Aruba Wireless Reviews and Pricing

Head of Technical Services with 51-200 employees

Feb 22, 2015

Enables automated network posture assessment and real-time security across OpenFlow-enabled network devices.

Our K-12 school has an extensive campus which hosts 250 faculty and 1500 students, with over 240 students living in boarding houses. Our senior students and faculty members each have a school-provided laptop, while also allowing BYOD access to the network in boarding houses, and throughout the campus for select users.

Our IT team faced numerous security challenges associated with allowing unmanaged devices onto the network. We needed a solution that could accurately and reliably prevent and report threats to the network, no matter who the user or what the device is. Despite implementing measures such as installing local antivirus software on the school-owned machines and intrusion prevention on the firewall, our team was still bogged down with hours of manually identifying and eliminating network threats such as botnets, spyware, and malware—issues that were also impacting student and faculty productivity.

When we approached HP with our challenges, HP delivered the Network Protector SDN Application to identify and block network threats and enable secure BYOD. HP Network Protector Security, running on the HP Virtual Application Networks SDN Controller, enables automated network posture assessment and real-time security across OpenFlow-enabled network devices such as switches.

One of the concerns with implementing an SDN solution is knowing where to start. We were able to implement an SDN solution quickly because of our investment in OpenFlow-enabled hardware. We were able to take advantage of the Network Protector SDN solution by downloading a free software upgrade for our existing switches to enable OpenFlow, eliminating the need for a costly rip-and-replace of our network infrastructure.

Network Protector leverages the Virtual Application Networks SDN Controller and OpenFlow to program the network infrastructure with security intelligence from the TippingPoint RepDV Labs database. This effectively turns the entire network infrastructure into security-enforcement devices, providing unprecedented threat protection and visibility.

We installed the solution during a school break, and saw instant results when students and faculty returned. Immediately, thousands of threats were automatically identified and blocked by HP Network Protector, and our IT team was able to proactively address network vulnerabilities.

HP Network Protector takes away a lot of the manual labor that we used to do; we now know exactly where the infections are and how many there are—we can detect threats and respond in a proactive manner. That saves us hours of work every week.

We use Network Protector to help us with challenges around sites like Facebook, which are a distraction during class. With the DNS Blacklist feature, we restrict access to websites like that, which encourages the staff and students to engage more with one another during class. It’s hard for us to measure the return on investment that we’ve had with HP Network Protector, but there’s no doubt that it gives us the power to help staff and students be more productive in the classroom; and at the end of the day, that’s what we’re all about.

Disclosure: PeerSpot has made contact with the reviewer to validate that the person is a real user. The information in the posting is based upon a vendor-supplied case study, but the reviewer has confirmed the content's accuracy.

it_user204957

Associate Consultant at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees

Feb 15, 2015

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The new centralized licensing have made scalability easier than it was in the past.

What is most valuable?

The Wireless integration with ClearPass Policy Manager to give a complete BYOD solution is absolutely the key to today's business requirements. I am sure there is a lot more they can achieve but by far they have been quite innovative in the market.

How has it helped my organization?

There are a lot of features that are quite unique to the product. The products from Aruba Network cater for a wide range of organizations, from media companies like BBC, to IT Companies like Microsoft and lots of universities see a perfect fit for their requirements. As an IT Network implementer I can easily see how this product fits the bill for many questions asked by companies today to embrace the future of IT Devices and personal devices at work.

What needs improvement?

This is an ever growing industry and there are lots of new features that are being requested on a daily basis by different companies, partners and suppliers.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have used it since 2007, about eight years.

What was my experience with deployment of the solution?

Like any other product there are a few challenges that need to be overcome as most of the organizations have a heterogeneous network. Aruba products can happily sit over your existing network without making a large change to the way the network works. This is the best bit about Aruba Networks.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The product development team is quite good to fix any issues. Considering the large variety of devices and network cards that Aruba has to cater for the number of issue faced have not been significant. They also get a fix out quite quickly before the issue turns into a major problem.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is a very scalable product. The new centralized licensing and the newer controller models have made scalability even easier.

How are customer service and technical support?

Customer Service:

7/10.

