Aruba Networks (an HPE company) is one of the world's leading enterprise wireless and wired networking brands, widely deployed in Dubai's healthcare, hospitality, education, and corporate sectors. We supply and install Aruba WiFi 6 and WiFi 6E access points, Aruba CX switches, Aruba Central cloud management, and ClearPass network access control for enterprise networking projects across Dubai and the UAE.
Aruba Networks is HPE's networking division — the product of HPE's 2015 acquisition of Aruba Networks, a company founded specifically to build enterprise-grade wireless infrastructure for demanding environments. In the UAE enterprise market, Aruba competes directly with Cisco as the two dominant specification-grade networking brands for large organisations. Aruba has a particular strength in healthcare, where its integration with clinical device management platforms and zero-trust security architecture through ClearPass is frequently specified in Dubai Hospital Authority and Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA) infrastructure projects.
Aruba's AI-powered analytics platform (Aruba Central + AI Insights) differentiates the brand from Cisco in the managed deployment space: Aruba Central collects network telemetry from all APs, switches, and gateways and uses AI/ML analysis to identify performance anomalies, predict failures, and recommend configuration adjustments without requiring a dedicated network operations engineer to interpret the data. For Dubai organisations that want enterprise-grade infrastructure without a full-time network engineer, Aruba's AI management layer bridges the gap between infrastructure capability and operational simplicity.
Aruba AP-635 (WiFi 6E tri-band, 6/5/2.4 GHz) — the flagship access point for high-density enterprise environments where the 6 GHz band provides clean, uncongested spectrum for modern WiFi 6E clients. Aruba AP-615 WiFi 6 dual-band (5/2.4 GHz) for standard enterprise floor coverage. Aruba AP-577 outdoor WiFi 6 for campus outdoor areas, pool decks, car parks, and courtyard coverage. Aruba AP-515 for high-density conference rooms and meeting spaces. All Aruba APs support Aruba's ClientMatch technology — clients are steered to the optimal AP and band based on real-time RF conditions, not just RSSI threshold — resulting in significantly better roaming performance than basic band steering.
Aruba CX 6300 Series (24/48-port PoE/PoE+ access switches), Aruba CX 8325 (core/aggregation multi-rate), and Aruba CX 6200 (entry-level access). Aruba CX switches run ArubaOS-CX — a modern, open, event-driven OS with REST API and full programmability, substantially easier to configure and troubleshoot than legacy Cisco IOS syntax. Aruba CX switches integrate natively with Aruba Central for cloud-based configuration management, firmware lifecycle management, and network topology visualisation. The standard switch platform for enterprise Dubai deployments where Aruba APs and switches are specified as an integrated Wi-Fi and wired solution.
Aruba Central is the cloud-based management platform for Aruba APs, switches, and gateways. Aruba Central provides: unified visibility of wireless and wired infrastructure from a single dashboard, AI Insights machine-learning anomaly detection recommending corrective actions, automated firmware upgrade orchestration with maintenance window scheduling, network topology maps, client connectivity troubleshooting tools, and multi-site management for organisations with multiple Dubai or UAE locations. Aruba Central Foundation and Advanced subscription tiers — Foundation for basic management, Advanced for AI Insights and WAN analytics.
Aruba 9004 and 9012 gateways for branch WAN aggregation, SD-WAN tunnel management, and security policy enforcement at branch site internet breakout. Aruba EdgeConnect SD-WAN platform for enterprises with multiple Dubai/UAE locations requiring intelligent traffic steering between MPLS, Etisalat/Du broadband, and 4G/5G WAN links. Aruba gateways provide stateful firewalling, SSL VPN for remote access, and deep packet inspection for application-aware QoS — prioritising Microsoft Teams and Zoom audio/video over general internet traffic at the branch WAN connection.
Aruba ClearPass is the enterprise network access control platform providing policy-based authentication and authorisation for all devices connecting to the Aruba wired and wireless network. ClearPass authenticates users and devices via 802.1X with RADIUS against Active Directory or other identity stores, assigns VLAN and firewall policy based on device type (corporate laptop, BYOD phone, IoT device, unknown), and provides a guest portal for visitor self-registration WiFi access. In Dubai healthcare and financial institutions, ClearPass is specified as the zero-trust network access layer ensuring only authenticated and authorised devices can access sensitive network segments.
