LendingTree Standardizes on Aruba ESP

Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company, announced that LendingTree has standardized on Aruba ESP in its new Charlotte, North Carolina headquarters and across its branch offices, to enable a mobile-first work environment and elevated user experiences for its employees.

LendingTree empowers consumers to shop for financial services like mortgage loans, re-finances, auto, business and personal loans, and more, the same way they would shop for airline tickets or hotel stays, comparing multiple offers from a nationwide network of over 500 partners in one simple search. LendingTree’s vision is to provide its employees with an elevated workplace experience that allows for flexibility, collaboration, and mobility.

Working with e+ Partners, LendingTree decided to standardize on Aruba across the organization. The company is deploying an Aruba ESP-based network including 200+ Wi-Fi 6 APS, Aruba CX Series switches, Aruba Central, and ClearPass in its new six-floor headquarters.

Slated to open in January 2021, LendingTree’s new headquarters will be a state-of-the-art facility with modernized signage, integrated mobile-first capabilities, and open, flowing space including mixed use areas not commonly found in the corporate environment such as a library, music room, game rooms, patios, and bar areas where employees can socialize after hours.

The mobile-first workplace will allow employees to use their smartphones, laptops, and other devices to connect securely and reliably from any location in the building and in outdoor spaces like the building’s private veranda. It will also allow employees to collaborate via any of the wide variety of UC apps in use at LendingTree or those used by partners and customers including Zoom, Microsoft Teams, WebEx, and AWS’ Chime.

An important part of LendingTree’s vision is the ability to securely connect associates, guests and customers to the network. To accomplish this, the organization is relying on Aruba ClearPass to provide visibility into who is connecting to the network, and to manage and control the appropriate levels of access each user receives.

Aruba Central was also a key factor in LendingTree’s decision to standardize on Aruba. Central enabled fast and easy deployment, configuration, and management of the network infrastructure, eliminating the company’s previous time-consuming and resource-constraining efforts.

The Aruba ESP network will be a critical foundation for LendingTree’s growth. The company’s aggressive acquisition strategy means that onboarding and integrating newly acquired organizations quickly and uniformly is essential. Taylor remarked that the Aruba network will allow LendingTree to be flexible, maintaining their acquired companies’ policies and procedures, while integrating and ensuring compliance with corporate processes.