Wifi Revolution

Aruba Networks, specializing in wireless LANs and secure mobility solutions, announced that Denver Public Schools deployed its AirWave (News - Alert) Wireless Management Platform Suite 6.0 for managing the district’s 2,400 Cisco wireless LAN access points covering close to 134 buildings. The multi-vendor AirWave suite manages wireless networks of 16 vendors. It offers reporting capabilities, help desk features and scalability which are not available with proprietary management systems.

 

The Denver Public Schools’ user base is expected to increase by over 40 percent next year, according to the IT staff. The number of wireless network users and applications has increased in the district as wireless has become very important to the organization. At first proprietary wireless management solution was used but this did not provide the visibility and control required as the system expanded.

 

“The single most important reason we selected the AirWave suite is that it would clearly increase our efficiency through improved diagnostics, advanced troubleshooting, and reporting,” said Bud Bullard, director of IT for Denver Public Schools.

 

“User calls typically go first to our desktop support team, but wireless issues quickly get escalated to engineering. With the AirWave suite, we can give the help desk more visibility into the wireless network, and enable the support team to resolve problems remotely and more efficiently. With wireless usage increasing so rapidly, we needed this kind of capability to support our users while holding fixed at our existing staff levels,” added Bullard.

 

The features included in the AirWave Wireless Management Platform Suite 6.0 are most essential for all wireless networks. They include increase in management efficiency through better diagnostics, as well advanced troubleshooting and reporting. More visibility into the wireless network enables the Help Desk to resolve problems remotely and efficiently.

 

Routine management tasks are streamlined which include updating controller configurations and software versions. It also supports multiple generations of technology, wireless standards and vendors via a single console interface.

 

Bryan Wargo, general manager of Aruba’s network management division, emphasized that the AirWave suite is a force multiplier for IT organizations as it enables them to manage their existing wireless investment without adding more staff. In times like this with economic uncertainty it is essential that end-users have to make maximum use of their existing IT infrastructure. The AirWave is capable of deriving maximum benefit from the existing wireless network at the same time providing a path to newer technologies like 802.11n cost effectively.

 

Aruba Networks (News - Alert) delivers networks securely to people on the go. Its mobility solutions enable the Follow-Me Enterprise which moves in steps with the user. It offers adaptive 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi networks which ensure that users are always within reach of mission critical information.

 

Identity-based security assigns access policies to users. These are enforced when ever the network is accessed. The multi-vendor network management offers a single point of control and also manages legacy and new wireless networks from Aruba and others.

 

 

Back to WiFi Revolution home