AirWave OnDemand Cloud-Based Multi-vendor Network Management Frequently Asked Questions

What problem does AirWave OnDemand address?
AirWave OnDemand (AoD) addresses the need for an enterprise-class wireless network management tool that can be rapidly deployed, offers economical pay-as-you-go pricing, and does away with the need to purchase, install, and maintain network management-related services and software.

How does AoD solve this problem?
By offering a cloud-based, enterprise-class, subscription-based network management service, housed at a secure Aruba data center, to remotely configure, manage, monitor, and diagnose wireless LANs, AoD makes it simple and economical for any organization to reap the benefits of a best-in-class management solution.

The service uses virtual instances of Aruba's award-winning AirWave Wireless Management to enable subscribers to monitor and change wireless LAN status, generate compliance reports, locate users and Wi-Fi devices, and diagnose problems from any Internet connection. Enterprise-class management capabilities and high security make AoD suitable for small businesses and distributed enterprises and institutions that want to lower capital and operating expenses by eliminating local management servers and software.

Why use a cloud-based network management service?
Cloud services help cut costs through automation and standardization, and the pay-as-you-go pricing model is typically faster and more economical to deploy — the infrastructure is shared and immediately available, while you pay only for those services that you use.

What are the target markets for AoD?
The enterprise-class management capabilities and high security make AoD suitable for any enterprise or institution that wants to lower capital and operating expenses by eliminating local management servers and software:

K-12 and higher education institutions: pay-as-you-go pricing model is economical for the smallest school district, while the rich suite of features meets the needs of larger sites;

Healthcare clinics and hospitals: integrated security monitoring and compliance monitoring assist with HIPAA compliance. Subscribed data are stored in the data center database on each unique, personal virtual machine instance — this in contrast to storing all subscriber data on a single shared database that could be vulnerable to unauthorized review;

Small enterprises: benefit from an enterprise-class management solution they could not otherwise afford;

Distributed enterprises and institutions: avoid server-related capital and operating expenses, and can effectively outsource a service that is typically a non-core competency;

Retailers: PCI compliance assistance reporting, secure VPN connections, and wireless intrusion detection monitoring are tailored for big-box and multi-site retailers.

What is the difference between AirWave Wireless Management Suite (AWMS) and AoD?
AoD is a cloud-based service that uses independent virtual instances AWMS to simultaneously provide wireless network management to multiple subscribers. AWMS is the engine at the heart of AoD, and AoD provides almost all of the featured available in a self-hosted version of AWMS. One exception is that AWMS permits reverse DNS lookups of client hostnames using the internal DNS server.

Will Aruba sell both AWMS and AoD?
Yes. There are distinct markets for both AWMS and AoD. Many enterprises wish to deploy in their own data centers the applications that are used within their organizations, and AWMS is the right solution. Other organizations want a low-cost, rapidly-deployable, subscription-based service that someone else manages and maintains — AoD is the right choice for those organizations. AoD is based on AWMS, and as new features are added to the latter they will enrich the services of the former.

Can service providers or value-added resellers benefit from AoD?
Service providers and value-added resellers can resell AoD as well as build managed services on top of AoD to more meaningfully connect with customers.

What wireless LANs can be managed by AoD?
AoD supports wireless LAN equipment from more than 15 different vendors including Aruba, Cisco, Motorola, and HP.

Can wireless LANs that lack VPN capability be managed by AoD?
Yes. Subscribers with wireless LANs that lack VPN capability can either be equipped with an economical Aruba RAP-2 or RAP-5 Remote Access Point to provide the required VPN services, or modify their existing VPNs to connect to the AoD service.

What models of Aruba wireless controllers are compatible with AoD?
All models of Aruba wireless LAN controllers are compatible with AoD, opening the service to all new and existing Aruba customers. The VPN capabilities integrated into Aruba's controllers make them especially easy to connect to the service.

What WAN security features are built into AoD?
The service uses secure virtual private networks (VPN) to connect with wireless devices at subscribers' sites. The VPN connections use encrypted IPSec tunnels.

Can AoD monitor for rogue APs?
Yes. AoD detects rogue APs using data gathered from controllers, APs, wired routers, and wired switches, in conjunction with other methods supported by AWMS AoD features rule-based rogue classification through which users can define the criteria under which the system differentiates between rogues and non-rogues.

Does AoD provide real-time wireless LAN monitoring and locationing?
Yes. AoD provides real-time trending, traffic, usage, capacity, location, and status updates with just one or two mouse clicks. The locationing feature can display the location of any Wi-Fi client, and includes the ability to rewind and replay data such as device location history for tracking lost or stolen items. Network monitoring via iPhone, Windows Mobile, Blackberry, or other Web-enabled mobile platforms speeds problem detection, diagnostics, and resolution.

Can AoD assist with troubleshooting?
Extensive performance and diagnostic reports quickly isolate the source of most problems, while Help Desk features and interfaces to trouble ticket solutions such as BMC Remedy speed problem tracking and resolution.

What happens if the WAN connection fails?
AoD does not sit in the packet path so your wireless LAN is not impacted in the event of a WAN failure — a feat not possible when the wireless controller is itself located in the cloud. Leveraging local wireless controllers at the subscribers' sites enables AoD to provide non-stop wireless LAN operation, even during WAN outages. Aruba controllers, for instance, can locally reconfigure the network, collect critical diagnostic information, perform compliance monitoring, manage location tracking, and perform rogue detection and annunciation even during WAN failures.

Is it complex to sign-up for the AoD service?
Sign-up is very simple. An automated sign-up process launches the subscription, and the cost of support is built into the subscription fee.

When will AoD become available?
The AoD service is undergoing initial customer tests and will be generally available starting in November 2009.

Will the AoD service be available worldwide?
Yes.

Is there additional information available about AoD?
Additional information can be found on Aruba's Web site. To contact an Aruba representative in your area please visit http://www.arubanetworks.com/company/contact_us.php.