Layer3 to Build High-Performance Campus network for Elizade University

Elizade University, the brainchild of Otunba Chief Michael Ade-Ojo, which is aiming to become a leading university in Nigeria, has selected Layer3 an established partner with Juniper and one of the supporters of the leading event called EduNet ,to build a comprehensive, secure, fast, reliable and converged campus network infrastructure using solutions from Juniper Networks.

As a key element of the multi-million dollar campus-wide infrastructure, the University will be deploying the EX-series Ethernet Switches, the Juniper Networks MX-series Ethernet Services Routers, the SRX Series Service Gateways and the WLA Series Wireless Access points. The University is building this high-performance network to provide best-in-class network access to users, and as part of its strategic goal to position the university amongst the highest rated universities globally.

In a detailed report made available to us from the company, it reads”Our goal is to build leading-edge research capabilities, provide excellent networking facilities for our students and faculty and create a future-proof, cost-effective platform for growth. To achieve this, Elizade University requires a single network infrastructure to deliver a wide range of bandwidth-rich applications without compromise,” said Deji Ayeni of BOSDEL Consulting Services, the ICT Consultant to Elizade University. “The proven technology of Juniper’s JUNOS software, a single-source network operating system, combined with the high performance MX routers and the EX-series virtual chassis capability and its ease of integration with other technologies as well as the award-winning firewall functionalities of the SRX line of secured gateways will enable Elizade University to deliver the highest performance in networking to its users. Our selection of Layer3, one of Juniper’s leading partners in West Africa backed by XON, one of the leading Juniper Networks partner in Africa, is based on their proven capacity to carry out the design and implementation of the project and provide the university with the required post-implementation technical support.”

“Elizade University will need to support high 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, will help to maintain service quality over a single converged network. The network infrastructure that will be built using the Juniper Networks MX-series, SRX, WLA and the EX-series running on JUNOS software, will simplify management and minimize operational cost, enabling the university to provide gigabit-per-second links to the edge of its network”, continued Deji Ayeni.

“Providing robust network service to a modern academic campus means having an infrastructure with the ability to handle not just basic email and file sharing but high performance routing of Internet, voice, video and advanced real-time network applications,” said Mark Chieshe, Layer3’s Head of Sales. “With solutions from Juniper Networks, we are able to meet Elizade University’s demanding requirements and provide them with minimum administrative overhead and the scalability to support future needs as their requirements evolve.”

The network design will put into consideration the need to balance the performance of converged, mixed-priority services with an expected large, frequently changing user population who will access the network using a diverse range of unmanaged devices. The Juniper Networks SRX 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, the SRX can be equipped with full intrusion detection and prevention capabilities. SRX gateways consolidate flexible network switching, routing, QoS, and advanced security options to support highly responsive and secure service operations, for a comprehensive branch, campus and data center solution. The WLA Series Wireless LAN access points will provide complete access point, mesh and bridging services. They provide high-performance, reliable mobility indoors and outdoors for any Wi-Fi device, enabling scalable deployment of wireless VOIP, video and location service.

“We are proud to have been selected for this project which is likely to be one of the most sophisticated and robust university campus networks to be built anywhere in Africa” added Oyaje Idoko, Layer3’s CEO. “Elizade University’s choice of Juniper Networks as the OEM and her selection of Layer3 for the project implementation is a further confirmation, based on proven results, of Juniper’s supremacy in network solutions as well as Layer3’s capacity in delivering these solutions.”