(iTers News) – Aruba Networks, Inc., a leading provider of next-generation network access solutions for the mobile enterprise, today announced that San Diego State University (SDSU), a nationally-ranked research university renowned for academic excellence, is deploying the Aruba ClearPass Access Management System.
Combined with SDSU’s existing Aruba Networks Wireless LAN (WLAN), ClearPass will allow the University to address the challenges associated with the exponential growth in wireless and mobile devices resulting from the growing Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend on campus.
With 34,000 students, 9600 faculty and staff, and guests on its 300-acre campus, SDSU must accommodate tens of thousands of wireless and mobile devices accessing the network each day – many of these personal devices. Given this volume of devices, SDSU needed a comprehensive access and policy management solution that could easily scale while improving the security of the wireless network and easing the management burden on the IT Department.
After a thorough review of solutions from a wide range of vendors, SDSU chose the Aruba ClearPass Access Management System with ClearPass Policy Manager, ClearPass Guest and Aruba AirGroup. The ClearPass Access Management System lets organizations like SDSU manage network policies, securely onboard and manage devices and admit guest users, all from one platform.
With its new ClearPass solution, SDSU will have a central system for network authentication. Unlike the University’s current system, ClearPass will give SDSU’s IT department visibility into exactly which users and devices are registering onto the network. This will allow SDSU to better manage, track and give appropriate access to the deluge of devices accessing the network, which will ensure a more secure, consistent network experience for all of the University’s users.
“With our old access management system, we weren’t able to access the necessary information from devices to properly prioritize and manage traffic,” said Kent McKelvey, Director Telecomm and Network Services, SDSU. “With ClearPass, we will be able to view and manage all of that detailed information, and restrict or block access if necessary. ClearPass will provide us with the flexibility to manage a user base comprised of known and unknown users and will allow us to quickly and easily adjust how we determine levels of access.”
In addition to deploying the ClearPass Access Management System, SDSU is also in the process of upgrading all of its access points (APs) to the 802.11n standard. When this upgrade is complete, the SDSU WLAN will include nearly 2,000 Aruba APs, Aruba Mobility Controllers and the AirWave Network Management System, which delivers comprehensive visibility across the entire SDSU access network. The upgraded WLAN will enhance SDSU’s campus-wide wireless network access and will support a wide range of instructional applications including Structural Technology Services, which manages and supports the classroom and its academic content, and Blackboard.
“San Diego State University is a great example of how institutions of higher education can use Aruba WLANs with ClearPass to reliably support and manage the avalanche of mobile devices that are accessing their networks,” said Robert Fenstermacher, Director, Product and Solutions Marketing for Aruba Networks. “ClearPass allows universities to provide robust, reliable and secure network access for all of their users – students, faculty, staff and guests.”