Aruba unveiled significant enhancements to the Aruba ESP (Edge Services Platform) that unify IoT, IT, and Operational Technology (OT) networks so customers can quickly adapt to changing environments and user requirements. Aruba ESP is the first fully programmable platform to generate contextual information – about identity, location, security posture, and applications in use – to power efficient decision making and AIOps. Built to integrate with devices and applications from Aruba’s technology partners, customers become hyper-aware of their operating environment so they can quickly adapt to evolving business, visitor, and employee demands.
Today, “connected facilities” only provide device connectivity for subsets of control services, whereas hyper-aware facilities can leverage Aruba ESP-generated contextual data to dynamically adapt a facility to its occupants and operating environment. Unifying these IoT, IT, and OT networks under the Aruba ESP platform, and capturing rich context, enables hyper-aware facilities that are safer, more adaptive, and enhance productivity.
These enhancements to the Aruba ESP cloud-native, AI-powered platform are integral to sensing, analyzing, and reacting to device data and contextual information. Aruba access points and switches now serve as multi-protocol IoT/OT platforms that interface with Aruba’s expanded technology partner ecosystem. Virtually every subsystem spanning machine inputs and outputs (I/O) on a manufacturing floor through multimedia devices in the CEO suite can be accommodated – from social distance monitors to gunshot detectors, rotating equipment monitors to guest wayfinding – with solutions tailored for education, enterprise, healthcare, hospitality, industrial, manufacturing, retail, transportation, and government applications.
Use cases with Aruba ESP-based hyper-awareness include smart buildings, industrial/manufacturing facilities and the broader Intelligent Edge:
Hyper-aware Smart Buildings for Enterprises, Education, Healthcare, Hospitality, Retail, and Government
- Building Control and Digital Twin enablement – Using native AI capabilities to create real-time simulation models that change and learn in lock-step with the building, Aruba and technology partners like Microsoft Azure IoT can create digital twins or software models to identify sub-optimized processes, recommend operational enhancements, and monitor the trajectory of energy usage needed for proactive interventions.
- Context-aware, Real-time Integrated Emergency Response and Notification – During an incident, building occupants need real-time safety information pushed to their mobile devices and first responders need to continuously communicate with those in possible danger. Aruba ESP, with integrated solutions from technology partners like Critical Arc and Patrocinium, can actively communicate with tenants, visitors, and staff, and use unique 4D graphics for first responders to quickly see where people are situated within buildings.
- Seamless Extension of the 5G Footprint with Wi-Fi – Aruba ESP allows mobile operators to extend their 5G footprint into the building and seamlessly power Wi-Fi calling while delivering gigabit-class guaranteed performance using Aruba Air Slice technology. This provides a seamless user experience and non-stop connectivity without the need for costly and complex distributed antenna systems.
This framework uses AI and exchanges security and policy with more than 130 security technology vendors to obtain a deep understanding of each device and its role, allowing hyper-aware facilities to fold security activities into situational awareness.
“Machines, applications, and interfaces are typically tailored to each IoT, IT and OT vertical application, driving complexity in network management,” said Will Townsend, Senior Analyst, Moor Insights & Strategy. “I have analyzed Aruba ESP and believe its architectural platform based on a unified infrastructure, zero-trust security, and AIOps has the potential to reduce complexity and accelerate smart facility and hyper-awareness use cases both on-prem and in the cloud.”
