Finance Sector Solutions

Aruba's Unified mobility Networks for Finance

What's your vision? To enforce a no-wireless policy for your users, while securely providing wireless internet access to guests? To boost user-productivity with secure wireless access for data and voice applications throughout a building? A campus? The world? To provide business continuity even in the case of disruptions such as caused by weather delays, unforeseen events and disasters?

Aruba has pioneered a new approach to help you achieve your vision. Aruba's Unified mobility Networks integrate adaptive WLANs, identity-based security, and application continuity services into a cohesive, high-performance system to address your needs for secure mobility— from blocking access through wireless intrusion protection services (IPS) to providing access to guests to enabling pervasive mobility and business continuity. Aruba's centrally managed network is designed to mobilize business applications across the LAN, WAN and the internet, making users more productive without negatively impacting security. In contrast to other solutions, Aruba's Unified mobility Network overlays on top of existing networks, preserving existing investments and preventing disruptive network changes.

The Aruba Networks Finance Industry Solution

The Aruba solution consists of a few key components — thin Access Points (APs), central Mobility Controllers and software modules for the Mobility Controller; and optional management analytics and threat prevention appliances. APs provide secure wireless connectivity to devices and connect over existing LAN/WAN systems to tunnel all wireless LAN traffic (over a GRE or IPsec tunnel) to a Mobility Controller installed in the data center. The Mobility Controller is the central point of configuration, management, application continuity services and security. With security modules for Mobility Controllers, Aruba offers the necessary security for regulatory compliance.

Following is an explanation of a wireless network in an enterprise environment with centralized IT services:

Data Center: One or more master Mobility Controllers are installed in the data center, which can be used as the central configuration and management point for the entire global network. These Controllers can also terminate APs used for wireless connectivity in the HQ and remote APs used by telecommuters, home workers or small ad-hoc offices. A master Controller can support up to 500 remote Controllers and can also back up a Controller in a remote location in the case of an outage. To scale for larger deployments, multiple master Controllers can share the load of managing local controllers and APs in remote sites, and the Mobility Management System (MMS) can be used as the single interface of management and configuration.

Large and Medium Sized Offices: Depending on the number of APs required in each location, a different model of Aruba Controllers (called local Controllers) is installed. All Aruba Controller models run the same software and have the same functionality, but differ in AP capacity — from 4 to 512 APs. Each local Controller gets its configuration from the master Controller. Application continuity and security policies are enforced at a per-user level by the local Controller. Different user roles are applied based on group policy defined in the authentication infrastructure and guests can be tunneled outside of the network to terminate in the DMZ. Local Controllers also offer Wireless Intrusion Protection security and can offer local authentication services and/or pass through requests to the data-center. Each local Controller automatically calibrates the RF coverage to optimize application performance and fill any coverage holes. Further, to extend wireless coverage in areas that are hard or costly to wire, Aruba APs can back haul over Wi-Fi using its award-winning secure enterprise mesh technology.

Remote Users and Small Offices: Remote APs are a cost-effective solution to provide secure and centrally managed wireless connectivity to locations that only need one or two APs. Remote APs can connect directly via Ethernet to a public/private internet connection or to the LAN. Remote APs automatically discover the master Controller, establish a VPN tunnel back to the data center and extend secure wireless connectivity to the user. Application traffic can be tunneled back to the data-center or bridged locally.

The Aruba Advantage

• Single integrated platform: Provides security for no-wireless policy, guest access, secure in-building wireless and remote access for business continuity
• Identity-based security: Enables secure guest and employee access, while meeting data confidentiality needs for regulatory compliance
• Central management: Single point of control for networks in main offices, branch offices and home offices make it easy to configure, monitor and troubleshoot
• Application continuity: Ensures reliable operation of converged data, voice and video support over wireless
• Flexible and scalable network: Overlay deployment model avoids upgrades and network redesigns