SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aruba Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: ARUN), a global leader in distributed enterprise network solutions, today introduced its new Virtual Branch Networking (VBN) 2.0 solution to affordably bring business-critical IT services to small branch and home offices. Mobile workers today require secure ‘campus-like’ network services including application acceleration and content security. Running these services across hundreds or thousands of locations on dedicated branch appliances can be costly and complex. VBN 2.0 breaks new ground by migrating these vital services into the cloud, rightsizing capital expenditures by up to 60% and operating expenses by up to 75% according to Aruba’s estimates.

“Branch routers as we’ve known them are going to become obsolete,” said Hitesh Sheth, Aruba’s Chief Operating Officer. “Enterprises today have an increasingly distributed and mobile workforce that needs reliable and secure access to data and applications wherever they work or roam. Traditional branch routers weren’t designed with mobility and broadband in mind, and their high cost and complexity make them impractical for addressing the needs of today’s distributed enterprise. The availability of broadband connections, affordable mobile computing devices, and cloud services has enabled Aruba to completely redefine branch networking. Our new VBN 2.0 solution leverages the cloud to deliver a true campus-like user experience to remote users with a simpler architecture that is less expensive to deploy and maintain.”

Aruba launched VBN in 2009 to rightsize the cost of branch office networking. The solution introduced a family of low-cost, centrally-managed Remote Access Points (RAPs) to handle tasks that used to require expensive appliances and costly WAN links.

VBN 2.0 takes branch office rightsizing to the next level by migrating network services into the cloud. Key features of VBN 2.0 include:

• Application Acceleration Service (AAS) - a cloud service that can accelerate the performance of applications in the branch office by 20x, without requiring any new hardware or software in the branch. AAS targets a major pain point for small branch and teleworkers by accelerating the slow performance e-mail, Web browsing, and file sharing applications. Application performance improvements can now be delivered to small branch offices and teleworkers at a fraction of the price of competing solutions;
• Content Delivery Network (CDN) - a subscription-based file caching service further speeds up application response times in a branch office by leveraging a cloud-based CDN to serve files locally from a nearby data center. This affordable service can be acquired on an as-needed basis and requires no additional hardware or software in the branch office;
• Content Security Service (CSS) – a cloud service that dramatically reduces the cost and complexity of protecting sensitive data across the distributed enterprise. CSS provides anti-virus/anti-spam protection, real-time content filtering, and data leakage prevention without the need for any new branch office hardware or software. Instantaneous and long-term historical reports can quickly identify policy violations.

“With companies becoming increasingly distributed, solutions that can facilitate inexpensive service delivery and enterprise collaboration are of great interest,” said Phil Hochmuth, Senior Analyst at Yankee Group. “Enterprise cloud computing is gathering steam because its abilities to reduce costs and increase efficiency are too hard to ignore. Migrating applications and services from ‘branch-office-in-a-box” appliances to the cloud is part of a natural progression down the cost curve.”

Also as part of the VBN 2.0 solution, Aruba is introducing a Virtual Intranet Access (VIA) client. VIA provide road warriors and other mobile workers with Windows-based laptops, netbooks, and PCs with user-friendly, secure access to the corporate network without separate, dedicated VPN infrastructure. By sharing the same data center controllers as RAPs, VIA simplifies access to corporate resources while cutting the cost of remote access.

VBN 2.0 will be shipping in April 2010. Join us for an April 27 Webinar on VBN 2.0 and the distributed enterprise network by registering at www.arubanetworks.com/den. For additional information on VBN 2.0 please visit our Web site at www.arubanetworks.com/vbn.

About Aruba Networks

Aruba is the global leader in distributed enterprise networks. Its award-winning portfolio of campus, branch/teleworker, and mobile solutions simplify operations and secure access to all corporate applications and services – regardless of the user’s device, location, or network. This dramatically improves productivity and lowers capital and operational costs.

Listed on the NASDAQ and Russell 2000® Index, Aruba is based in Sunnyvale, California, and has operations throughout the Americas, Europe, Middle East, and Asia Pacific regions. To learn more, visit Aruba at http://www.arubanetworks.com. For real-time news updates follow Aruba on Twitter, Facebook, or the Green Island News Blog.

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