Samarion Selects Aruba Networks to Deliver Secure Mobility Solutions for Skilled Nursing Facilities
Next Generation Network Provides Reliable Status Messaging to Staff and Automatic Back-up of Existing Wired LANs
JACKSON, Miss. and SUNNYVALE, Calif., December 19, 2007 - Samarion, a privately-held healthcare technology corporation dedicated to improving the quality of elder care, has selected Aruba Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: ARUN), a global leader in user-centric networks and secure mobility solutions, to provide wireless LAN and security solutions for use in elder care and other long term care facilities. SamarionSolution(TM), the long-term care industry's leading Enterprise Quality Improvement System, will use Aruba solutions to help provide restraint-free fall prevention; wandering and elopement prevention; resident, staff and visitor safety and security management; staff management and facility monitoring; and a family-and-friends communications system to greatly improve the quality of the lives of nursing home residents and their loved ones. SamarionSolution was unveiled nationally as the leading Enterprise Quality Improvement System for nursing homes at the AHCA/NACL/MECF 58th Annual Convention and Exposition Oct. 7-10, 2007, in Boston, Massachusetts, and at the AAHSA 2007 Annual Meeting and Exposition Oct. 21-24, 2007, in Orlando, Florida.
Aruba's network reliably and securely delivers critical alerts and status updates to staff members equipped with Wi-Fi enabled smart phones, enabling rapid response and significant staff efficiency improvements. Additionally, the network provides a back-up for the existing wired LAN, ensuring business continuity in the event of a wiring fault or outage. Additional applications will be incorporated into SamarionSolution, employing Aruba's network in the areas of staff mobility and agility.
"We've employed the strengths of Aruba's secure mobility networks in two critical tasks in all nursing home facilities in which the SamarionSolution is implemented," said Samer N'Ser, President and CTO of Samarion. "First, the network delivers critical alerts and status messages to smart phones carried by the nursing home's caregiver staff. For example, if a nursing home resident attempts to exit a bed unassisted, the staff is instantly notified. Next, the SamarionSolution records the event and all subsequent replies from the smart phones as received over Aruba's Wi-Fi network. Back-up connectivity is provided via Wi-Fi modems attached to all network switches, ensuring automated failover to the wireless network if the wired network malfunctions. This architecture raises the quality of resident care and ensures our system's compliance with HIPAA record-keeping and privacy requirements."
Under the Federal Nursing Home Reform Act of 1987, long-term care facilities are required to provide services that enable residents to attain and maintain physical, mental and psychosocial well-being. Additionally, SamarionSolution answers the call for recommendations made by the National Commission for Quality Long-Term Care in its Final Report (Dec. 3, 2007) addressing four critical elements: quality, workforce, technology and finance. Using Aruba's wireless LAN and client-to-core security solutions, Samarion can continuously monitor resident safety and check to ensure that a resident's routines and regimes are followed.
"Aruba's robust wireless LAN and toll-quality voice capabilities will meet Samarion's current requirement for comprehensive wireless coverage throughout the skilled nursing facilities, and pave the way for future applications such as real-time streaming video feeds," said Peter Mongroo, Aruba's head of healthcare marketing. "The remote monitoring and management capability of Aruba's architecture was a major factor in Samarion's selection decision. Samarion can remotely monitor and manage their facilities, thereby reducing IT staff overhead, the workload of local staff, and the cost of remote site visits."
About Samarion
Samarion is a privately-held corporation based in Jackson, Miss., dedicated to improving the quality of elder care. For more information, visit samarion.com.
About Aruba Networks, Inc.
Aruba securely delivers the enterprise network to users, wherever they work or roam, with user-centric networks that significantly expand the reach of traditional port-centric networks. User-centric networks integrate adaptive wireless LANs, identity-based security, and application continuity services into a cohesive, high-performance system that can be easily deployed as an overlay on top of existing network infrastructure. Adaptive wireless LANs deliver high-performance, follow-me connectivity so users are always within reach of mission-critical information. Identity-based security associates access policies with users, not ports, to enable follow-me security that is enforced regardless of access method or location. Application continuity services enable follow-me applications that can be seamlessly accessed across wireless LANs and cellular networks. The cost, convenience, and security benefits of user-centric networks are fundamentally changing how and where we work. Listed on the NASDAQ and Russell 2000® Index, Aruba is based in Sunnyvale, California, and has operations throughout the Americas, Europe, Middle East, and Asia Pacific regions. To learn more, visit www.arubanetworks.com.
Media Contacts
Lynne Jeter
Samarion
(601) 957-5707, ext. 120
LJeter@Samarion.com
samarion.com
Michael Tennefoss
Head of Strategic Marketing
Aruba Networks, Inc.
+1-408-754-8034
mtennefoss@arubanetworks.com
Jay Nichols
Sterling Communications, Inc.
+1-415-392-2300
jnichols@sterlingpr.com
