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SUNNYVALE, Calif. — Aruba Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:ARUN), a global leader in 802.11n wireless LANs and secure mobility solutions, today announced that Tennis Australia, the national governing body for the sport of tennis in Australia, has deployed a state-of-the-art 802.11n Wi-Fi network at Melbourne Park to provide network access during the Australian Open Tennis Championship from January 18-31. Because of the scalability, reliability, and security of its adaptive Wi-Fi networks, Aruba has a long and successful track record providing portable and fixed networks for sporting events. In addition to the Australian Open, Aruba provided network upgrades to Tennis Australia’s headquarters and regional offices countrywide.

“Tennis Australia prides itself on its innovation and service to players, guests, media and fans alike, and this Aruba initiative has been tremendous”

Tennis Australia required a single wireless LAN infrastructure that would support the Australian Open Tennis Championship as well as day-to-day business at its Melbourne headquarters and across its interstate branch network. The solution included 802.11n networks at the event sites and head offices, a secure branch network solution for regional offices, and portable Wi-Fi gear for local sports events.

Each year the Australian Open places an enormous demand on the network at Melbourne Park as journalists, photographers, and other high profile users simultaneously access the Internet and send large multimedia files. To address this need, the legacy Cisco network in the media centre and photographers area was removed and replaced with Aruba AP-125 802.11n Access Points and 3600 Series Mobility Controllers managed by the AirWave Wireless Management Suite. The same network also serves wireless hand-held scanners located outside of the players’ locker rooms.

“Tennis Australia prides itself on its innovation and service to players, guests, media and fans alike, and this Aruba initiative has been tremendous,” said Steve Wood, CEO of Tennis Australia. “As we approach our finals weekend, the Aruba network is delivering wire-like performance that far exceeds our expectations. We have more than 1,500 journalists, photographers and producers on site that require reliable, time-critical access to the network, and they have been getting best-in-class service.”

Tennis Australia’s head offices were recently upgraded with the newly introduced AP-105 802.11n Access Points, a value-priced compact package measuring just 132mm × 135mm × 45mm and weighing a scant 0.3 kg. Key features include dual radios, a low-profile package with integrated antennas, a Trusted Platform Module to securely store network certificates, and support for Aruba’s exclusive Adaptive Radio Management technology which enhances performance by managing client behavior.

Tennis Australia has regional offices located throughout the country, and these are now connected to the head office using Aruba’s Virtual Branch Networking (VBN) system. Each remote office is equipped with inexpensive Remote Access Points (RAPs) or 600 Series Controllers which provides secure, authenticated remote access to Tennis Australia’s data center. Mobility Controllers in the data center handle all VBN-related configuration, management, and security tasks — minimizing the need for IT resources at regional offices and simplifying network installation. By giving branch office employees secure access to corporate resources with minimal IT overhead, VBN increases employee productivity while reducing IT operating expenses.

The regional offices sponsor interstate tennis events that require Internet access similar to, but on a smaller scale than, the Australian Open event. These events move from location to location, so Aruba provided two portable, rapid-deployment wireless kits to provide court coverage at these sites.

A free primer on 802.11n network design and infrastructure considerations, “Designed for Speed: Network Infrastructure in an 802.11n World,” is available on-line from Aruba’s Web site.

About Aruba Networks

People move. Networks must follow. Aruba securely delivers networks to users, wherever they work or roam, using a combination of award-winning solutions:

The cost, convenience, and security benefits of our secure mobility solutions are fundamentally changing how and where we work. 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. For real-time news updates follow Aruba on Twitter, Facebook, or the Green Island News Blog.

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