Network security took center stage as Atmosphere, Aruba Networking’s annual event, joined forces with HPE Discover 2024, showcasing Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co.’s dedication to integrating Aruba Networking into its advanced AI offerings.

Highlighting the latest in network management, Aruba Central introduced innovations in private 5G and Wi-Fi 7, emphasizing AI-driven enhancements for heightened security and efficiency. Leveraging AI tools within their environment ensures accurate recommendations and robust security measures, according to David Hughes (pictured, right), senior vice president and chief product and technology officer at HPE.

HPE’s Phil Mottram and David Hughes talk to theCUBE about Aruba’s network offerings.

“In Aruba we’ve had a team of dozens of data scientists focused on AI now for several years. And we’ve been leveraging the data, the telemetry that comes from all the devices we manage.” Hughes said. “Rather than rushing things out with the opportunity of a risk of saying something incorrect or making the wrong recommendation, we’ve been really focused on how to take the tools that are out there, but put them on rails and then train them in our own environment with our own documentation.”

Hughes and Phil Mottram (left), executive vice president and general manager of Aruba networking at HPE, spoke with theCUBE Research’s John Furrier and Bob Laliberte at HPE Discover, during an exclusive broadcast on theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s livestreaming studio. They discussed the importance of network security and its role in AI development. (* Disclosure below.)

Aiming for zero-trust network security

Last year, HPE acquired Athonet, which specializes in private cellular networks, and is now launching private 5G for its enterprise customers. Wi-Fi 7 has also arrived, and as Mottram explains, each networking option has different use cases. 5G is preferred for large outdoor areas, such as navy and army bases, while Wi-Fi 7 is used for venues including offices, campuses and retail stores.

HPE’s pending acquisition of Juniper Networks Inc. would further accelerate the company’s deployment of AI throughout its network. The Internet of Things will also be crucial, with older devices posing potential problems for security, according to Mottram.

“IoT is going to become more important to customers … Some of these IoT devices are old, so therefore security becomes more of a priority. And that’s why we’ve added additional features into Aruba Central to be able to look for strange behavior in IoT devices, so I expect a resurgence of IoT in that discussion,” he said.

Aruba Central has embedded AI capabilities that can spot security issues for remote and on-premises users. HPE recently acquired Axis Security to support threat detection from the edge to the cloud. Since Aruba Central services a range of customers, from small businesses to retail chains, a zero-trust policy has been vital.

“The idea of zero trust is you start with connecting nothing to nothing, basically … For many customers, starting from kind of a blank sheet of paper and adding all these rules, it’s hard. They’ve got a network that’s operating, they don’t exactly know what’s in there,” said Hughes. “What we’ve done is used AI to be able to observe what’s going on in their network and then make recommendations.”

Here’s the complete video interview, part of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE Research’s coverage of HPE Discover: 

(* Disclosure: TheCUBE is a paid media partner for HPE Discover. Neither Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co. and Intel Corp., the primary sponsors of theCUBE’s event coverage, nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: SiliconANGLE