A forward-looking perspective from HPE Aruba Networking: Building an AI-empowered secure converged network

In the digital age, the network is not only a link connecting the world, but also a key force in promoting business and social progress. With the explosive growth of mobile devices, Internet of Things (IoT) and cloud services, users' dependence on the network has reached unprecedented levels. A network environment that can provide secure and efficient access anytime and anywhere has become a necessity for both individuals and enterprises. However, this growth in demand also brings its own set of challenges, particularly in terms of cybersecurity and the complexity of network architecture.

In Gartner’s latest Magic Quadrant for Wired and Wireless Intervention released this year, HPE Aruba Networking Its solutions for automated network orchestration, advanced software upgrade technology, and integrated artificial intelligence (AI) features once again occupy a leadership position in the Gartner Magic Quadrant. As a leader in this field for 18 consecutive years, how does Aruba deal with network challenges? Recently, HPE Aruba Networking China Technical Sales Director Yu Shidan shared Aruba’s forward-looking perspective with a number of media.

Continuously escalating network challenges

"The only thing that doesn't Change is change, and we are facing a world that continues to change.”

##With the emergence of diverse terminal devices and applications in the network, the architecture of the network has changed. It will become more and more complex. At the same time, users’ demand for secure access anytime and anywhere is also increasing. From the perspective of Connected World, in the face of increasingly complex network challenges, two major problems need to be solved. First, the emergence of diverse terminal devices and applications in the network has brought security issues. Different terminal devices and applications have different security capabilities, and some weaknesses may be exploited by hackers, leading to security vulnerabilities in the network. Therefore, ensuring the security of end devices and applications is the first issue that needs to be solved in the network. Secondly, user

# first is how to achieve a secure connection?

#In an enterprise's IT department, there are usually two teams responsible for network and security. The goal of the network team is to provide high-performance network connections and ensure that users can use network resources easily and conveniently. The security team is more focused on preventing external intrusions and internal threats. Their goal is to build a secure network environment and reduce potential risks. The goals of these two teams may conflict in some cases. For example, improving network security may increase the complexity of the network structure and thus affect the user experience. Yu Shidan believes that to provide secure connections, we must first be able to take into account multiple different goals, obtain balance.

#Second, in the face of an increasingly complex network environment, how to "reduce complexity into simplicity"?

#In addition to the complexity of network architecture, the rapid pace of technology iteration also brings challenges to IT teams. The continuous updating of technology requires IT teams to continue to learn and master new tools and skills. This process requires team members to accumulate time and experience, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to find talents with these skills. In addition, with the rise of remote working and hybrid office models, IT teams also need to adapt to new working models to ensure that remote employees can obtain the same network experience as in the office. These are no small challenges for the IT team.

To address these challenges, Aruba has proposed a series of solutions. First of all, Aruba has automated network construction and security policy distribution through automated network orchestration and security management capabilities, which not only improves efficiency but also reduces due to human error.

Secondly, Aruba’s ISSU (In-Service Software Upgrade) technology and 7-layer application control can improve network availability and

Perform in-depth packet inspection and effective control of the application layer. In addition, Aruba has also introduced artificial intelligence technology to help IT teams better understand and manage networks through machine learning and data analysis. The application of AI technology not only improves the intelligence level of the network, but also reduces the workload of the IT team. For example, AI can help predict network traffic, optimize network configurations, and provide early warning before problems even occur.

In the latest Gartner Magic Quadrant evaluation, Aruba has been recognized for the above three major advantages. Yu Shidan specifically pointed out that security and artificial intelligence (AI) constitute Aruba’s core competitiveness. He emphasized that security is Aruba's top priority in future work, and AI technology guides the company's development direction.

The concept of security applies to all targets

"User needs are different from those a few years ago," Yu Shidan explained. Simply connecting is no longer enough. Today's network not only requires deep integration of security and connection, but also The concept of security needs to be applicable to all objectives. Whether it is ordinary users, terminal devices, or IoT devices, it can be covered.

In the concept of Aruba security, the core concept is Aruba user role (User role). This dynamic role assignment mechanism is the basis of its security policy. core. User roles are not only based on the user's identity, but also take into account contextual factors such as connection location, time of day, and device status. This dynamic role assignment allows Aruba to implement granular role-based access control, ensuring that different users and devices can only access authorized resources. In addition, the concept of user roles has also promoted the development of micro-segmentation technology, allowing Aruba to achieve more fine-grained isolation and control within the network, especially in traffic management within the same network segment. This technology has significantly improved the network security.

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in By applying role technology in wireless and wired networks, even large-scale campus networks can achieve fine-grained access control and traffic isolation. This means that different users and devices within the campus can be given appropriate network access rights based on their roles and needs. Yu Shidan introduced that Aruba uses VXLAN tunnel technology to embed role information into data packets, so that the entire campus network can identify and apply this role information, and realize Role to Role security control capabilities in the entire network. The application of this technology not only enhances the security of the campus network, but also improves the flexibility and efficiency of network management. In terms of data center security, Aruba's CX10000 switch provides a high-performance stateful firewall through the built-in DPU processor to effectively control the internal security of the data center. East-west traffic. Compared with traditional centralized firewalls, this distributed firewall solution not only reduces bandwidth waste and delay, but also improves the overall performance of the network.

