SUNNYVALE, Calif. – Aruba Networks has introduced the Mobile Edge, a new architecture for securely connecting mobile workers to enterprise VoIP and data networks from any location around the globe. The Mobile Edge architecture capitalizes on the irreversible trend toward a highly mobile workforce and represents a new approach to evolving enterprise networks. It allows enterprises to address today's challenges around mobility, security, and convergence by creating an intelligent overlay system that spans the enterprise network and the public Internet. At the same time, it provides a roadmap to progressively lower networking costs by offering a migration path from the existing fixed edge to a Mobile Edge.

In a Mobile Edge network, wireless access becomes the dominant means of connecting to enterprise computing and communications. The resulting reduction in the number of wired network ports and the elimination of costs associated with organizational moves, adds, and changes deliver a radical transformation in the economics of enterprise networks.

The Mobile Edge architecture delivers the following immediate benefits to corporations:

• Seamless user mobility across the LAN, WAN, and the Internet
• Unified security for wired, wireless, and remote access
• Lower VoIP costs with voice over wireless LANs
• Investment protection for existing network infrastructure
• A roadmap for radically reducing enterprise networking costs

"The Mobile Edge represents the kind of sweeping change historically seen about once a decade in the computing and networking industry, similar to the move from mainframes to minis and then PCs or the evolution from LANs to global IP networks and the Internet," said Don LeBeau, president and CEO of Aruba Networks. "Based on the economic benefits alone, many CIOs are interested in implementing an all-wireless edge for the enterprise network. But beyond the economic motivation, they see mobility and mobile applications changing the way enterprise networks can be used to create a competitive advantage for their businesses."

Aruba's Mobile Edge architecture has been adopted by Medstar, a community-based, non-profit health care network and the largest health care provider in the Baltimore-Washington region. MedStar includes the Washington Hospital Center, Georgetown University Hospital, the National Rehabilitation Hospital, four community teaching hospitals in Baltimore, the largest home care agency in the region, and a number of physician practices.

"With over 22,000 employees and 4,600 affiliated physicians, we have more than 1,000,000 patient visits every year. Reliable mobile access provides our caregivers dozens of health care applications, wireless VoIP, and location services. The network needs to 'just be there' whenever the staff needs it, no matter where they are," said Dr. Sameer Bade, vice president, Clinical IT Strategies for MedStar. "Given the sensitive nature of medical information, the network must be secure. Aruba's Mobile Edge architecture not only matches our current needs, but is aligned with the direction of our mobility needs. The centralized management and control, increased productivity, and lower cabling and equipment requirements provide us with reduced network TCO and a competitive advantage."

The Mobile Edge architecture is an extension to Aruba's centralized security architecture for wired and wireless LANs and the wireless grid solution for high-performance enterprise WLANs. Aruba's Mobile Edge solution is enabled by new controlled access points and updated ArubaOS software. (See related release, "Aruba Announces New Hardware and Software Products for the Mobile Edge," October 24, 2005.)

Seamless User Mobility across the LAN, WAN, and the Internet
Aruba's Mobile Edge transcends the enterprise network perimeter and spans the LAN, the WAN, and the public Internet to create a single, secure system that follows the user, appearing wherever the user needs access to corporate network services. The Mobile Edge system can be deployed in enterprise campuses, regional offices, branch offices, retail storefronts, customer and partner facilities, home offices, hotel rooms, and anywhere a user connects.

Unified Security for Wired, Wireless, and Remote Access
The Aruba Mobile Edge features an identity-based security system that unifies disparate methods for wired, wireless, and remote access. The Mobile Edge leverages the advances made by the 802.11i standard for wireless security to create a consistent model for interfacing into the network regardless of the user's location or access method. Further, by uniquely associating advanced L4-7 access control and authorization policies to user identities, as opposed to basic VLAN membership-based authorization models, the Mobile Edge delivers the most advanced security for enterprise access networks.

Lower VoIP Costs with Voice over Wireless LANs
Aruba's Mobile Edge combines the convergence benefits of VoIP, the mobility benefits of cellular, and the cost benefits of a wireless infrastructure to radically reduce the cost of deploying VoIP. The Mobile Edge eliminates wiring closet upgrades since mobile VoIP handsets do not require powered LAN switch ports to connect to the network; they communicate over wireless LANs. The expenses of in-building cellular minutes are also eliminated since these mobile VoIP handsets are personal devices that a user can carry with them throughout the enterprise. Further, the office phone number can follow the user at home and on the road. Cellular handsets are also increasingly being equipped with a WLAN network interface for handling in-building calls making mobile VoIP the undeniable choice for future VoIP deployments.

Investment Protection for the Existing Network Infrastructure
The Mobile Edge is deployed as a network services overlay optimized for mobile workers. Most enterprise networks have been engineered for high performance and high reliability-many have multi-gigabit backbones, dual redundant fiber to each wiring closet, and hot-standby datacenters. The Mobile Edge makes use of existing high-speed networks without requiring any reconfiguration, preventing disruptive equipment changes and preserving investment in existing infrastructure.

A Roadmap for Radically Reducing Enterprise Networking Costs
Aruba platforms deliver the most advanced integration of mobility, security, and convergence functionality to deliver the lowest overall TCO. All network elements and services in the Mobile Edge are tightly integrated so they can be provisioned and monitored centrally. This means that network managers and operations personnel have consistent methods of managing mobility, security, and convergence services instead of managing them via independent blades in a chassis-based LAN switch.

As networks become more mobile, wires can be gradually eliminated at the edge. Where a traditional fixed network would run at least two cables to each user's desk, one for voice and one for data communications, the Mobile Edge uses one cable run to a wireless LAN AP that, very conservatively, can support at least five users. This port consolidation significantly reduces wired switching equipment and cabling costs and the associated operational, management, and maintenance expenses. Additionally, users on the Mobile Edge are presumed to be moving, and the network is designed to automatically handle their mobility. This capability eliminates the cost of moves, adds, and changes. With the additional cost savings that can be realized by integrating VoIP over wireless LANs, enterprises can radically lower the overall costs of managing their enterprise networks with the Mobile Edge.

New Mobile Edge Products
The Mobile Edge relies upon newly announced Aruba access points-the AP-41 and AP-65-and a number of new software capabilities including site-to-site VPNs, remote APs with branch office extensions and xSec-a new security protocol for securing wired LANs jointly developed with Funk Software.