Aruba roadshow coincides with new products

The seminar series will introduce the vendor's Virtual Branch Network software, which, according to Aruba, connects remote users with enterprise applications at branch offices, clinics, home offices, and teleworkers.

"VBN reduces the cost and complexity of branch office networking, and is one of three Aruba initiatives focused on lowering IT expenses," said Greg Barnes, country manager for Aruba Networks Australia and New Zealand.

VBM virtualises tasks at data centre controllers and pushes them out to access points on Aruba's Remote Access Point (RAP) devices or Branch Office Controllers (BOC) for execution, claimed Aruba Networks.

Meanwhile, Aruba is also introducing three families of wired and wireless and Branch BOC devices.

Features of the new product families include:

* RAP-2 Family: No larger than a deck of playing cards and designed for use by one to five users, the RAP-2 is ideal for teleworkers, micro-branches, and SOHO applications.

* RAP-5 Family: RAP-5 includes five high-speed Ethernet ports, a USB port for a broadband 3G cellular modem, hardware accelerated encryption. It's designed for micro-branches with up to 50 users;

* 600 Branch Office Controller Family: Designed to be a "branch-in-a-box" for offices with up to 256 users, the 600 family offers a broad range of WAN connectivity, network-attached storage, gigabit Ethernet, power-over- Ethernet, Express Card, and USB options.

A centrally controlled, policy enforcement firewall in the data centre controller governs user access to the network, the vendor claimed.

Greg Murphy, head of marketing at Aruba Networks said we're finding it's a big hit for business continuity and some schools are taking up the devices.

"It's a branch office in a box at a consumer price point," he said.

New customer wins and/or deployments included Ithaca College, Universitas Telefonica, MultiCare Health System, Raytown C-2 School District, Norwood School, Boston Medical Center, Liberty University, Glenelg Country School, University of Tokyo, and the New South Wales Department of Education and Training.

The first of the roadshows kicks off tomorrow in Auckland, followed by Melbourne on Thursday and Sydney on Friday.

Financials

Aruba Networks ended its fiscal third quarter with an eight percent increase in revenues.

Revenues for the fiscal third quarter of 2009 which ended April 30 was US$45.8 million, over the US$42.6 million reported in the fiscal third quarter of 2008.

"We won a number of large customers which should continue to benefit our results in coming quarters," said Barnes.

"Demand was driven by both existing customers and the addition of more than 500 new customers, across a broad range of industries.

"Sales were solid across all of our geographies," said Steffan Tomlinson, Aruba's chief financial officer.

"We were pleased to have increased our operating leverage, as we reduced operating expenses in both actual dollars and as a percentage of sales from the immediately preceding quarter and the same period last year.

"We enter our fourth fiscal quarter with improved visibility from the prior quarter and US$111.8 million of cash and short term investments, with no debt."