Walk us through the newest and innovative solutions that Aruba has introduced to the small and medium businesses (SMBs) in the market

AMOL MITRA: Most SMBs do not have IT staff within the organization. So, technology products and solutions need to be easy to use, plug and play, affordable, and meet the security requirements of these businesses. Thus, we decided, when we embarked on this journey, to deliver customized solutions for SMBs.

We created a new brand, ‘Aruba Instant On’, that differentiates our SMB offering from our enterprise offering. Under the brand, we introduced a set of (APs), switches, accessories like transceivers, and a mobile app through which businesses can manage and configure the entire network environment.

With the need for increased speed, capacity, and scalability, we initially launched Aruba Instant On APs three years ago, now featuring Wi-Fi 6, that delivers blazing-fast performance, greater capacity to handle more devices simultaneously, and greater performance. These APs are perfect for small businesses with expanding mobile, cloud, and IoT requirements.

We will continue to lead innovation in the future and deliver more high-performance, secure access points, switches, and technology that is purpose-built for SMBs. Aruba Instant On portfolio is ideal for Small Businesses/Offices and institutions in hospitality, healthcare, and education.

Elaborate on the competitive advantages and scalability that SMEs find after turning to Aruba’s network technologies

AMOL MITRA: Besides vendors who compete with us in the enterprise space, there are other specific SMB networking vendors in the marketplace. So, we realized that in order to create a competitive advantage, we not only need to create brand differentiation but also create product and solution differentiation as well.

When compared to the competition, I believe the following four areas are where our value proposition and differentiation lie:

• The first is “ease of use,” which is hugely important in this marketplace. Besides the cloud-based app, we
  

  Amol Mitra (VP and GM – Worldwide – SMB) -Aruba

  also included intelligent automation through artificial intelligence (AI) to make sure that customers don’t need to spend a lot of time configuring or managing the product

• The second is security. We have made sure that our products have hardened security. We have taken our enterprise security feature set and replicated it into our SMB solutions
• Next, this business is channel-led and built through our broad channel ecosystem. So we have made sure that our channel partners are engaged and enabled from a pre-sales and a post-sales perspective to deliver whatever support and service is required by customers
• And finally, everything we do is centered around our customers. We build features that are tailored to the needs of individual customers and SMB businesses. For example, if you have a small coffee shop and you want to have a guest network that is segmented from the administrative network and the staff network, it is a one-click capability that we provide

Give insights into Aruba’s latest undertaking concerning hybrid work and employee collaboration and their success

AMOL MITRA: Our products are inherently built for a hybrid work environment. We have a specific configuration for users who work from home, office, or in a hybrid mode. With a one-click button, you can configure it for a hybrid work environment. All this is held in the cloud and managed through a mobile app.

With Aruba’s products, a user can have the same environment, configuration, and policy management irrespective of the workplace. There is zero configuration change that is required with our products.

Discuss Aruba’s Middle East plans and business strategies for the SMB sector in the upcoming years

JACOB CHACKO: We have been at the forefront of innovation in the enterprise networking segment, helping large enterprises meet their connectivity, security, and financial requirements across campus, branch, data center, and remote worker environments. Our strategy is to extend our leadership in the Enterprise sector to the SMB segment by providing them with ‘enterprise grade’, feature-rich solutions at an attractive price point, that are simple, secure, and easy to deploy. Aruba’s SMB networking solutions deliver intuitive management, automated intelligence, and security features to save time and gain a competitive edge.

Aruba Instant On is a big technology focus for us when it comes to SMBs. They are wi-fi access points (APs) purpose-built for small businesses that just work—reliably, securely, and remarkably simple, right out of the box. SMBs can create “Always On” networks with little to no IT support required. It’s easy to set up and manage remotely with a cloud-based mobile app.

Our go-to-market strategy is through our SMB-focused partners and distributors. Stocking is a key area of focus for us when it comes to SMBs. We are making concerted efforts to build a strong supply chain network to ensure that our partners have stocks readily available at any given point in time.

