The feature of the Aruba 8400 switch that you should explain to the customer is Virtual Switching Extension (VSX). VSX is a cluster technology that allows two VSX switches to run with independent control planes (OSPF/BGP) and present themselves as different routers in the network67. In the data path, however, they function as a single router and support active-active forwarding6. This means that VSX provides high availability, resiliency, and load balancing for both Layer 2 and Layer 3 traffic8. VSX also enables hitless software upgrades without any service disruption or packet loss9, which addresses the customer's concern about having no maintenance window even for core switch software upgrade.

You should explain to distinguish the Aruba location-based service solution from a Cisco solution that the Aruba solution can use cost-effective and easy-to-deploy battery-powered beacons or leverage beacons built into existing Aruba Aps while Cisco forces customers to rip and replace existing Aps for location services support12. Aruba beacons are small, low-power wireless transmitters that broadcast radio signals at regular intervals that can be heard and interpreted by iOS and Android devices1. Aruba beacons can be deployed as standalone devices powered by batteries or USB, or integrated into select Aruba Aps1. Cisco location-based services rely on Cisco Aironet Active Sensor devices that require external power supplies and Ethernet connections2.

Schools lack the budget to obtain a reliable wired and wireless network that can handle the increase in devices and connectivity needs for digital learning environments6. Schools face challenges such as aging infrastructure, limited IT staff, security threats, and diverse user demands that require a robust and scalable network solution that can support digital learning initiatives.

One indication that a customer could be a good candidate for an Aruba wireless solution is that they have another vendor's wireless solution and experience dropped calls in their UCC solution that negatively affects productivity4. Aruba wireless solutions can help customers improve their UCC performance with features such as Client Match, which ensures optimal AP selection for voice and video calls, AirSlice, which allocates dedicated bandwidth for critical applications, and AirWave UCC Analytics dashboard, which provides visibility and troubleshooting tools for UCC issues.

A key advantage of Aruba Central is that it provides single-pane-of-glass management for the complete network, while Cisco offers many different product lines with different management tools. Aruba Central is a cloud-based platform that simplifies the management of wired, wireless, SD-WAN, and security across campus, branch, remote, and data center locations.