Aruba Networks to acquire Airwave for $37M

Aruba Networks Inc. reported plans to buy Airwave Wireless Inc., purveyor of management tools for multi-vendor wireless networks, for $37 million in stock and cash.
Airwave will operate as a business unit of Aruba, which said the acquisition supports its strategy of fostering partnerships for network sales and management.
The acquisition is expected to close in Aruba’s fiscal third quarter. Aruba’s stock was down slightly to $13.40 per share on the news.
With new and legacy network equipment running side-by-side, Airwave’s platform provides a common, centralized management system, according to Aruba. Airwave’s platform can manage networks and products from a range of vendors — Aruba listed itself, Cisco, Hewlett-Packard, ProCurve, Motorola/Symbol, Avaya, Foundry, Proxim, 3Com, Trapeze and Tropos, among others.
Last September, Goldman Sachs raised its price target on Aruba after solid, fiscal fourth-quarter results, despite lawsuits launched the prior month by Motorola Inc. subsidiaries that alleged patent infringement. In July 2007, Aruba said it would partner with infrastructure giant Alcatel-Lucent to pursue the market for enterprise mobility by selling hardware and software. Such partnerships are becoming common in the hotly competitive space.