Aruba Partner Conference: Cloud Controllers for the Branch Office

Aruba Networks (ARUN) is taking advantage of the popularity of cloud services by making it easier for companies to manage their branch office use of cloud without managing multiple devices.

At its Atmosphere partner conference this week in Las Vegas, Aruba introduced the Aruba 7000 series Cloud Services Controllers, designed to reduce the cost and complexity of managing disparate single-purpose point products in the branch, according to the company.

“We’re taking multiple appliances that normally would be deployed in a branch office and collapsed them into one platform,” said Christian Gilby, director of Product Marketing at Aruba. “The new controllers accelerate and deliver QoS for those services.”

In a nutshell, the Cloud Services Controllers include technology of a WAN router, firewall and VPN, WAN optimization, switch (for installs of 24 ports or less) and wireless LAN controller.

The controllers offer “zero-touch provisioning” and can be centrally managed, reducing the amount of time and manpower needed to support branch offices, Gilby said. They support two Ethernet broadband WAN connections and a 3G/4G LTE cellular backup link to ensure connectivity should the network go offline.

In addition, the controllers’ programmable firewall offers a number of security-focused features, including

“This doesn’t take the place of anything we currently have in our catalog,” Gilby noted.

The 7000 series Cloud Services Controllers and the accompanying Aruba OS 6.43 software are slated for availability in the second quarter. List prices range from $1,500 to $6,995.