State and local government networks have always been complex, with different departments and agencies often adding resources, apps and hardware as needed to meet their mission goals. The move to cloud has only expanded network footprints, as has the trend toward more remote and hybrid offices. In environments like that, troubleshooting network issues, whether they are localized or widespread, can be extremely tricky.
Thankfully, the HPE Aruba Networking Central platform helps with everything from network planning to troubleshooting issues and efficiency improvements. It’s available as a cloud-based service through either a public or private cloud, with an on-prem version available for highly secure environments.
The base platform has been around for a number of years, but it recently got a complete overhaul and upgrade. Aruba Networking Central now has one of the most comprehensive and user-friendly interfaces of any networking management tool I have ever tested. It also fully incorporates artificial intelligence (AI), which can help to diagnose problems and even suggest step-by-step solutions to get everything back online following incidents.
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Diagnosing Issues Quickly with Rapid Overviews
Right from the top-level home screen, the platform displays every key indicator of network health. Administrators can quickly see how all of their access points, applications and clients are performing, as well as which devices are experiencing connection or security issues. Clicking on any of those major fields will start to drill down to examine individual problems.
The AI is extremely helpful when diagnosing issues. For example, in my test network, the AI was able to show how a certain application was causing bandwidth issues with an access point (AP). I could then overlay a map of the office with color-coded zones showing what areas were most affected. The AI also helped by showing how to fix the problem and suggested new security policies we could apply to prevent similar issues in the future.
Detecting Devices to Optimize Networks
Beyond just troubleshooting, the Aruba Networking Central platform is also useful for network optimization and planning. It could tell us, for example, that several APs in the test network were not being used over the weekend or at night, so they could be powered down to conserve power and bandwidth without affecting anyone’s performance. It also showed us some areas of the network that needed improvement and gave suggestions on how to do that.
Finally, while the HPE Aruba Networking Central platform was initially designed to help manage Aruba devices, it has recently been expanded to include just about any kind of networking equipment from any manufacturer. It does this by reading the information provided by those devices and translating it for incorporation with the Aruba Central interface.
Managing networks for state and local governments has never been easy, and it is only going to get more complex. Having a highly trained and specialized platform such as HPE Aruba Networking Central can tame networking chaos while also helping you plan for an increasingly challenging future.
SPECIFICATIONS
PRODUCT TYPE: Cloud-native network management platform
KEY SERVICES: Management and visibility of access points, switches, branch controllers, Internet of Things devices, endpoints, network connections and applications
NUMBER OF APPS RECOGNIZED BY THE AI: 4,500 and growing
DISTRIBUTION: As a service, with an on-prem version available
SOFTWARE ENGAGEMENT TYPE: Annual subscription or a perpetual ongoing license