What is special this year for Aruba GITEX for SMBs?

Jacob Chacko (Regional Director – ME, KSA, and SA) – Aruba

JACOB CHACKO: At GITEX Global 2022, Aruba will be exhibiting under the theme “Making Connections, Anywhere” – creating the connections that power businesses and the world. In its 13th appearance at the event, the company will demonstrate its cloud-native approach to helping customers meet their connectivity, security, and financial requirements across campus, branch, data center, and remote worker environments covering all aspects of wired, wireless LAN, and wide area networking (WAN). At the event, Aruba will demonstrate its latest technologies addressing the digital transformation needs of regional enterprises including Wi-Fi 6E and cloud-managed networking, SD-WAN & SASE, Aruba User Experience Insight, and Network-as-a-Service (NaaS).

We invite SMB company executives to visit us at stand number H7-A1, at GITEX to explore our midsize business cloud-managed networking solutions that deliver fast, reliable, and scalable wired and wireless connectivity. Our technology experts will help SMBs rightsize their networks based on their business needs and space, and also provide demos of Aruba Instant On, designed for providing great wi-fi coverage and blazing-fast speeds.

The post With Dynamic Segmentation of Networking Products, Aruba Becomes the Most Reliable Partner of SMBs appeared first on The Integrator.

“While connecting Meta Quest 2 through a PC/laptop will significantly boost performance and graphic quality, most gamers are connected via the home Wi-Fi router or a dedicated gaming router. Many home Wi-Fi router connections can be unstable and are likely affected by other connected home Wi-Fi devices. Gaming routers can be significantly higher in cost, more time consuming to set up, and not tuned for optimized Meta Quest 2 connectivity,” explained CJ Chang, CEO of D-Link corporation.

The DWA-F18 VR Air Bridge is embedded with D-Link’s advanced Wi-Fi 6 firmware and meta’s proprietary VR algorithms to bring low-latency wireless connectivity and improved Wi-Fi efficiency. Furthermore, the DWA-F18 features a compact design with simple installation and WPA3 Wi-Fi protection to let gamers experience safer, unrestricted, and fully immersive VR adventures in the metaverse.

“After joining the metaverse standards forum in July, we aim to be a pioneer in metaverse development. This exclusive partnership with meta not only validates our innovation, but also affirms that D-Link is the ideal partner to combine technology, security, and quality. In anticipation of growing metaverse trends, D-Link will continue to develop user-friendly and cost-effective metaverse products and services to optimize consumer VR experiences,” said CJ Chang.

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So, the question is, how can you make that happen?

There are two different ways to achieve a strong a Wi-Fi signal. The first way and maybe like what you have in your home is with the traditional router. Traditional router is a single access point located somewhere at the centre of your home trying to serve all those devices and client. These are available with multiple antenna, multiple features, good frequency etc. But they all come with a limitation and that is the FCC controls. Even though having multiple antennas on your router you’re going to struggle to get the best of Wi-Fi signal coverage throughout your home. And that’s where mesh network comes in. The new mesh solution replaces the old single access point feature which you have in your house and envelops your whole house with a strong Wi-Fi signal. Mesh Wi-Fi system connects to the main ISP and talks to the satellites and broadcast whatever the main controller instructs. If you’re on a device and you move through your home, you automatically connect to the nearby Mesh Wi-Fi unit and you don’t have to reconnect to a different SSID which is the ID of your Wi-Fi network.  It’s very reliable and blankets the whole house with strong Wi-Fi signal and that’s just one of the reasons why mesh network is awesome.

Mesh Wi-Fi solutions right now are expensive. You’ll probably be able to get a good router and repeater for less than a mesh system. But Tenda, one of the leading brands in routers and switches recently launched the Nova MW3 which is the most economical Mesh Wi-Fi system.

