AMOL MITRA: Most SMBs do not have IT staff within the organization. So, technology products and solutions need to be easy to use, plug and play, affordable, and meet the security requirements of these businesses. Thus, we decided, when we embarked on this journey, to deliver customized solutions for SMBs.

We created a new brand, ‘Aruba Instant On’, that differentiates our SMB offering from our enterprise offering. Under the brand, we introduced a set of (APs), switches, accessories like transceivers, and a mobile app through which businesses can manage and configure the entire network environment.

With the need for increased speed, capacity, and scalability, we initially launched Aruba Instant On APs three years ago, now featuring Wi-Fi 6, that delivers blazing-fast performance, greater capacity to handle more devices simultaneously, and greater performance. These APs are perfect for small businesses with expanding mobile, cloud, and IoT requirements.

We will continue to lead innovation in the future and deliver more high-performance, secure access points, switches, and technology that is purpose-built for SMBs. Aruba Instant On portfolio is ideal for Small Businesses/Offices and institutions in hospitality, healthcare, and education.

Elaborate on the competitive advantages and scalability that SMEs find after turning to Aruba’s network technologies

AMOL MITRA: Besides vendors who compete with us in the enterprise space, there are other specific SMB networking vendors in the marketplace. So, we realized that in order to create a competitive advantage, we not only need to create brand differentiation but also create product and solution differentiation as well.

When compared to the competition, I believe the following four areas are where our value proposition and differentiation lie:

• The first is “ease of use,” which is hugely important in this marketplace. Besides the cloud-based app, we

  Amol Mitra (VP and GM – Worldwide – SMB) -Aruba

  also included intelligent automation through artificial intelligence (AI) to make sure that customers don’t need to spend a lot of time configuring or managing the product

• The second is security. We have made sure that our products have hardened security. We have taken our enterprise security feature set and replicated it into our SMB solutions
• Next, this business is channel-led and built through our broad channel ecosystem. So we have made sure that our channel partners are engaged and enabled from a pre-sales and a post-sales perspective to deliver whatever support and service is required by customers
• And finally, everything we do is centered around our customers. We build features that are tailored to the needs of individual customers and SMB businesses. For example, if you have a small coffee shop and you want to have a guest network that is segmented from the administrative network and the staff network, it is a one-click capability that we provide

Give insights into Aruba’s latest undertaking concerning hybrid work and employee collaboration and their success

AMOL MITRA: Our products are inherently built for a hybrid work environment. We have a specific configuration for users who work from home, office, or in a hybrid mode. With a one-click button, you can configure it for a hybrid work environment. All this is held in the cloud and managed through a mobile app.

With Aruba’s products, a user can have the same environment, configuration, and policy management irrespective of the workplace. There is zero configuration change that is required with our products.

Discuss Aruba’s Middle East plans and business strategies for the SMB sector in the upcoming years

JACOB CHACKO: We have been at the forefront of innovation in the enterprise networking segment, helping large enterprises meet their connectivity, security, and financial requirements across campus, branch, data center, and remote worker environments. Our strategy is to extend our leadership in the Enterprise sector to the SMB segment by providing them with ‘enterprise grade’, feature-rich solutions at an attractive price point, that are simple, secure, and easy to deploy. Aruba’s SMB networking solutions deliver intuitive management, automated intelligence, and security features to save time and gain a competitive edge.

Aruba Instant On is a big technology focus for us when it comes to SMBs. They are wi-fi access points (APs) purpose-built for small businesses that just work—reliably, securely, and remarkably simple, right out of the box. SMBs can create “Always On” networks with little to no IT support required. It’s easy to set up and manage remotely with a cloud-based mobile app.

Our go-to-market strategy is through our SMB-focused partners and distributors. Stocking is a key area of focus for us when it comes to SMBs. We are making concerted efforts to build a strong supply chain network to ensure that our partners have stocks readily available at any given point in time.

What is special this year for Aruba GITEX for SMBs?

JACOB CHACKO: At GITEX Global 2022, Aruba will be exhibiting under the theme “Making Connections, Anywhere” – creating the connections that power businesses and the world. In its 13th appearance at the event, the company will demonstrate its cloud-native approach to helping customers meet their connectivity, security, and financial requirements across campus, branch, data center, and remote worker environments covering all aspects of wired, wireless LAN, and wide area networking (WAN). At the event, Aruba will demonstrate its latest technologies addressing the digital transformation needs of regional enterprises including Wi-Fi 6E and cloud-managed networking, SD-WAN & SASE, Aruba User Experience Insight, and Network-as-a-Service (NaaS).

We invite SMB company executives to visit us at stand number H7-A1, at GITEX to explore our midsize business cloud-managed networking solutions that deliver fast, reliable, and scalable wired and wireless connectivity. Our technology experts will help SMBs rightsize their networks based on their business needs and space, and also provide demos of Aruba Instant On, designed for providing great wi-fi coverage and blazing-fast speeds.

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Palo Alto Networks aims to innovate and provide solutions to help its customers. We are the first and only vendor currently offering Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) 2.0, which helps secure connections for businesses with hybrid workforces. ZTNA 2.0 helps organizations protect all applications and data from any location, without compromising access for users. We have recently announced the Prisma SASE to enable customers to identify and remediate misconfigurations in SaaS apps using SaaS Security Posture Management (SSPM) capabilities.

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What types and sizes of enterprises that Palo Alto focuses on?

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How do you evaluate the way security solution business progresses in the Middle East region?

Technology is advancing rapidly and post the pandemic with continued hybrid work and the accelerating shift to the cloud; the need for a cybersecurity partner has become an even bigger priority. Palo Alto Networks helps deliver what’s next in security to help organizations get ahead of the threat landscape, with broad industry recognition of our best-of-breed platforms: network security, cloud security, and security operations.