Aruba Instant On is Aruba's SME-focused cloud-managed WiFi — more affordable than the enterprise Aruba Central platform, managed entirely from the Aruba Instant On app without any on-premise controller. AP22, AP25 (WiFi 6), and AP17 (outdoor) are plug-and-play PoE APs managed from the smartphone app. Aruba Instant On provides a step up from TP-Link Omada and Ubiquiti UniFi for Dubai SME businesses that require Aruba brand quality and HPE support infrastructure without the enterprise platform complexity and subscription cost. Instant On switches provide complementary PoE switching for small deployments.
Aruba enterprise wireless deployments begin with a predictive RF site survey using Ekahau or AirMagnet, incorporating the building floor plan, wall construction types, and AP model RF propagation characteristics. The survey determines optimal AP placement for target coverage (-65 dBm or better to every client location), minimum -19 dB co-channel interference margin, and sufficient capacity (APs per coverage zone) for the peak concurrent client count. For healthcare and high-density environments, a post-installation validation survey confirms actual coverage against the design before system handover.
Aruba APs and switches are provisioned to Aruba Central at the factory using the customer's Central account — devices arrive on-site pre-provisioned and self-configure when connected to PoE power and internet, eliminating the manual IP-address and configuration process required with unmanaged hardware. We configure SSID profiles, VLAN assignments, security policies (WPA3 Enterprise or WPA3 Personal), QoS profiles for voice/video prioritisation, and AI Insights alert thresholds in Aruba Central before devices are deployed on site.
ClearPass deployments require careful policy design before implementation: defining authentication sources (Active Directory, certificate authority, device RADIUS MAC), device profiling rules for automatic VLAN assignment by device type, guest portal workflow, and enforcement policies mapping authentication outcomes to network access levels. We document the complete ClearPass policy model and test each authentication scenario (domain laptop, iPhone, Android, IoT device, unknown device) before the system is connected to production network infrastructure.
Cisco retains the largest enterprise networking market share in Dubai, largely driven by the installed base of Cisco infrastructure in existing buildings and the familiarity of Dubai network engineers with Cisco IOS CLI. Aruba competes effectively when the project is a greenfield deployment where familiarity bias is lower, when the client requires cloud management without an on-premise Cisco DNA Center server, when the project specification is driven by a consultant with Aruba experience, or when the 30–40% price differential between equivalent Cisco Catalyst and Aruba CX switch configurations makes Aruba the economically compelling choice for a procurement decision-maker. In healthcare, Aruba has specifically displaced Cisco as the default specification in several Dubai hospital projects due to ClearPass's clinical device onboarding capabilities.
Aruba WiFi 6 APs certified for clinical environments where WiFi reliability is a patient safety requirement. ClearPass for automatic VLAN assignment of medical IoT devices and clinical tablet to isolated network segments. Aruba AI Insights for proactive network fault detection before a connectivity issue impacts a clinical workflow.
Aruba APs for seamless guest WiFi roaming across all hotel public areas, guest floors, and conference facilities. ClearPass guest portal for social WiFi registration and bandwidth policy. Aruba Central multi-property dashboard for hotel group IT teams managing multiple Dubai hotel properties from a single management view.
Aruba campus WiFi covering lecture theatres, student accommodation, sports facilities, and library spaces. ClearPass Eduroam integration for visiting students from partner universities. Aruba AI Insights for IT department management of large multi-building campus network without dedicated full-time network operations staff.
Aruba WiFi 6E for future-proof enterprise office WiFi handling dense Microsoft Teams and Zoom video conferencing traffic. ClearPass zero-trust network access for BYOD and contractor device onboarding. Aruba CX switches in IDF closets with centralised Aruba Central management.
Aruba Instant On or enterprise APs for Dubai retail store guest WiFi and staff network. ClearPass captive portal guest access for marketing data collection at point of WiFi login. Location analytics from Aruba APs providing foot traffic dwell time data to mall management dashboards.
Aruba AP-577 outdoor WiFi 6 for warehouse floor and outdoor loading dock WiFi coverage. ClearPass device profiling for barcode scanner, forklift terminal, and RFID reader VLAN assignment. Aruba Central remote management for JAFZA facilities where on-site IT staff are not permanently present.
Tell us your building size, user count, application requirements, and any existing infrastructure. We'll design an Aruba WiFi and switching solution and quote supply, installation, and Aruba Central setup.
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