DreamWorks Animation Creates a Collaborative Culture with an HPE Aruba Mobile-First Network
Entertainment Studio Expands Creative Environment Across Entire Campus with Wired, Wireless and
Security Upgrades
Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company (NYSE: HPE), today announced that Glendale, California based DreamWorks Animation (a
division of Universal Filmed Entertainment Group), creator of Academy Award ® winning CG animated feature films,
Emmy®-award-winning television series and specials, and live entertainment properties for audiences around the world, has retooled
its entire campus network to create a mobile, collaborative environment using HPE Aruba solutions.
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DreamWorks Animation is using an HPE Aruba mobile-first network to create a collaborative culture across their
entire campus. (Photo: Business Wire)
Understanding the importance of a robust wireless foundation to their collaborative culture, DreamWorks Animation decided to
outfit its entire 11-acre campus with seamless connectivity to support employees everywhere onsite and in remote offices.
Supporting the company’s mix of corporate-issued and employee-owned mobile devices was also vital. The studio was upgrading from 60
percent to ubiquitous Wi-Fi coverage.
“It’s culturally expected that inspiration and productivity extend outside of our offices,” said Keith McKay, DreamWorks
Animation’s Network Operations Supervisor. “In a creative industry like ours, a mobile workplace allows us to work collaboratively
anywhere, rather than be tied to a specific location. Recently, we set an initiative to upgrade the network and cover our entire
campus with highly-effective wireless connectivity.”
DreamWorks Animation turned to HPE Aruba, implementing Aruba 7200 Series Mobility Controllers with Aruba 802.11ac Wave 2 320 Series Access Points for the majority of the organization’s indoor spaces,
supplemented by Aruba 205 Series APs for remote offices. DreamWorks Animation also deployed the Aruba 270 Series APs for outdoor coverage. The studio received support from Golden Star Technology (GST) for the warehouse storage. The outdoor spaces across the campus are commonly used
for both informal and formal meetings, so having Wi-Fi that performs just as well outdoors as it does indoors was crucial for the
company.
As part of the network upgrade, DreamWorks Animation also wanted to replace some legacy switches and conducted an evaluation
before selecting the Aruba 3810 and 5400R switches as the standard for edge connectivity. A key factor in the studio’s decision was
the 5400R’s ability to respond to the security needs of DreamWorks Animation’s Information Security department when paired with the
Aruba ClearPass Policy Manager, to provide the same high levels of security to both the wired and wireless
networks.
ClearPass was a key component for DreamWorks Animation in enabling the implementation of secure, role-based access across the
corporate network and remote offices. With large volumes of mobile devices connected simultaneously, enabling context-aware policy
management that automatically grants or denies users access privileges based on business and security rules, was a huge benefit for
the company.
DreamWorks Animation is also using Aruba AirWave with Clarity to give the IT team visibility into potential network connectivity issues before they
happen. Aruba AppRF provides information regarding the usage and performance of mobile and web applications, so the studio can make
quick decisions for prioritizing business-critical apps when needed. Finally, the Aruba Network Protector SDN Application helps DreamWorks Animation automate network assessment and real-time security
across the SDN-enabled network.
With the new HPE Aruba infrastructure in place, accompanying their existing slate of HPE servers, storage and data center solutions, DreamWorks Animation is confident that they
can meet the needs of their creative community of users and better support the company’s business goals.
“HPE’s innovative solutions, including leading-edge technologies from Aruba, are core components in our infrastructure
strategy,” McKay said. “They are a trusted partner, helping us accelerate our key initiatives successfully.”
Additional Resources
About DreamWorks Animation
DreamWorks Feature Animation (DWA) is a division of the Universal Filmed Entertainment Group (UFEG). Its 21-year feature-film
heritage includes many beloved characters and animated franchises,
including Shrek, Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda, and How to Train Your Dragon. DWA's 34
feature film releases have generated more than $13.5 billion at the global box office, garnered numerous awards and
fueled a robust consumer products business.
About Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company
Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company, is a leading provider of next-generation networking solutions for enterprises of
all sizes worldwide. The company delivers IT solutions that empower organizations to serve the latest generation of mobile-savvy
users who rely on cloud-based business apps for every aspect of their work and personal lives.
To learn more, visit Aruba at http://www.arubanetworks.com . For real-time news updates follow Aruba on Twitter and Facebook, and for the latest technical discussions on mobility and Aruba products visit Airheads Social at
http://community.arubanetworks.com .
Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company
Pavel Radda, +1-408-419-0294
pavel.radda@hpe.com
Lori Hultin, +1-818-879-4651
lori.hultin@hpe.com
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170627005070/en/