Technical Support:

Technical support is one of the strong areas for Aruba and I would rate it as 8/10.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Cisco has always been a close competitor to Aruba Networks but Cisco is much bigger than just wireless hence I think Aruba does justice to what they have to offer and are focused on Wi-Fi only.

How was the initial setup?

The setup is quite straightforward. The solutions can be deployed based on best practices.

What about the implementation team?

The support for implementation both from supplier and vendor is great. The installation definitely takes some ground work and preparation in-house but once it’s all sorted as per the design the product can be fully configured in a couple of days’ time.

What was our ROI?

I think the ROI is great if it is going to replace the wired environment, but it is not going to descale the wired environment then it needs a bit of a hard sell to meet the ROI.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

This is a very subjective question and has many dependencies like the level of discount you can achieve will contribute largely to the initial cost and the everyday running cost is dependent on how many changes or enhancement you want to make at regular basis.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We also looked at Cisco Wireless products.

What other advice do I have?

It is a great product and if you want complete control over your network for wireless users this is definitely the product you should choose.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.

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it_user184704

Channel System Engineer-MEA at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees

Jan 22, 2015

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Easy to deploy. I especially like the Adaptive Radio Management feature.

What is most valuable?

Adaptive Radio Management

How has it helped my organization?

We're a VAR and it's our best selling solution.

For how long have I used the solution?

Two years.

What was my experience with deployment of the solution?

No issues encountered.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

No issues encountered.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

No issues encountered.

How are customer service and technical support?

Customer Service:

Fast response and professional teams. You can add new patches to match your requirements.

Technical Support:

Fast response and professional teams. You can add new patches to match your requirements.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

No previous solution used.

How was the initial setup?

It is straightforward.

What about the implementation team?

We used a vendor team and their level of experience was excellent.

What other advice do I have?

Aruba focuses on high-end WLAN technologies. They are now certified with many other vendors to be used in conjunction with their products. It is easy to deploy and there are many other benefits.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. we're a VAR

it_user375078Senior Network Engineer/Mobility Specialist at CCSI - Contemporary Computer Services, Inc.

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Jan 25, 2016

Adaptive radio management is key!

it_user180984

System Architect - Networks at a university with 501-1,000 employees

Jan 13, 2015

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The initial setup required a lot of work however the scalability is the key for the solution

What is most valuable?

The scalability is the key here. We operate in a multi-vendor environment, running proprietary and open source software as well as pretty much every OS in it. We have to be able to adjust features as we need them throughout the WLAN.

How has it helped my organization?

WLAN is one of the major functions that allows employee movement without re-doing cabling etc.

What needs improvement?

I haven't encountered an area for improvement and am quite satisfied with the product.

For how long have I used the solution?

We implemented WLAN 4 years ago.

What was my experience with deployment of the solution?

We haven't encountered any major issues with the deployment. Normal minor glitches as usual, but nothing major. I'd expect to face the same issues with any brand of WLANs.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

All stability issues have been due to configuration changes. Currently as the WLAN expands we are starting to have some issues that aren't directly dependent on Arubas' solution, but issues in aggregate and core network layers.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have no issues in scalability.

How are customer service and technical support?

Customer Service:

8 out of 10.

Technical Support:

8 out of 10.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I'm familiar via my career with other manufacturers solutions and have worked with those too. In my current position we have used Arubas' WLAN from the start.

How was the initial setup?

As always in complex systems, initial setup required a lot of work that might be seen as complex. On the other hand it was also logical and among the professionals, straightforward. Initial setup of single equipment is easy, but it only allows you to start configuring it.

What about the implementation team?

We did the implementation in-house with a technical person from the manufacturer.

What was our ROI?

Every AP implemented takes out around 3 switch interfaces. Also work can be done away from the desk, and much faster in certain positions. I'd say that it took about three years to get an ROI.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We did a massive comparison with most of the WLAN vendors and from those we chose Aruba.

What other advice do I have?

Main thing is to have a clear vision of what is needed from the WLAN and of course, the expertise of the staff is one key factor. Pretty much, the rest is just pricing of the solution, acquisition and running costs.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.

it_user375078Senior Network Engineer/Mobility Specialist at CCSI - Contemporary Computer Services, Inc.

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Jan 25, 2016

Aruba is a very solid product with options that allow it to keep up with all the competitors.

it_user178623

Network Engineer at a university with 501-1,000 employees

Jan 6, 2015

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We don't need to visit each AP locations for a code upgrade or troubleshooting but some went bad over time.

