Aruba Meets DOD MandateAruba Meets DOD Mandate

SUNNYVALE, Calif. -- Aruba Networks, the Mobile Edge company, today announced that it is delivering the only Wireless LAN (WLAN) system that meets all requirements of the U.S. Department of Defense's (DoD's) recent mandate on secure wireless access and Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS). DoD Directive (DoDD) 8100.2, which was released on June 2, 2006, provides additional guidance on the requirements for any wireless device that is connected to the DoD Global Information Grid and specifies that all such systems should be capable of delivering integrated IDS in addition to other security measures.

As the first and only vendor certified by the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) as having achieved Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 140-2 Level 2 validation for IEEE 802.11i wireless LAN systems, Aruba is the only company able to provide a single system for secure WLANs and IDS to the U.S. Federal government.

Per DoDD 8100.2, "encryption for unclassified data in transit via WLAN-enabled devices, systems, and technologies must be implemented end-to-end over an assured channel and be validated by NIST as meeting requirements per FIPS 140-2 Overall Level 1 at a minimum. If WLAN infrastructure devices which store keying information are used in public unprotected environments, then those products must meet FIPS 140-2 Overall Level 2".

Aruba Networks WLAN systems perform all encryption and security functions centrally within the mobility controller; no encryption keys are distributed to the wireless access points (APs). This centralized encryption and integrated security boundary obviates the need to FIPS validate the access points and the control channel between the access points and the mobility controller. Other WLAN systems that use distributed encryption and store keys in access points must go through the FIPS validation process for their APs and control channel, increasing both the costs and time to market for using Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) technology within the Federal marketplace.

"This is yet another in a series of 'industry firsts' for Aruba and the Federal market," said Merwyn Andrade, CTO at Aruba Networks. "While other vendors claim they are delivering products that meet these criteria, many of these have not undergone the rigorous validation process required to actually deliver a solution. Government agencies that are evaluating WLANs for use in Federal networks need to closely examine each solution to determine they meet all elements of directive 8100.2."

Aruba Networks Inc. (Nasdaq: ARUN)