Cost efficiency is not the only factor driving the software-as-a-service market. On-demand services are boon to small and medium enterprises that are not able to develop and maintain the technical competency in house. The managed services also offer higher level of security and redundancy that is not affordable to these enterprises. On-demand network management is one such service that offers all the above-mentioned benefits.

 

Aruba Networks, a provider of 802.11n wireless LANs and secure mobility solutions, recently deployed their SaaS (News - Alert) network management solution – AirWave on Demand. Using this service, subscribers can monitor and change wireless LAN settings, generate compliance reports, locate users and Wi-Fi devices, and diagnose problems from any Internet connection.  

 

TMCnet recently caught up with Bryan Wargo, GM for the Airwave division of Aruba, to get a detailed view of the new SaaS service from Aruba Networks (News - Alert). Our exchange follows.

 

TMC: What is the motivation behind the launch of AirWave (News - Alert) OnDemand?

 

Bryan Wargo: The AirWave Wireless Management Suite has traditionally been targeted at customers with large wireless LAN deployments. Today we have over 1,000 customers using the AirWave application with an average of 500 access points per deployment.  Over the past 18 months more and more mid-sized enterprises have deployed wireless LANs as the primary form of edge access, displacing what were previously all wired Ethernet networks. With the wireless LAN playing such a mission critical role, enterprises need high network availability, rapid root-cause fault analysis, and detailed insights into network performance. Many enterprises don’t have the resources necessary to deploy a traditional software application, i.e., network operations center, server hardware, software maintenance staff, etc. The opportunity for us was in offering a hosted version of the AirWave suite that would enable these enterprises to optimally manage their networks using delivery and cost models tailored for their businesses.

 

TMC (News - Alert): What are the important features of AirWave OnDemand?

 

BW: AirWave OnDemand is a hosted version of AWMS that is distributed using a software-as-a-service model. The software is hosted in a secure Aruba data center and each customer is provided with a virtual instance of AWMS. The application is identical to what a self-hosted customer would use, the difference being that AirWave OnDemand customers manage their networks over the “cloud” using servers hosted by Aruba.  AirWave OnDemand customers can discover access points, manage configuration settings, extract a wide range of reports on utilization and performance, receive fault alarms, monitor the location of clients on floor plans they provide, and detect and remediate rogue devices.  The features are identical to what they would obtain if running AWMS in their own data centers.

 

TMC: Who are the immediate beneficiaries of the new service? How do they benefit from the service?

 

BW: The service is available to any customer; however, we believe adoption will be greatest among mid-sized enterprises that deploy 20-200 access points.  These organizations – hospitals, K-12 school districts, professional services firms, government agencies, universities – will find the very affordable AirWave OnDemand service both easy to set up and use.

 

TMC: How do you expect the SaaS model of network management to grow in the coming future?

 

BW: I believe we’ll see more applications moving into the cloud because of the cost benefits associated with such a shared resource.  SaaS is well established and is a proven and reliable application delivery method.

 

TMC: What are the important factors that drive the growth of network management SaaS segment?

 

BW: There are four primary drivers:

 

1)      Cost: the superior cost model of SaaS-based network management tools for enterprises with 200 or fewer access points;  

2)      Core Expertise: for many enterprises network management is not considered a core competency they wish to develop and maintain in-house, so the SaaS model offers an ideal solution;

3)      Managed Services: there are opportunities to develop new revenue sources by building add-value managed services on top of a SaaS-based network management offering;

4)      Security: SaaS-based network management offers a level of security and redundancy that may smaller enterprises need but could not otherwise afford.

 

TMC: What are the challenges faced by the SaaS market, in general?

 

BW: The SaaS market has gone mainstream, and most every major application developer has a SaaS offering. The greatest challenge is the control customers surrender when selecting a SaaS solution. We’ve addressed that by offering both SaaS and user-owned, server-based AirWave solutions.

 

TMC: What are the challenges ahead for Aruba Networks, particularly in the network management sector?

 

BW: To date, our network management applications have been wireless LAN focused.  Looking forward we see the need for tighter integration of wired LAN, wireless LAN, and mobile device management to accommodate increasingly mobile workforces, manage users regardless of the medium over which they connect to the network, and provide visibility into the infrastructure on which wireless LANs depend.

 

TMC: What is the next solution that Aruba is planning to launch from the cloud?

 

BW: Stay tuned.

 

TMC: Any possibility for immediate SaaS-oriented partnerships? If yes, please elaborate.

 

BW: Stay tuned.

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