Case Study: University at Buffalo achieves campus‑wide high‑density, secure Wi‑Fi and IoT readiness across 10M sq. ft. with HPE Aruba Networking

Aruba Wi-Fi solution mobilizes 10M sq. ft. and supports IoT at one of America’s largest higher-ed institutions

The University at Buffalo (UB), the flagship of the SUNY system and one of the largest U.S. higher‑education institutions (≈30,000 students across three campuses and 10M sq. ft.), was beset by escalating Wi‑Fi complaints and help‑desk volume driven by an aging wireless estate. Leadership prioritized a scalable, high‑density, highly available solution that would support BYOD, growing IoT needs and stronger security across residence halls, classrooms and outdoor spaces.

UB selected Aruba after an extensive proof‑of‑concept and deployed roughly 6,000 Aruba 802.11ac Wave 1/2 APs, 7000 Series controllers, ClearPass for policy and device profiling, and AirWave for management. The rollout delivered campus‑wide gigabit Wi‑Fi with context‑aware access, automated device registration, simplified SSIDs and streamlined administration. Early results include a 21% increase in residence‑hall satisfaction, rapidly declining complaints, improved IT efficiency and a platform positioned for outdoor coverage, location services and future AI/analytics.

University at Buffalo

J. Brice Bible

Vice President and Chief Information Officer