This blog coauthored by Ishani Chakraborty, Product Marketing Manager for HPE Aruba Networking Central
Imagine if running a network was like starring in an action movie. You're the hero, and instead of fighting aliens, you're battling endless tech issues, misconfigurations, and rogue devices. Now, wouldnโt it be awesome if you had a sidekick who was a tech-savvy wizard with superpowers? Well, meet AI in HPE Aruba Networking Central โ your trustworthy partner in the world of network operations. Itโs like having a super-smart assistant who doesnโt need coffee breaks and can predict problems even before they even show up, helping you enjoy your morning coffee in peace.
No more flipping through endless manuals or scratching your head over confusing settings. In this blog as well as in the video below, Iโll explore the top AI capabilities in Central that transform network management, making it as smooth and efficient as having your own tech superhero on speed dial.
GenAI-powered AI Search: This feature is like having a personal tech detective at your service. Whether youโre diving into configuration databases, monitoring data, or searching through dense technical documents, AI Search simplifies the process. It scans through information with lightning speed, providing precise summaries and pinpointing exactly what you need. Unlike other industry GenAI builds that lack privacy controls, Central focuses on ethical AI with multiple locally trained LLMs where users benefit from the capabilities of GenAI, without the risk of data leaks to/from external sources. Central leverages the power of AI with an advanced LLM-powered conversational chatbot (coming soon), designed to streamline everything from initial setup to ongoing network operations.
AI-powered insights and alerts: Traditional network monitoring tools often fall short, leaving IT teams overwhelmed with countless alerts and superficial data. Thatโs where AI-powered insights from Central come in. They cut through the clutter with deep, actionable analysis of network events, app performance, and client data. Imagine finding the needle in the haystack with easeโAI insights reduce alert fatigue and helps you zero in on what really matters.
Central trains and infers hundreds of AI model instances across dozens of AI model families, including around 50 customer-visible use cases. Our AI model families contain simpler models, such as statistical models, Gaussian mixture models, anomaly detectors, F1-optimizing tree search, clustering, lineages, etc., They also include medium complexity models like and graph models, and the most complex neural networks (NN) and GenAI. These include smaller, targeted LLMs with fewer than 1 billion parameters and tuned off-the-shelf LLMs with more than 7 billion parameters.
For most customer-visible use cases, a combination of AI models is selected. The specific subset of models depends on various factors including:
- Data set size
- Feature set
- Feature values (numerical vs categorical)
- Response time (real-time for MTTR sensitive applications vs batch processing for configuration recommendations)
- The complexity of the underlining use case.
For example, a proactive insight that optimizes a configuration parameter for each customer (and potentially per SSID or site or GW, etc.) typically requires detailed customer information. This includes device types and configuration, device density, topology, client types and density, application types, load, event and performance metrics. The AI models employed may include client-type classifiers (e.g. gaussian density, decision trees, and GenAI), application classifiers, statistical models and learned side effects of client capabilities, and models that predict event and performance metrics based on configuration settings. These models are trained on our extensive data lake, which contains anonymized data from millions of devices and billions of endpoints across numerous verticals.
Discover IoT security vulnerabilities with NDR: To keep up with the rapid advancements in IoT, our new Network Detection and Response (NDR) solution is more than just another security tool โ itโs a leap forward in protecting your connected world. By harnessing the extensive data lake of Central, this cutting-edge NDR platform uses AI-driven behavioral analytics to uncover unusual activities and potential threats across your network. It carefully monitors changes in traffic patterns and device attributes, providing real-time insights into possible data breaches. It detects anomalies and delivers smart policy recommendations to fortify your defenses. And the best part? It integrates seamlessly with your existing setup without requiring extra hardware. With this proactive approach, youโll be well-prepared to tackle emerging threats and secure your increasingly complex digital environment.
To learn more:
Introducing the next generation of HPE Aruba Networking Central
Pioneering a user-centered approach to AI-powered network operations
HPE Aruba Networking Central homepage
S_Manavalan
Over 30+ years of product management, marketing and engineering experience in a global high-technology environment with track record for building next generation software, networking, and telecom products that have generated multi-billion dollars in revenue. He leads the product management team for HPE Aruba Networking Central, AFC, UXI, AFC, and CPDI besides campus and data center solutions โ Dynamic Segmentation and NetConductor.
