19 October, 2004: Mobile satellite comms operator Inmarsat has selected Aruba Wireless Networks to replace its existing Wireless LAN (WLAN). Aruba's centralised WLAN switching system will provide seamless mobile computing capabilities for 400 Inmarsat employees throughout its London Headquarters and global branch offices in Europe, the Middle East and North America. Inmarsat has used 802.11b wireless technology since 1999. It is undertaking a system-wide migration to a centralised architecture from Aruba to increase the performance, security and ongoing management of its entire wireless network.

"The decision to migrate to a centrally switched 802.11a network after four years was primarily driven by a desire for increased performance and to avoid RF interference from other networks", said Peter Smith, Head of IT at Inmarsat. "We detected at least 10 other wireless networks in the immediate vicinity of our London office and in order to avoid any potential interference issues we have decided to move to the less-common 802.11a standard. This move also gave us the boost in performance we desired - from 11Mbits/s to 54Mbits/s".

Inmarsat was supplied with a total of seven stackable switches including three Aruba 2400s and four Aruba 800s. Forty centrally configured 'thin' APs will provide network access as well as performing RF monitoring functions.

Inmarsat tested a range of systems before selecting Aruba. Tests included interoperability with existing WLAN, applications, operating systems, firewall and VPN systems. The Aruba switch allows users to access the corporate network securely from home, partner sites or Wi-Fi hotspots enabling a truly mobile workforce.

www.arubanetworks.com.