Future Plc Chooses Aerohive’s Wi-Fi Solution to Support Digital Publishing on iPads and Smart Phones

Sunnyvale, Calif. —June 15, 2011 — Aerohive Networks, the pioneer in controller-less Wi-Fi and cloud-enabled networking, today announced that Future Plc, the special-interest media group, has deployed an Aerohive WLAN solution across its six UK offices.  The WLAN will support Future’s increasingly mobile and IT-savvy workforce, and enable staff to test and promote its digital magazine applications on iPads and other smart mobile devices.

Implemented by Future’s ICT partner, LAN3, the Aerohive solution was selected for its rich functionality, ease of management and cost-effectiveness.

News Facts

  • Future produces over 180 special-interest publications, many of which are syndicated across the world, in print and online. A surge in consumer smart phone and tablet devices, such as the iPad, however, has caused an increase in demand for digital magazine ‘apps’. Implementing a wireless network would help staff to test the compatibility of magazine ‘apps’ prior to publication, and to demonstrate digital advertising options to visiting prospects.
  • In parallel, many of Future’s employees use laptops and are bringing iPads and other personal mobile devices to work. The demand for flexible and resilient access to business applications, from these devices, could not be fulfilled by Future’s previous WLAN provider.  There was clear demand for a business-class WLAN, with coverage throughout the office environment.
  • Beating off competition from Aruba and Cisco, Aerohive’s controller-less solution gives Future the flexibility, scalability and ease of use it needed, but at a long-term lower price point.
  • A further benefit is Aerohive’s Client Health Score, which provides at-a-glance visibility into the status or health of APs and devices connected to the WLAN. Future’s in-house IT team are responsible for all network management, and being able to manage the WLAN from a single platform, HiveManager virtual appliance, helps minimise the demands on operational resources.
  • Furthermore, Future is able to quickly and easily grant temporary Wi-Fi access to visitors, and is a simple, but compelling, benefit for visiting advertising and media executives with the latest mobile gadgets. Wireless access, per user, can be centrally managed and revoked by the IT team using Aerohive’s Private Pre-Shared Key (PPSK) feature.

Comments

“We required a WLAN that could support our business needs and that of an increasingly digital industry,” explains Adam Romain, Network Administrator at Future Plc. “Similarly, employee use of laptops, iPads and mobile devices meant the deployment of a wireless LAN had become a business necessity. It also helps reduce 3G connectivity costs on business-issued iPads.”

“Thanks to Aerohive’s Wi-Fi solution, we are able to easily manage the entire wireless network from one single point, minimising the impact on our operational resources. We can then concentrate our efforts on supporting more innovative applications of IT that benefit our magazines, the advertisers and readership,” concluded Romain. 

About Future Publishing

Future plc is an international special-interest media group, listed on the London Stock Exchange (symbol FUTR).  Founded in 1985 with one magazine, today we have operations in the UK, US and Australia creating over 180 special-interest publications, websites and events.  We hold market-leading positions in games, film, music, technology, cycling, automotive and crafts.  Our biggest-selling magazines include T3, Total Film, Classic Rock, Guitar World and Official Xbox Magazine.  Our websites include gamesradar.com, bikeradar.com, and techradar.com.  Future sells more than 3 million magazines each month; we attract more than 23 million unique visitors to our websites; and we host 27 annual live events.  In addition, Future exports or syndicates publications to 90 countries, making us the UK’s number one exporter and licensor of monthly magazines.

About Aerohive Networks

Aerohive Networks reduces the cost and complexity of today’s networks with cloud-enabled, distributed Wi-Fi and routing solutions for enterprises and medium sized companies including branch offices and teleworkers. Aerohive’s award-winning cooperative control Wi-Fi architecture, public or private cloud-enabled network management, routing and VPN solutions eliminate costly controllers and single points of failure. This gives its customers mission critical reliability with granular security and policy enforcement and the ability to start small and expand without limitations. Aerohive was founded in 2006 and is headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif. The company's investors include Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Northern Light Venture Capital and New Enterprise Associates, Inc. (NEA). For more information, please visit www.aerohive.com, call us at 408-510-6100, follow us on Twitter @Aerohive, subscribe to our blog or become a fan on our Facebook page.

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