As networks grow more complex and enterprises get serious about data control, HPE Aruba Networking is stepping up with a major evolution of its flagship management platform—HPE Aruba Networking Central. In a world where data sovereignty, regional compliance, and advanced observability are no longer optional, the company is rolling out four flexible deployment models, deepening its AI capabilities, and supercharging network observability with a new OpsRamp-powered extension.

Four Ways to Take Control

The updated Central platform now supports four distinct deployment options:

1. Cloud-Delivered SaaS
   
   
2. Network-as-a-Service (NaaS)
   
   
3. Virtual Private Cloud (VPC)
   
   
4. On-Premises
   
   

These options aren’t just window dressing—they’re designed to serve a rapidly growing demand from enterprises and public institutions that require tight control over where data resides. Think GDPR, FINRA, SOX, and other stringent regulations where hosting network data on public clouds may not cut it.

“We’ve always supported flexible deployments,” said Alan Ni, Senior Director of Edge Marketing at HPE Aruba. “But now, as regional and industry-specific regulations tighten, we’re expanding our private cloud offerings to meet that demand head-on.”

For customers who can’t risk even a trace of data in a shared environment, Aruba’s “cloud of one” approach offers a hosted solution that’s isolated from other tenants—providing the benefits of the cloud without compromising privacy.

More AI, Less Manual Headache

The next major upgrade? AIOps on steroids. Aruba Central now has 20 AI-powered, always-on assistants that monitor, diagnose, and proactively alert IT teams to anomalies and performance issues.

From flagging bandwidth hogs to predicting outages, these AI assistants are trained on a growing treasure trove of real-world network data. With telemetry now being collected from over 5.2 million devices—up from 4 million just a year ago—the platform boasts one of the largest data lakes in the industry. It also serves over 2 billion network devices globally, signaling a sharp 100% year-over-year growth.

“It’s frankly shocked us,” Ni admitted. “This is not just about volume—it’s about the quality of insight we can now deliver through AI.”

Full-Stack Observability, Powered by OpsRamp

HPE isn’t stopping at device-level insights. With the launch of a new one-year subscription for its OpsRamp Extension, Aruba Central now offers cross-platform, full-stack observability. That includes monitoring third-party infrastructure from competitors like Cisco, Juniper, and Palo Alto Networks.

This move follows HPE’s acquisition of OpsRamp in 2023, and reflects its commitment to building a vendor-agnostic observability platform.

Even collaboration platforms are getting a lift. A new native Microsoft Teams integration pulls in end-to-end telemetry, allowing IT teams to analyze call quality, packet loss, and overall user experience for voice and video interactions. It's a meaningful step as more enterprises rely on unified communications tools for daily operations.

More Points of Presence, More Reach

To support its globally distributed user base, HPE Aruba has expanded its global points of presence (PoPs) to 15—with dedicated instances across the U.S., Canada, the E.U., Middle East, Africa, Asia-Pacific, and China. This ensures low-latency access and regional compliance for enterprises wherever they operate.

“It’s all about being closer to the customer,” said Ni. “The growth in our PoPs is directly driven by real-world demand.”

Why It Matters

For solution providers like Vandis, based in Albertson, New York, these upgrades aren’t just bells and whistles. According to President Andy Segal, the new options are “game-changing”—especially for customers in heavily regulated sectors.

“If you’re in finance or healthcare, you can’t just throw your data into any public cloud,” Segal said. “Virtual private cloud lets you isolate and stay compliant without giving up scalability.”

The increased deployment flexibility also opens new doors for partners. “It’s a big deal. We can now offer customized deployments based on exactly what each client needs,” he added.

HPE Aruba Networking is turning its management platform into a compliance-friendly, AI-optimized, observability powerhouse. With deployment freedom, global reach, and proactive intelligence, Central is positioning itself as not just another network manager—but the nerve center of modern enterprise infrastructure.