Case Study: Vendée Département achieves secure, Gigabit Wi‑Fi modernization with HPE Aruba Networking

Aruba .11ac WLAN Serves as Modernization Catalyst at Vendée Département

Vendée Département, the elected government body serving 650,000 residents in France’s Pays‑de‑Loire region, needed to modernize its operations by replacing paper meeting packets with secure, high‑speed wireless access for iPad‑equipped officials and staff. With aging Wi‑Fi infrastructure and a mandate to improve digital services across multiple sites, the IT team required pervasive coverage, strong access control and minimal administrative overhead.

The council deployed Aruba 802.11ac Instant APs (initially in controller‑less mode, later managed via mobility controllers over existing VPNs) plus Aruba ClearPass for policy‑based authentication, onboarding and guest separation, and ClientMatch for seamless roaming. The new Gigabit WLAN delivered faster, more secure access, reduced paper costs, streamlined device onboarding, improved productivity in meetings and provided a scalable platform for expanding Wi‑Fi and broader digital modernization initiatives.

Vendée Département

Marc Le Bris

CIO, General Council