INDUSTRY WATCH
( L to R) Sohaib AlAbdi, Head of Information Network Division( IT Centre), University of Bahrain, Waleed Kanoo, Director, E. K. Kanoo Group, Eng. Attiya, Director of IT Centre, University of Bahrain, Ammar Enaya, Regional Director, HPE-Aruba, Middle East and Africa, Ramgopal Menon, General Manager, Kanoo IT
“ THANKS TO ARUBA’ S BUILT-IN FIREWALL, WE HAVE A HIGH DEGREE OF SECURITY WITHOUT ADDED COMPLEXITY. FURTHERMORE, THE SOLUTION EASILY INTEGRATES WITH OTHER SECURITY DEVICES IN OUR ENVIRONMENT.”
Furthermore, the solution easily integrates with other security devices in our environment,” said Sohaib. Kanoo IT also guided UOB’ s IT team to leverage Aruba’ s controllers to set up separate SSIDs for students, staff and guests. Here too, the in-built firewall facilitates access control by assigning users to the appropriate SSID based on the usage policy.
A clear plan for the future With the first phase of the upgrade successfully completed, 70 % of UOB’ s campus now enjoys Wi-Fi coverage.“ Our plan is to extend this coverage in phases based on the requirements of the various departments within the campus,” said Sohaib.
“ With the continued support from Aruba and Kanoo IT, we look forward to expanding our network infrastructure, allowing it to match the growth and usage within the University,” he added.
Sohaib and his team are keen to explore coverage for outdoor areas and expect that over the next two years, they will install up to 400 outdoor access points. The flexibility offered by Aruba’ s platform means that such a network expansion can be easily implemented with minimal additional investment.
Partnerships for long-term success“ Back in 2008, we did extensive research to implement the best Wi-Fi solution on the campus. After nearly eight years, not only have our findings shown that Aruba was the best choice, but it has been instrumental in easing the continued growth in Wi-Fi use within our campus all these years,” said Sohaib, reflecting on the success his organisation has enjoyed with Aruba.
“ We look forward to having Aruba and Kanoo IT help the University of Bahrain be at the forefront of wireless solutions in the region,” he concluded.
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