Aruba Networks is inviting customers to use its networks as living laboratories.
The company announced the public launch of Aruba Labs to promote research on Wi-Fi networks and the all-wireless workplace through three initiatives: a Developer’s Program, an Advanced Directed Research Program and The Green Island Project.
Aruba Labs, administered through the office of Aruba’s Chief Technology Officer, has been around a couple of years, but it’s now being introduced to a broader community, explained Mike Tennefoss, head of product marketing. The company is following an open source model, inviting members of the community to share insights.
The Developer’s Program supplies open-source software development kits and application programming interfaces to enable partners to prototype new wireless applications. The Advanced Directed Research Program takes on challenging, “blue-sky” problems that explore the boundaries of wireless networking. Partners collaborate directly with Aruba Labs’ engineers on sponsored research, joint development work and grant-funded programs.
The Green Island project looks at sustainability in a wireless world. As companies migrate from an all-wired office to a wireless one, that affects everything from the way buildings are designed to how much copper gets used, Tennefoss said. How do work spaces change if a building isn’t wired? With more telecommuters, how does that affect urban planning? Those are the types of questions that will be explored, he said.
One of Aruba’s efforts is focused on education, providing mentorship and equipment for science projects, but it’s not limited to higher education. Thousands of educational institutions already use Aruba equipment, he said.
Aruba Labs’ Developer’s Program is open to all qualifying interested parties, while the
Advanced Directed Research Program is available by invitation only. The Green Island Project is open to all K-12 and higher education institutions that are Aruba customers and to commercial institutions on a case-by-case basis.
Filed Under: Infrastructure
