Security, QoS at Core of Italian University's Converged Network
Italy's University of Milan Bicocca will work with Santa Clara, CA-based Extreme Networks Inc. to upgrade its campus-wide network with a scalable, secure infrastructure that will deliver multimedia communications to staff, faculty, and visitors across multiple campuses.
Located on the northern outskirts of Milan, the University's campus features more than 30 computer labs and 8,000 terminals. It network needs include fast, secure access; delivery of online curricula; and the ability to provide converged communications such as video and voice over IP (VoIP). To meet these needs, the university opted for Extreme Networks' BlackDiamond 12K modular switch, which delivers quality of service (QoS) capabilities to prioritize bandwidth for the various communications streams.
"The data traversing our network backbone is diverse and mission critical, requiring that we account for student confidentiality and the integrity of communications," said Stefano Moroni, Milan Bicocca University's IT manager for data and telecommunications, in a prepared statement.
The BlackDiamond 12K switch's CLEAR-Flow security rules engine provides flexible sampling and real-time threshold alarm mechanisms from inside the switch, which lets it take action automatically. It can automatically notify network managers who can react in ways that are tailored to the threat.
The switch also performs various routing functions in hardware, such as longest prefix match (LPM) and routing and multiprotocol label sSwitching (MPLS) and IPv6.
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David Kopf is a freelance technology writer and marketing consultant, and can be reached at david@dkcopy.com.