CAIRO, Egypt, 13th
December, 2015: As we
approach the end of 2015, Manish Bhardwaj, Sr. Marketing Manager, Middle East
& Turkey at Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company, gives an insight
into the mobility and networking trends that will shape the industry in Egypt in
2016:
Public Venues and Stadium Wi-Fi: Now that 802.11ac Wave 2 has hit
the market, in 2016 we’ll see many more public venues, stadiums and arenas
deploy and upgrade their networks to handle the significant device density
challenges these venues face. In addition, many public venues will leverage
their infrastructure for mobile engagement – adding beacons and mobile apps to
provide customers with navigation capabilities and premium services.
Automating the connection of
mobile devices: In 2016, educational
institutions will continue to expand BYOD, 1-to-1 and 1-to-many initiatives,
drastically raising the number of mobile devices connecting to the network.
With lean IT staffs and new curriculum that increasingly utilizes educational
technology resources, schools need to be able to quickly and easily onboard
these devices and provide them with secure access to the appropriate network
resources. Demand for automated onboarding solutions will grow in 2016.
Migration to 802.11ac Wi-Fi
intensifies and interest in Wave 2 rises: As school IT departments grapple with
escalating numbers of mobile devices and apps in the classroom, they will
increasingly make the move to 802.11ac wireless infrastructures to deliver the
speed, security and reliability they need. And, as the focus of network design
changes from providing comprehensive coverage to meeting higher capacity and
device density demands, more schools will evaluate the capabilities delivered
by the new 802.11ac Wave 2 wireless networking standard.
Getting ready for rich learning
with multi-gigabit Ethernet: As more universities leverage online learning and testing and
utilize rich media to drive up learning outcomes, they will look to the new
access layer switching products that support multi-gigabit Ethernet
connectivity to power these demands. In these times of contracting IT budgets,
it will be critical to look for products that are able to leverage the existing
twisted-pair copper cabling and are able to auto-negotiate to obtain the
highest transfer rate (1, 2.5, 5, or even 10 Gbps) for connecting both today’s
and future wireless access points.
Retailers Go Beyond Traditional
Mobile Engagement Use Cases: As retailers continue to expand their understanding of shoppers’
mobile app preferences, some forward-thinking retailers are going far beyond
the traditional use case for location-based mobile apps of pushing
location-based coupons to customers. In the New Year, we will see an increasing
number of retailers implement mobile engagement solutions that provide richer,
more holistic experiences for shoppers by integrating location-based services
with other existing systems such as pricing data, inventory management, labor
management and customer loyalty programs.
Retailers Scale Mobile Engagement
and Bluetooth Low Energy Beacon Deployments: The past couple of years have seen retailers
and other venues conducting small beacon pilots in one or two locations. Moving
forward into 2016, the availability of centralized remote management tools will
enable retailers to scale these hardware deployments and turn marketing-driven
proof of concept deployments into scalable, multi-location deployments that IT
can easily manage.
Wi-Fi Calling: iPhones already support Wi-Fi
calling and 2016 will be the year that Wi-Fi calling is widely deployed.
Carriers will begin building out their infrastructures and we’ll see broader
adoption for other devices like Android. Aruba/HP’s announcement with Ericsson
this year to deliver Wi-Fi and LTE solutions for customers is
just one example of progress in this area.
Security for IoT: Many industries – healthcare,
in particular – are already seeing an explosion of IoT devices. With this
increase in the number and types of devices connected to the network, security
has become a critical issue. Securing access of devices, while allowing them to
communicate with the systems they need to, will be the big security challenge in
2016.
-Ends-
About
Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company
Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company, is a leading provider of
next-generation networking solutions for enterprises of all sizes worldwide.
The company delivers IT solutions that empower organizations to serve the
latest generation of mobile-savvy users who rely on cloud-based business apps
for every aspect of their work and personal lives.
To learn more, visit Aruba at http://www.arubanetworks.com. For real-time news updates follow Aruba on Twitter and Facebook, and
for the latest technical discussions on mobility and Aruba products visit
Airheads Social at http://community.arubanetworks.com.
© 2015 Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company. Aruba’s
trademarks include Aruba Networks®, Aruba The Mobile Edge Company® (stylized),
Aruba Mobility-Defined Networks™, Aruba Mobility Management System®, People
Move Networks Must Follow®, Mobile Edge Architecture®, RFProtect®, Green
Island®, ETips®, ClientMatch®, Virtual Intranet AccessTM, ClearPass Access Management SystemsTM, Aruba InstantTM, ArubaOSTM, xSecTM, ServiceEdgeTM, Aruba ClearPass Access Management SystemTM, AirmeshTM, AirWaveTM, Aruba CentralTM, and ARUBA@WORKTM. All rights reserved. All other trademarks are the
property of their respective owners.
