Hewlett Packard Enterprise (NYSE: HPE) today announced that the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), a combat support agency of the United States Department of Defense (DoD) headquartered in Fort Meade, MD, is modernizing and securing multi-class wireless networks with HPE Aruba Networking ESP (Edge Services Platform) solutions. As part of DISA’s digital transformation strategy as part of the Fourth Estate Network Optimization (4ENO) initiative, the deployment will include HPE Aruba Networking Wi-Fi 6 Access Points (APs) and HPE Aruba Networking ClearPass to support approximately 400,000 DoD users and warfighters worldwide.
The 4ENO initiative includes an upgrade to a unified wireless infrastructure from HPE Aruba Networking and new security capabilities at DISA headquarters, for 4th Estate Agencies and via DISA’s new DoDNet. The 4th Estate is a group of about two dozen DoD agencies that support the military and intelligence community. DoDNet will provide participating 4th Estate agencies with secure, as-a-service networks, IT systems, and business applications to support DISA’s vision of building a single digital enterprise.
To achieve the desired results of reducing complexity and increasing interoperability with open standards-based technologies, DISA chose HPE Aruba Networking Wi-Fi 6 APs to be deployed at its headquarters. HPE Aruba Networking’s advanced Wi-Fi 6 capabilities provide secure, high-performance connectivity for DISA employees, mission partners, and guests. The deployment also provides an enterprise-wide unified user experience for mobile, IoT, and operational technology (OT) devices across numerous business applications, including Microsoft 365 and other information systems.
The introduction of Wi-Fi 6 allows DISA to strengthen a Zero Trust stance with built-in security features such as Wi-Fi Protected Access 3 (WPA3) for enhanced password and guest access protection. Looking ahead, DISA also gains the future ability to seamlessly and securely transition from 5G cellular networks to internal classified and unclassified networks.
As the Department of Defense Information Services Provider, DISA also provides secure HPE Aruba Networking WLAN for DoDNet, including HPE Aruba Networking Wi-Fi 6 and HPE Aruba Networking ClearPass. This enables DoDNet to provide consistent, optimized, and secure wireless access for government-provided equipment (GFE) across all classification levels. HPE Aruba Networking technology provides device visibility, policy control, workflow automation, and response to cybersecurity threats—all in a cohesive solution with built-in Zero Trust security.