Nova MW3 is a 1200 Mbps dual band distribution mesh Wi-Fi system designed for 1,100 – 3,200 square foot households, bringing you whole home Wi-Fi coverage, as well as fast and stable Internet access. A pack of 3 provides you with up to 3,200 square feet of Wi-Fi coverage, while a pack of 2 provides you with up to 2,200 square feet of coverage. Compliant with IEEE 802.11v and IEEE 802.11r seamless roaming protocols, nova MW3 supports automatic network optimization and automatic routing selection, allowing you to enjoy a more stable and flexible wireless network. With Tenda Mesh Technology, the MW3 creates a distributed Wi-Fi network that covers up to 3200 square feet, eliminating dead zones in your home. With MU-MIMO technology, nova MW3 supports more Wi-Fi enabled devices and the smart QoS intelligently allocates bandwidth to ensure smooth streaming, gaming, downloading, and uninterrupted video chat at the same time. Nova MW3 offers data rates up to 1200 Mbps and prioritizes 5 GHz network access, allowing you to enjoy lag-free 4K HD videos. Pre-paired from factory setting makes setup of MW3 a breeze, letting you go from the burden of cabling connections.

The easy-to-use Tenda WiFi app allows you to block unauthorized users with a single tap. It also supports Parental Control to help your kids surf internet safely, and Guest Networks to protect your personal privacy.

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• Powerful Dual-Band Technology–Each Velop node is a Dual-Band AC 2×2 802.11ac Wave 2 with MU-MIMO radio configuration with combined speed up to 1300 Mbps.
• True Modular Mesh Design – Each node is built to connect with each other over WiFi or wired Ethernet or combination of the two for best performance. They auto configure to connect in multiple different mesh topologies.
• Intelligent Mesh Technology – Intelligent Mesh Technology is aimed at simplifying Wi-Fi networking and optimizes end-to-end performance. The Velop system adapts to a user’s WiFi needs. It self-heals and optimizes to consistently deliver fast, flawless WiFi everywhere in home.
• Velop Dual-Band and Tri-Band are interoperable – It is the most flexible WiFi system which users can simply select a Velop system based on size of their home, internet service package or smart home readiness. Velop users can use both the Tri-Band and Dual-Band versions on the same network. Adding a Dual-Band node to an existing Tri-Band mesh network is an affordable way to extend coverage.
• Easy App-Led Setup – Linksys App-based set-up makes it easier than ever to setup and manage a network.
• Patent-Pending Spot Finder Technology – The placement of each node is critical to establish a reliable connection. During setup, Velop will recommend the best placement to reduce latency, maximize throughput and improve range and signal strength.
• Velop works with Amazon Alexa – Velop includes custom Amazon Alexa “skills” that can turn the guest network on/off and read back the credentials of both the main and guest networks
• Automatic Updates – With automatic software updates, Velop will always remain up-to-date and highly secure without having to update hardware. It automatically monitor for updates and apply new software that unlock new features, resolution to security vulnerabilities, and improved performance as they become available.
• Superior Warranty and Support – Velop comes with a 3-year warranty and support

The post New VELOP dual-band mesh Wi-Fi system now available in UAE appeared first on The Integrator.

Back in 1990s and early 2000s, consumers demanded internet connection at home, which swiftly changed to the need for wireless internet connection. The evolution of network technology, and the growing number of devices simultaneously being connected to the router, has driven an evolution in consumer demand from having internet connectivity everywhere at home, to now having high network performance.

Network providers have matched this transforming demand over the years by bringing innovative products and technologies to the market, from routers and wireless routers to ranges extenders and MU-MIMO-enabled routers. MU-MIMO-enabled routers manage multiple devices connected to the network giving consumers optimised performance even at the edge of the network.

“Consumers are quickly realising that the bottleneck in their network performance is being caused by old router technology that cannot withstand the increasing number of smart devices attached to the Wi-Fi network. We expect that in 2017, many consumers will upgrade their Wi-Fi routers to achieve higher performance from their network and smart devices,” said Amanulla Khan, Managing Director, Linksys, Middle East, Turkey & Africa.

