Rollout: Aruba's ArubaOS 3.1 and Mobility Management System 2.0
Posted by
Dave Molta
June 06, 2007
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The Upshot
 ArubaOS 3.1 and Mobility Management System 2.0, software upgrades to Aruba's enterprise WLAN product line, are intended to provide enterprises with a global mobility domain that is scalable, integrated with existing security infrastructure and intelligently managed.  With a growing market share and a number of large customers, Aruba provides the most viable competition to market leader Cisco. Unlike Cisco, which stresses single-vendor wired and wireless integration, Aruba's wireless system is designed as an overlay that's interoperable with any wired LAN infrastructure, including Cisco's.  Aruba has delivered several innovative features that enhance the functionality and operational management efficiency of wireless networks, including upgraded secure mobility services, enhanced management capabilities and improved voice support. We saw significant value in the new features but found the management interface sluggish.
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Wireless networks are an integral part of enterprise architectures. They support ever larger numbers of employees and guests, and are being asked to carry critical apps, such as voice. This means the WLAN infrastructure must be as available, secure and manageable as its wired counterpart.
Aruba Networks newest software releases, ArubaOS 3.1 and Mobility Management System (MMS) 2.0, aim to meet these requirements. They are intended to enhance performance and scalability; better integrate applications, including voice and location services; and reduce operational costs. The new versions improve mobility and add built-in wireless IDS to boost availability and security. VoFi voice support has been upgraded.
Aruba must keep striving thanks to a little competitor called Cisco Systems, which owns 50 percent of the wireless market. Key to Aruba's strategy is impartiality. While Cisco wants to lock customers to both its wired and wireless gear, Aruba's products interoperate with any third-party wired infrastructure--one reason the company has won major accounts, including those from Microsoft and Ohio State University. A recent IPO generated $1 billion market capitalization, providing the financial stability needed to compete with Cisco, and assuring customers the company will be here tomorrow.
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