What is most valuable?

Central controller and ARM function on Access Points.

How has it helped my organization?

We don't need to visit each AP locations for a code upgrade or troubleshooting.

What needs improvement?

More stable cide

For how long have I used the solution?

6 years.

What was my experience with deployment of the solution?

Some of them have cable limitations.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Yes, we did. Some model of APs went bad over time.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

No, we don't as long as we purchase the license.

How are customer service and technical support?

Customer Service:

Almost excellent.

Technical Support:

Almost excellent.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Yes, we did. It was Cisco Autonomous APs, but we replaced them as we wanted a centralized system.

How was the initial setup?

It was pretty straightforward.

What about the implementation team?

We used a vendor and they were very knowledgeable.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Yes we also evaluated Cisco Lightweight APs.

What other advice do I have?

You should start implementing the latest and greatest access points which are 801.11 AC.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.

it_user177036

Professional Services Engineer at a tech services company with 51-200 employees

Dec 31, 2014

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Has more features than other wireless solutions. Additional troubleshooting capabilities for ClearPass could help.

What is most valuable?

The Wireless Controller's firewall feature and the ClearPass Access Management product's NAC feature.

How has it helped my organization?

As of now, we are utilising the existing features of the product and it satisfies all our requirement.

What needs improvement?

Additional troubleshooting capabilities for the ClearPass product.

For how long have I used the solution?

2 years.

What was my experience with deployment of the solution?

None yet.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

None yet.v

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

None yet.

How are customer service and technical support?

Customer Service:

10/10

Technical Support:

10/10

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Previously was using Meru and switched due to additional features and functionality in the Aruba products.

What other advice do I have?

The Aruba product has more features than the other competitive wireless solutions available in this domain. Product has good stability.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. We are an Aruba Partner

it_user171990

Engineer with 51-200 employees

Dec 14, 2014

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Spectrum Analyzer and the WIP are my eyes in the sky. It would be good to have more than 4GB for the firewall.

What is most valuable?

The Aruba Adaptive Radio Management (ARM), Spectrum Analysis and Wireless Intrusion Protection are the most valuable capabilities for me. ARM is helpful because it manages my network for me basically. The Spectrum Analyzer and the WIP are my eyes in the sky, so to speak.

How has it helped my organization?

First of all we use to have standalone AP’s and we had to manage each one separately which was very time consuming for me but now we have a centralized management network with the Aruba 3400 series platform that saves me time in managing. Secondly we had a lot of issues with clients hogging all of the airtime and causing other clients to have to wait but now with Aruba Adaptive Radio Management (ARM) all of our clients have a fair share of airtime and the adjustments are automatic in the controller.

What needs improvement?

They may have already improved on this but it would be good to have more than 4GB for the firewall. I think this is the only thing I can think of for improvements.

For how long have I used the solution?

Just over one year

What was my experience with deployment of the solution?

I didn’t have any issues when I deployed to Aruba 3400 series platform. The process was smooth and exciting.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I didn’t have any issues with stability. We have been up and running for over a year now and the users are very happy with our network.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I haven’t had any issues with scalability. We haven’t had any growth or additional things since we deployed the Aruba 3400 series platform.

How are customer service and technical support?

Customer Service:

On a scale from 1 – 10 I would say a 7. I haven’t used the customer service enough to give a higher rating.

Technical Support:

On a scale from 1 – 10 I would say a 7. I haven’t used the customer service enough to give a higher rating.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Yes I previously used a Cisco Solution. We changed products because Aruba was better in cost.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was straightforward. We deployed all of the hardware and configured the controller and watch the AP’s authenticate and associate with the controller.

What about the implementation team?

We used a vendor to the deployment. The deployment went absolutely well. I will have to give the vendor a 10 for their expertise and work they did.

What was our ROI?

My ROI is 125%. We have better production for the workers and IT team.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

No! We only evaluated Aruba.

What other advice do I have?

If you are interested in a solution that is straightforward in configuring and deploying choose Aruba solutions. If you want features that will open up more time for you as a network admin Aruba solutions is for you. If you are looking to improve your WLAN performance, scalability, stability, and security Aruba solutions is for you.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.