Higher networking performance and the increased availability of premium networking products are going to complement and accelerate the adoption of smart home technology, which is yet to become a mass market product. With technology converging between smart homes and networking routers, the year 2017 will see more connected homes adopting smart home technology.

With so much original content accessible from streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon, consumers no longer need to worry that cutting the cable cord will mean leaving their favorite shows behind. In 2017, a household’s Internet connection will become the entertainment lifeline with more consumers upgrading to MU-MIMO routers and using range extenders that rebroadcast the Wi-Fi signal.

Wi-Fi is a valuable tool even for children, with the internet being an essential resource for education and entertainment. Internet acts as an expansive multimedia library with readily available content for children to find and absorb. But not all available content is appropriate these days. Children may end up at unsafe sites through innocent search or by clicking links to supposedly safe videos and being exposed to sites with pornography, gruesome images, violence, and other inappropriate content.

This year, many parents will readily adopt methods that helps create a safe online environment for children. Using applications like the Linksys ‘Smart Wi-Fi App’ which provides features that allow parents to block internet sites and apps on specific devices, as well as restrict internet access, and at specific times. The Smart Wi-Fi App also provides alerts to when specific devices come online.

The post Linksys predicts more consumers will upgrade to high performance routers this year appeared first on The Integrator.

Also launching is the first range extender with next-generation AC Wave 2 technology – MU-MIMO the Linksys MAX-STREAM AC1900+ MU-MIMO Wi-Fi Range Extender (RE7000) that provide greater performance with seamless roaming that eliminate Wi-Fi blackspots

“As we swiftly move to a super connected era, families see Wi-Fi as one of the top lifestyle essentials. Year on year, they continue to invest in connected devices such as 4K HDTVs, smartphones, and home automation devices without making any essential advancements in their Wi-Fi technology. This in turn chokes their complete networking experience,” said Amanulla Khan, Managing Director, Linksys, Middle East, Turkey & Africa. “To keep up the speed and performance of their wireless experience, families should upgrade to premium Wi-Fi routers that are inbuilt with the latest technology needed for all the new devices coming into the home, and never have to worry about their network.”

According to a recent research by IDC and Linksys, Wi-Fi ranks number two on a list of modern day essentials that people cannot live without, right after food ranked as number one. 30 percent of people consider food as day to day necessity, while 18 percent of people consider the internet and Wi-Fi access highly important.

In an average home, a minimum of five devices are simultaneously connected to the router and more than half face buffering and lag issues when streaming videos and music, playing online games, surfing the internet, and checking emails, says Linksys experts, a leader in networking solutions for the home and business.

According to the survey respondents, 84 percent cite performance as the most important attribute when purchasing a new router, far out distancing range, security and even price.

The research also shows that the frequency of buffering and performance issues during various activities are 42 percent while playing online video games, 34 percent while streaming videos, 25 percent while listening to music and 18 percent surfing the web resulting to a dissatisfied wireless experience. One of the main causes for the poor performance is the use of outdated Wi-Fi technology. Nearly 50 percent of connected families are observed using router running version of Wi-Fi at least 12 years old.

According to Khan, home users need to choose the right router technologies that suit their need of better connectivity and performance. The new products from Linksys are engineered on the latest advances in MU-MIMO technology, which promises faster internet speeds, and reliable connections for multiple devices by maximising the efficiency of home networks.

“We are excited about Linksys’ upcoming product line and are looking forward to launching these products in the promising Middle East market, which has a large technology-savvy population and connected consumers who seek a heightened wireless experience from their routers that can withstand attaching more devices than ever,” said Khan. “We believe that the products will be a game changer in the regional market with its unique and notable differences in network performance.”

The post Linksys to unveil new MU-MIMO Tri-Band wireless router in the region appeared first on The Integrator.

