The correct answer isAbecause the Aruba CX 10000 Switch Series is designed specifically to address east-west security in the data center by integratingstateful firewalling and distributed services directly into the top-of-rack switch. This provides protection for network traffic within the data center against cyberattacks such as lateral movement, ransomware spread, and insider threats.
Relevant extracts from official HPE Aruba Networking documentation:
“The Aruba CX 10000 with Pensando provides a unique ability to extend Zero Trust and distributed firewalling deep into the data center, securing traffic east-west at scale.”
“By embedding stateful security services directly in the switching fabric, the CX 10000 eliminates blind spots where east-west traffic would otherwise go unprotected.”
“Organizations can now protect critical workloads from advanced threats by applying segmentation and firewall policies closest to the application.”
Why the other options are incorrect:
BSecuring IoT devices is primarily a campus/edge use case (addressed by Aruba Central, ClearPass, and Dynamic Segmentation), not a core CX 10000 differentiator.
CRansomware recovery is important but focuses on backup/restore and disaster recovery, not the proactive in-fabric security benefits of CX 10000.
DLocation-based services are a WLAN and edge networking capability, not relevant to data center switching.
References (HPE Aruba Networking Solutions / Study Guides):
Aruba CX 10000 Switch Series with Pensando — Product Overview / Data Sheet
Aruba ESP Data Center Networking — Solution Overview
Aruba Zero Trust and Distributed Services Architecture — Technical White Paper
HPE Aruba Networking Competitive Positioning for Data Center Solutions
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