Aruba’s emphasis on WAN security cannot be underestimated. Its SD-WAN solution provides end-to-end secure connectivity for the wide area network,

can meet the needs of branch offices of different sizes. Through EdgeConnect SD-Branch, Aruba realizes unified management of WAN devices and simplifies network deployment and operation and maintenance. In addition, the launch of the EdgeConnect Microbranch solution further expands Aruba’s security service capabilities in small branch sites. In terms of cloud security services, Aruba provides the next generation of

cloud security## through the SSE (Security Service Edge) cloud platform. #solution. This fine-grained access control based on user identity not only reduces the attack surface of the network, but also implements a zero-trust security model. Aruba's cloud services also include intrusion detection and firewall functions. Through the cloud collaboration mechanism, it maintains the latest status of the security threat database and provides real-time security protection for end-side devices. Through the above discussion, we can see that Aruba’s strategy and technology in the field of network security support each other and work together. From user roles and micro-segmentation technology to data center and WAN security protection, to cloud security services, Aruba provides users with a comprehensive, integrated and intelligent secure network environment. As network threats continue to evolve, Aruba's continuous innovation and forward-looking layout will undoubtedly provide users with stronger security and lead the future development of network security technology.

AI empowerment is the future direction

In In the development process of network technology, the addition of artificial intelligence (AI) can be described as a revolutionary innovation. AI not only improves network performance and efficiency, but more importantly, it changes the way network management and operation are performed, giving the network unprecedented intelligence and automation capabilities.

#First of all, the application of AI in network automation has greatly improved the efficiency of network deployment and management. Aruba's automated network orchestration capabilities make network construction and security policy implementation simple and fast. Through the HPE Aruba Networking Central platform, network administrators can easily define network intentions, and specific configuration and optimization work are automatically completed by the system, which not only reduces human errors, but also greatly improves the response speed and flexibility of the network.

Back in 2021, HPE Aruba Networking isCollected opinions from all users who use HPE Aruba Networking Central. The survey results show that more than two-thirds (63%) of users said that after adopting HPE Aruba Networking Central, their network fault handling speed has been significantly improved, specifically the processing speed has been accelerated by more than 50%. In addition, 38% of users reported that after using the platform, the number of their work order requests has also been significantly reduced, with a drop of more than 50%. These data reflect users' positive evaluation and recognition of HPE Aruba Networking Central in improving network operation and maintenance efficiency, confirming the platform's actual benefits in reducing network troubleshooting time and reducing the number of work orders.

##According to Yu Shidan’s introduction, AIOps mainly focuses on three major directions: First, the operation of the entire network infrastructure Dimensions, the second is security analysis, and the third is user experience.

Aruba’s AIOps (artificial intelligence operation and maintenance) solution uses machine learning and data analysis to monitor network status in real time, predict and prevent potential failures. The AI ​​Insights function can continuously detect network operating conditions and immediately notify IT administrators once an abnormality is discovered, thereby enabling early detection and rapid response to faults. This proactive network operation and maintenance method greatly improves network reliability and user satisfaction.

In terms of security analysis, Aruba’s AI Insights can monitor abnormal behaviors in the network in real time, identify and block potential network attacks in a timely manner. Through continuous learning and self-optimization, AI can continuously adapt to new security threats and provide more intelligent and dynamic security protection for the network.

#In terms of improving user experience, through AI technology, Aruba can conduct in-depth analysis of user behavior to provide personalized network services. For example, AI can automatically adjust the allocation of network resources based on users' network usage habits to ensure the performance of key applications. At the same time, AI can also provide customized network access strategies based on the user's location and device status, further improving the user's network experience.

Aruba is not the only vendor doing AIOps. What are the advantages of Aruba AIOps? Yu Shidan introduced that the core advantage of Aruba AIOps lies in its rich training data and advanced data processing capabilities. Relying on a huge data lake of more than 30 vertical industries, 120,000 customers and 200 million devices, Aruba AI models can quickly and accurately respond to user queries and provide precise answers.

Its AI Search function combines a large language model, which not only understands natural language queries, but also directly provides answer summaries instead of simple links, which greatly improves user experience. experience. In addition, Aruba's private large language model ensures the security of user data and avoids the risk of data leakage. These advantages together constitute the unique value of Aruba AIOps in network management intelligence and automation.

Write at the end

##"Security-first, "AI-powered networking" (AI-empowered secure converged network) is the newly proposed slogan of

HPE Aruba Networking. It not only It represents the business that Aruba is actively promoting and also clarifies the company's firm position and future development direction in the fields of network security and artificial intelligence technology. In the digital wave of globalization, with the continuous advancement of technology and the growing market demand, HPE Aruba Networking The pace of innovation and product iteration will continue. We have reason to expect that, under the leadership of HPE ArubaNetworking, network technology will move towards a new, more automated and intelligent stage.

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