Aruba Wireless lands in Oz

Silicon Valley-based Aruba Wireless Networks has kicked off an Australian operation and is on the hunt for a distributor and reseller partners.

So far, the company has one staff member, former Newbridge Networks and Alcatel staffer Anthony Wong. Wong has been appointed Australia and New Zealand sales director.

Wong said Aruba made wireless LAN (WLAN) switches, WLAN application software and 802.11a/b/g access points. The company competed head on in the wireless arena with Cisco Systems and Trapeze Networks.

Its claim to fame, he said, was a range of grid controllers, software and access points that provide interior security for wired and wireless users.

The company had started shipping WLAN products to a Fortune 100 financial customer in Sydney that was headquartered in the US, Wong said.

He declined to name the company.

Wong said he was looking for resellers specialising in wireless and security.

The company also had a global OEM arrangement with Alcatel that would be used here in Australia, he said.

Alcatel previously had an OEM arrangement with Airespace, before Airespace was acquired by Cisco Systems earlier this year.