile Edge, an evolutionary network architecture that represents a new approach to transitioning enterprise networks from a fixed, port-based architecture to an architecture centered on secure, identity-based mobility. The Mobile Edge simultaneously delivers mobile data and VoIP services, as well as a common user experience to mobile workers in the office, at home and on the road, by creating a secure mobility overlay that spans the LAN, the WAN and the Internet. To deliver the Mobile Edge, Aruba manufactures and markets a complete line of fixed and modular mobility controllers, wired and wireless access points, an advanced mobility software suite, and a mobility management system. Privately held and based in Sunnyvale, California, Aruba has operations in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific, and employs staff around the world. To learn more, visit Aruba at http://www.arubanetworks.com.
Media Contacts
Don Reckles
Aruba Networks, Inc.
408-329-5108
dreckles@arubanetworks.com
Jay Nichols
Sterling Communications, Inc.
415-392-2300
jnichols@sterlingpr.com
Emmanuelle Rouard
Johnson King Pubic Relations
+49 89 894 085 12
emmanueller@johnsonking.de
Aruba Networks and Aruba The Mobile Edge Company are trademarks of Aruba Wireless Networks, Inc. All other trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective holders. Portions © 2006 Aruba Wireless Networks, Inc. All rights reserved. Specifications are subject to change without notice.