D-Link offers an extensive range of Wi-Fi cameras as part of its Connected Home series with the new D-Link Wi-Fi camera built for HomeKit’s camera category — one of two important new accessory types announced in the keynote speech at Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) event in San Francisco.

“In D-Link, we’ve been building Wi-Fi cameras for more than 10 years and we understand the strategic importance of these cameras to your home’s IoT ecosystem,” said Harrison Albert, Regional Director at D-Link Middle East & Africa.

“We’ve been working hard with Apple to help make a unique connected home experience that meets the real needs of users. Now, through the new HomeKit-enabled D-Link camera and Apple’s new Home app in iOS 10, we are excited that families around the world will have an easy and secure way to monitor their homes.”

Furthermore, the addition of Siri support with HomeKit allows cameras to be voice-enabled, giving families even more options to control and monitor their homes with faster results.
The new D-Link Wi-Fi camera and integration with HomeKit is a powerful demonstration of how D-Link is enhancing the user experience and increasing the performance of its Connected Home portfolio.

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Rabih Merhy, Director of IT, Amwaj Rotana knew that reliable, high-performance Wi-Fi was now perceived by hotel guests as a basic utility, rather than a luxury. “To cope with this increased need for connectivity, we needed to upgrade the guest internet service to more than double its previous speed,” said Rabih.

Having utilized Aruba’s 801.11n technologies since 2012, to meet basic connectivity requirements, Amwaj Rotana was aware of the performance, rich-feature sets and cost-effectiveness of Aruba’s solutions. A challenge, unique to this project, was the solid concrete walls between the hotel rooms and the IT team knew they would need a reliable solution from a market expert to overcome this. The thorough six week evaluation and testing phase led to the selection of Aruba’s 801.11ac solutions.

An internal study of guest’s internet usage characteristics uncovered, that in recent years over 71% of guests utilized more than two mobile devices requiring an internet connection in a typical double occupied room. To support this influx of devices, and get up to date with the considerable developments made in the wireless domain since its last upgrade, Amwaj Rotana decided to utilize a combination of the latest 802.11ac indoor and outdoor Access Points (APs).

The IT and engineering teams of Amwaj Rotana worked together with Aruba’s partner, Precedence to roll out the implementation across all the guest rooms and the public areas. Special considerations had to be made in order to avoid inconveniencing guests. The whole implementation took just under two months. Aruba’s local team engaged regularly with Rabih and his team to deliver the necessary trainings and hands-on tutorials. Because of the simplicity and power of Aruba’s management interfaces, the team was quick to master administration of the new infrastructure.

The size of the property, and the fact that physically accessing APs for troubleshooting would pose an inconvenience to guests, meant that simplified management and troubleshooting of the entire wireless network was essential. Aruba’s Mobility Controller, which addressed these requirements through a streamlined and easy-to-use interface, was therefore a cornerstone of this implementation. The ability to remotely configure, monitor and troubleshoot each AP drastically reduced the management efforts for Amwaj Rotana’s IT team. Updates are now automatically pushed to the APs and by eliminating the need for repeated manual intervention, the Aruba solution has also mitigated the inconvenience to guests.

Rabih sees the Aruba implementation as having a three-fold benefit. “From a business perspective, we now have better coverage and far superior performance. The 11ac technology with its advanced back-end features meets our present and future technology requirements. And most importantly from a user perspective, they can now enjoy fast and uninterrupted Wi-Fi,” he said.

Having more than met its primary purpose of providing guests with world-class connectivity, the Wi-Fi solution is now being leveraged to enhance the guest experience in new and innovative ways. The hotel intends to upgrade its television systems in the coming year and Aruba’s high-speed wireless network has allowed the team to explore the possibility of adopting the latest smart TVs.

Rabih believes that in Aruba, he has found a partner for long-term success. “We don’t only need a great product, but also reliable post implementation service and solid relationships with our partners. We are proud to say that we have struck a successful partnership with Aruba on all counts,” he concluded.

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