Aruba Networks’ CEO has visited Brazil on a couple of occasions, though the frequency of those visits are expected to increase. Speaking with reporters this week, Dominic Orr said that he expects Brazil will be one of the company’s five largest markets within the next three years.
One of Aruba’s main focus is to become a vendor for the 2014 World Cup. “We aim to support upcoming events. We are in talks with the government and FIFA to be a partner at least in some states,” Orr noted, adding the firm was a provider to the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. The company is a provider of mesh networks designed to handle high demand for mobile data traffic.
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“The reason we are interested [in proving infrastructure to big events] is to stress the technology and marketing our name, because usually companies do not earn lots of money [on these events],” Orr explained.
Orr admitted that Aruba Networks has not invested in Latin America until now, with the company initially focusing its investments in Brazil and Mexico. Orr explained the company has instead focused on so-called “BRIC” countries. “We are much more advanced in China and India, where we have research and development area,” Orr said.
About 20% of Aruba’s employees are based in India, while 10% to 15% are in China. Orr said the company would look to adding staff in Brazil should local operations blossom.
Aruba’s progress in Brazil to date has been due to a number of factors, including the growth in the number of large global enterprises in the region and the increasing use of mobile devices for business and educational purposes. Mesh wireless technology is also a key pillar to its growth. “In very large countries where you have large outside areas it’s expensive to have fiber optics, so mesh is a really cost-effective solutions,” noted Orr.
Aruba counts government institutions such as the Central Bank, state companies like the Port of Santos, and private companies, such as Lojas Marisa, among its Brazilian customers.
All sales of Aruba products in Brazil are conducted through its channel partners.
