Aruba Networks Unveils New IoT Products for Large Campus Deployment

Aruba Networks has launched a new enterprise core and aggregation switch, and a new operating system, ArubaOS-CX, to meet the demands of IoT on large campuses.

The wireless company says that as enterprises migrate towards mobile and cloud-based networks to accommodate IoT devices and applications, network core switches have not kept up. Incumbent core switch technology is unable to cope with the surge in network traffic, the added complexity of the environment, and the increasing need for visibility, insights, and quick remediation that IoT devices introduce, Aruba says.

The Aruba 8400 Switch Series addresses this issue for large campuses by extending the intelligence from the edge to the core of the network. The core switch offers a  19.2Tbps switching capacity and a virtual switching framework with two chassis that scale up to 512 10GbE, 128 40GbE, or 96 100GbE ports.

The switch should address the needs of enterprises that require early visibility and insights into network connectivity and traffic patterns, and the opportunity to predict and resolve network problems with analytics before they result in significant network downtime. Used in tandem with the Aruba Network Analytics Engine, the core switch should save enterprises both time, resources and costs, the company claims.

The Aruba 8400 also includes the ArubaOS-CX, which Aruba describes as “a departure from today’s static, inflexible operating system design.” The ArubaOS-CX acts as the ‘brains’ of the switch, automating and simplifying many critical network tasks. Both products were announced at HPE Discover in Las Vegas this week.

Aruba suggests the key benefits of the 8400 and the new operating system for IT include:

• Automated visibility for early detection: the Aruba Network Analytics Engine allows IT professionals to monitor network, system, application, and security-related activities with simple rules-based monitoring and automatic correlation of network activities.
• Faster resolution with network insights: The Aruba 8400 should resolve troubleshoot problems via its programmability and intelligent policy-based integration with network monitoring, performance, and security management tools.
• Simple programmability to help IT scale: the Aruba 8400 is fully programmable with a built-in Python interpreter and RESTbased APIs for every function, which allows for easy integration and ongoing flexibility with infrastructure and applications.

“With the new Aruba 8400 core switch’s monitoring and analytics capabilities, we can automate troubleshooting to resolve issues quickly and ensure a reliable, secure network experience for our users. The Aruba 8400 allows us to reduce manual ‘touches’, so our IT team can focus on other critical activities.”