Hewlett Packard Enterprise recently announced significant enhancements to its HPE Aruba Networking Central platform, which expand its deployment options and strengthen AI and analytics capabilities. The platform now supports four distinct deployment models: public cloud SaaS, virtual private cloud, on-premises, and network-as-a-service.  

Updated Deployment Options

HPE Aruba Networking Central now offers multiple deployment options catering to a diverse set of enterprise needs:

• Public Cloud SaaS: Leverages HPE GreenLake cloud with increased global points of presence spanning the Americas, EU, Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, and China.
• Virtual Private Cloud (VPC): Serves organizations requiring granular control over data security, residency, and regulatory compliance. Supports multiple cloud service providers within either HPE or customer-owned environments.
• On-Premises: Allows network management to function in fully disconnected, air-gapped environments. HPE Aruba Networking Central On-Premises for Government includes FIPS 140-2 certified server hardware to meet stringent government security requirements.
• Network-as-a-Service (NaaS): Available through HPE GreenLake for Networking for organizations preferring consumption-based operational models.

AI & ANalytics Capabilities

HPE delivers substantial improvements to the AI-driven network management capabilities of Aruba Central

The always-on AI Network Assistant gains new AIOps capabilities with continuous monitoring of wired and wireless networks, providing automated optimization alerts and recommendations. The system runs on a fabric of AI assistants functioning as network architects, gathering data and proactively identifying configuration errors before they impact operations.

HPE also expanded its telemetry data lake, which now processes data from over 5.2 million managed devices (30% YoY growth) and more than 2 billion network devices served (100% YoY growth). This anonymized telemetry data powers predictive analytics and AI modeling.

Additional observability enhancements include:

1. Third-Party Device Monitoring: One-year subscription to HPE Aruba Networking Central OpsRamp Extension for monitoring third-party network devices from vendors like Cisco, Arista, and Juniper Networks.
2. Microsoft Teams Integration: Native integration enabling real-time identification and troubleshooting of voice and video call quality issues by correlating network performance data with Teams telemetry.
3. API Ecosystem: Extensive integration APIs enable the sharing of network observability data with other enterprise IT tools, including application, device location, and network device telemetry.

Analysis

The updated HPE Aruba Networking Central brings significant new benefits to IT practitioners across several domains.

Enterprises gain a broad choice in deployment models, enabling alignment with whichever security requirements, regulatory mandates, and operational preferences are required. This flexibility allows IT teams to standardize on a single management platform across diverse environments.

The expanded VPC and on-premises options address growing data sovereignty requirements, particularly for organizations operating across multiple jurisdictions with varying regulatory frameworks.

Operational benefits include:

• Reduced manual monitoring and troubleshooting workloads through AI-driven network assistants
• Simplified management of multi-vendor environments through a single platform
• Enhanced visibility into application performance issues, particularly for real-time communications
• Proactive identification of network issues before they impact business operations

HPE now offers nearly every deployment option needed for cloud-native AI network operations, positioning the company favorably against competitors like Cisco and Juniper, which offer more limited deployment flexibility.

The FIPS 140-2 certified on-premises option directly targets government and highly regulated industries, markets where HPE already maintains a strong presence.

Integrating HPE’s new OpsRamp capabilities shows solid progress in HPE’s strategy to build a comprehensive network management ecosystem through internal development and strategic acquisitions.

With this release, HPE establishes a competitive advantage in enterprise and government markets where regulatory compliance and data control requirements often dictate network management architecture decisions. This is a nice update.

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