University of Exeter Deploy Juniper EX Switches

Juniper Networks have announced their first real publishable major UK switch win at the University of Exeter....

The University of Exeter, one of the U.K.'s leading research universities, has deployed a comprehensive network infrastructure solution from Juniper Networks. As a key element of its campus-wide infrastructure upgrade, the University deployed the EX-series Ethernet Switches as well as the Juniper Networks MX-series Ethernet Services Routers, Integrated Security Gateway (ISG) firewall/VPN/intrusion prevention platforms and Secure Access SSL VPN platforms. The University is building its new high-performance network to provide additional services to users, and as part of its strategic goal to move from 13th in the UK to the top ten universities.

"Our goal is to sustain leading-edge research capabilities, provide excellent networking facilities for our 14,000 students and create a future-proof, cost-effective platform for growth. To achieve this, Exeter needed a single network infrastructure to deliver a wide range of bandwidth-rich applications without compromise," said Roger Snelling, Head of Networks at The University of Exeter. "The proven technology of Juniper's JUNOS software, a single-source network operating system, combined with the EX-series virtual chassis capability and its ease of integration with other technologies will enable Exeter to deliver high-performance networking to its users."

The University of Exeter needs to support bandwidth-intensive, quality-dependent video and audio conferencing applications as well as the ability to access and move large volumes of data across its network. Prioritizing these applications over less demanding traffic, such as email and Internet surfing, helps to maintain service quality over a single converged network. The network infrastructure created by the Juniper Networks MX-series and the EX-series running on JUNOS software, simplifies management and minimizes operational cost, enabling Exeter to provide gigabit-per-second links to the edge of its network.

The University also needs to balance the performance of converged, mixed-priority services with a large, frequently changing user population who access the network using a diverse range of unmanaged devices. The Juniper Networks ISG platform was selected to protect the network's core from network- and application-level attacks while maintaining high-performance throughput for legitimate data. Ideally suited for securing bandwidth-rich and latency-sensitive applications, ISG can be equipped with full intrusion detection and prevention capability with the optional IDP security modules. The Juniper Networks Secure Access SSL VPN platform enables remote users to gain secure access to the network, with Web browser-based functionality to enable immediate roll-out for new users. The Secure Access SSL VPN also checks user identity and security status of device (e.g. antivirus, personal firewall) before network access is granted, and dynamically during each session.

"Since they began shipping globally in March 2008, the EX-series Ethernet Switches are being selected by high-performance organizations such as The University of Exeter, to enable a new networking paradigm," said Gert-Jan Schenk, senior vice president of operations, EMEA, Juniper Networks. "It is also a great example of how the EX-series complements Juniper's existing portfolio, leveraging the openness and simplicity of a single network operating system, to create a fast, reliable, secure solution at scale."

Higher Education have always been good adopters for technology advancements, so the momentum will undoubtedly continue.

Quantix has a very wide range of Juniper products and has helped many public sector organisations with their networking solutions. If you would like more information or discuss how Quantix can help your organisation, please do not hesitate to contact us on: 0115 983 6200 or please visit our website.