Leading continuum of care provider adds security for its cloud-first environment by embracing Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) with HPE Aruba Networking Security Service Edge (SSE)

To securely and seamlessly provide innovative, individualized, and compassionate care in 16 residential communities and via in-home services, 24 hours a day, Bethesda Health Group is adding HPE Aruba Networking Security Service Edge (SSE) to its end-to-end HPE Aruba Networking ESP (Edge Services Platform) solution by Hewlett Packard Enterprise (NYSE: HPE).

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To securely and seamlessly provide innovative, individualized, and compassionate care, Bethesda Health Group is adding HPE Aruba Networking SSE to its end-to-end HPE Aruba Networking solution. (Source: Bethesda Health Care)

The expansion builds upon Bethesda Health Group’s existing wired, wireless, and Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) security with a fully cloud-delivered Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) platform that mobilizes 1,100 Bethesda caregivers across two states and connects several thousand residents to their care teams, families, and friends.

“Adding HPE Aruba Networking SSE to our networking infrastructure to gain a full SASE solution is critical to securing our cloud-first organization and meeting evolving customer expectations,” said Mike Keller, Director of Technology for 134-year-old Bethesda. “Many of the seniors we serve today have relied upon computing technologies at work and in their personal lives. They value cybersecurity protections and expect us to safeguard their personal data – regardless of where it resides, while ensuring that staff can rapidly and securely access assets for delivering exceptional care.”

Collaborating with trusted partner InterVision, Bethesda started the journey by first migrating away from its incumbent Cisco networking infrastructure to adopt HPE Aruba Networking EdgeConnect SD-WAN. This provided Bethesda with a secure, centrally-managed, high-performance WAN that reduces costs and dependencies on legacy Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) telecommunications connections. “In addition to obtaining technological advances from EdgeConnect, eliminating MPLS saved us six figures over the life of the contract,” Keller said.

Subsequently, the organization standardized on market-leading HPE Aruba Networking Wi-Fi access points (APs) for wireless connectivity, and HPE Aruba Networking’s CX Series Switches for wired networking. The organization also adopted HPE Aruba Networking Central, for AI-powered management, along with HPE Aruba Networking ClearPass, for role-based network access control (NAC) of wired and wireless endpoints and IoT solutions.

With the most recent addition of HPE Aruba Networking SSE, Bethesda is now able to provide their users with fast, secure access to private and externally managed applications and improve IT staff visibility into access events. Added capabilities include zero trust network access (ZTNA), secure web gateway (SWG), and cloud access security broker (CASB)—all consolidated into a single, easy-to-use cloud service that automatically adapts policies based on changes in user, device, and application context.

“No matter which application our staff needs to access, whether it’s the EHR, HRIS, or billing, deploying HPE Aruba Networking SSE enables us to grant access only to the exact applications a staff member needs, unlike our legacy VPN that introduced risk by providing access to every application on our network,” said Keller. “Further, because HPE Aruba Networking SSE is an open platform, we can use our existing identity access management (IAM) system, making everything seamless for our staff because they don’t need to learn something new or take multiple steps—the security is just there.”

Bethesda is excited about the benefits of standardizing on a complete, unified networking and security solution from HPE Aruba Networking. “We’ve gained comprehensive networking infrastructure that is cost-effective to own, easy to maintain, and scalable for meeting our future needs,” said Keller. “In short, it enables us to administrate a large footprint that is distributed across state lines with a lean IT staff—all without breaking the bank.”

HPE Aruba Networking SSE is the further development of Axis Security’s cloud-based SSE platform acquired by HPE earlier in 2023. This expands the capabilities of HPE Aruba Networking’s edge-to-cloud security portfolio, building on HPE Aruba Networking’s existing EdgeConnect secure SD-WAN and next-generation firewall capabilities. The combination provides a complete edge-to-cloud unified SASE solution, ensuring Zero Trust security controls can be applied to people and devices, no matter where they connect, whether on campus, at a branch, in a home, or on the road.

To learn more, visit HPE Aruba Networking. For real-time news updates, follow HPE Aruba Networking on X/Twitter and Facebook, and for the latest technical discussions on mobility and HPE Aruba Networking products, visit the Airheads Community.

About Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (NYSE: HPE) is the global edge-to-cloud company that helps organizations accelerate outcomes by unlocking value from all of their data, everywhere. Built on decades of reimagining the future and innovating to advance the way people live and work, HPE delivers unique, open, and intelligent technology solutions as a service. With offerings spanning Cloud Services, Compute, High Performance Computing & AI, Intelligent Edge, Software, and Storage, HPE provides a consistent experience across all clouds and edges, helping customers develop new business models, engage in new ways, and increase operational performance. For more information, visit: www.hpe.com

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