Armstrong Atlantic State University Makes the Grade With Juniper Networks Wireless Solutions

SUNNYVALE, CA--(Marketwired - Jul 30, 2013) - Juniper Networks (NYSE: JNPR), the industry leader in network innovation, today announced that Armstrong Atlantic State University, part of the University System of Georgia, has successfully deployed Juniper Networks wireless solutions across its campus-wide network. To support the burgeoning use of mobile devices among students, faculty and staff, Savannah, Georgia-based Armstrong Atlantic State University partnered with Juniper Networks to build out a robust data center and campus network architecture. The new wireless local area network (WLAN) delivers a reliable, consistent mobile experience capable of handling thousands of concurrent sessions of high-definition video, online collaboration and bandwidth-intensive academic research and computational processes.

As a four-year state university offering more than 100 different academic programs to approximately 7,500 students, Armstrong recognized that implementing a comprehensive campus solution with converged wired and wireless capabilities would have a direct and positive impact on its student, faculty and staff communities. In addition, the University supports distance-learning initiatives catering to a large military and mid-career audience, which dictated the need for a robust data center solution. With Juniper Networks, Armstrong was able to build a data center and campus network that addressed their needs while lowering operating costs.

As the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend continues to evolve, the ability for wireless networks to securely support large numbers of mobile devices simultaneously is a top concern for IT administrators. Armstrong's mobile users expect a seamless wireless experience, even as they transition between wired and wireless environments; if they have a negative experience, it can be potentially damaging to the organization's reputation.

In a recent third-party test conducted by wireless broadband consulting firm Novarum, Juniper Networks wireless solutions were proven to withstand large-scale, high-density BYOD environments without interruption, even in extremely bandwidth-intensive environments. As part of the rigorous testing process, Juniper Networks wireless LAN solutions were put through multiple failure scenarios and able to maintain strong connectivity throughout. When tested against competitive offerings, the test results revealed that Juniper Networks wireless LAN solutions were able to deliver high performance network connectivity coupled with additional advanced capabilities, such as Virtual Controller Cluster, which provides hitless fail-over to ensure uninterrupted network traffic to support critical applications.

 News Highlights:

• Juniper Networks® WLC Series Wireless LAN Controllers and WLA Series Wireless LAN Access Points, combined with the Juniper Networks EX Series Ethernet Switches, allow Armstrong to deploy a converged data center and campus network that delivers a robust, reliable wired and wireless experience to every user, regardless of location. In addition, with the use of Junos® Space Network Director, which provides a single pane of glass view into both wired and wireless network environments, Armstrong was able to reap the benefits of more efficient network management.
• Since the roll-out in Spring 2012, the University has seen roughly a 30 percent reduction in operating costs over its previous network vendor deployment. The University has plans to implement a nearly end-to-end Juniper Networks solution within its data center and campus environments, which will further reduce network complexity and maximize uptime.
• As an institution of higher learning that must maintain and process volumes of personal student data, Armstrong takes security very seriously. With Juniper Networks MAG6610 Junos Pulse Gateways, Armstrong was able to provide authorized users, including students, faculty, staff, guests and contractors, with safe, secure remote and LAN-based network access from anywhere on campus. The MAG Series Gateways integrate with the University's authentication system and interoperate with EX Series switches and any 802.1x device for dynamic context-aware security policy enforcement.
• To ensure a smooth deployment with minimal downtime, Armstrong turned to network systems integrator and Juniper Networks Partner Advantage Program Elite partner, Layer 3 Communications. Following the initial deployment, Layer 3 Communications continues to provide Armstrong with professional and technical support services for product support and maintenance at the local level.

Supporting Quotes:

"At Armstrong, we fully believe that every student deserves a high quality education and are committed to helping them reach their full potential. The reality is that ubiquitous, secure wireless connectivity is a must-have on today's modern college campuses. If you don't have it, it can have some serious negative ramifications to the institution's reputation. Working with Juniper Networks, we have been able to build out a secure wired and wireless data center and campus network infrastructure that addresses our needs today and well into tomorrow, all while improving total cost of ownership."
-Robert Howard, chief information officer, Armstrong Atlantic State University

"As a specialized network systems integrator, our primary focus is on providing the highest level of guidance, support and services to help our customers build next-generation networks that best support their businesses. In the case of Armstrong, Layer 3 Communications' professional services complemented the University's technical team's capabilities with local engineering resources to provide an additional layer of skill and expertise throughout the design, integration and upgrade process. Being locally based in Georgia, our true value comes from having a keen understanding of the local market and close proximity to the customer to ensure that Armstrong benefits from its investment with Juniper Networks."
-Rodney Turner, chief executive officer, Layer 3 Communications

"For this test -- the largest public wireless LAN test of its kind -- we constructed a repeatable test scenario with 300+ typical Wi-Fi clients accessing an enterprise WLAN consisting of six modern dual-band 802.11n enterprise access points in a high availability configuration with redundant controllers. In almost all of the tests we conducted, we overloaded the network with more traffic than would occur in a 'real-life' scenario so that we could observe how the network behaved under stress. The Juniper Networks WLAN system delivered consistent throughput during these tests and operated in a stable fashion under very high offered load. The Juniper system excelled at spreading the client load evenly -- with each laptop, tablet or smartphone getting a fair slice of the available system capacity. We also created some intentional hardware failures during the testing and the Juniper Networks WLAN system proved to be rock-solid through them all. The Juniper system maintained consistent network connectivity and throughput during a controller failover in the middle of a test."
-Phil Belanger, founder and chief marketing officer, Novarum

"Like many enterprises, universities are under extreme pressure to balance investment to ensure competitiveness while functioning under tight budgetary constraints. Industry disruptors like BYOD are forcing colleges to grapple with challenges such as explosive volume of devices used on campus. These devices are straining bandwidth resources and demanding new security requirements. At Juniper Networks, our customer-driven innovation is derived from closely listening to what our customers need and building the best solutions to help them solve their biggest challenges. This is why our wireless products are built to deliver highly resilient and reliable performance at scale."
- Steve Collen, vice president of marketing, Campus and Data Center Business Unit, Juniper Networks

Additional Resources:

• More information on Juniper Networks BYOD solutions
• Webinar: Can your WLAN handle the BYOD Explosion?
• Novarum Test Report: High Density WLAN Testing

About Juniper Networks
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