University of Cyprus advances HPC research projects and smart campus with single-vendor network

University of Cyprus (UCY) has quickly earned a leadership position as a research university and a destination for scholars in the Mediterranean. With an eye on building a smart campus and supporting the demands of research and academics, the university deployed a cohesive, high-performance network from Juniper Networks.

Led by systems integrator GCC, the team collaborated to create an intelligent, reliable network that stands as a prototype for all universities in the region. The architecture was filled with technology firsts for the area, as well as nearby universities.

Overview


Company University of Cyprus
Industry Education
Products used MX240EX3400QFX5100QFX10008 and QFX10016
Region EMEA
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Customer Success At-a-glance

1st

University in Cyprus to implement Ethernet VPN (EVPN) and move to IPv6

0

Complaints about network migration or downtime

40% cost savings

Compared to previously installed network infrastructure

Challenge

Building a smart campus with a smart foundation

Established in 1989, University of Cyprus has a goal of becoming a pioneer research institution and a center of excellence for academics in the Euro-Mediterranean Region. To reach these pinnacles, it needed a network foundation that was both agile and powerful.

University leaders wanted to give researchers the resources that high-performance computing applications require. They wanted students to have a smart, safe campus, plus all the amenities of fast Internet and superior application performance. Unfortunately, this brilliant future was unlikely to happen with an aging, multivendor network.

The university granted the project to the local trusted integrator GCC, and an implementation design was shaped to upgrade to a single network provider to both streamline network operations and enable highly reliable performance.

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Solution

More powerful network supports more innovative applications

University of Cyprus transformed campus access, core data center, and internet edge networks with Juniper. The core and data center network, which supports two campuses and research centers, relies on Juniper Networks® QFX10000 and QFX5100 Switches. Juniper Networks EX Series Ethernet Switches form the access layer, while the Juniper Networks MX240 Universal Routing Platform provides edge routing and Internet connectivity.

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Outcome

Technology firsts unleash research opportunities and operational savings

The University of Cyprus team made bold decisions to prepare the university for exciting future innovations. The university was the first in the region to implement Ethernet VPN (EVPN). As the overlay network, EVPN enables workload mobility and virtual networking to support different secure, private networking.

An advanced Juniper network has opened infinite possibilities. The university is migrating to a smart campus with new residential housing for students. The building will include smart lighting, heating, and water usage.

Educational and administrative applications have already benefited from faster network speeds and capacity. Recent grants can now get underway as the university can support more HPC clusters.

The four-person team once sought additional staff. Now there’s no more need. Juniper’s reliability, automation, and streamlined operations mean the network team can accomplish more than ever.

With Juniper, the university can take on the demands of today and build the smart campus of the future.

GCC, an Elite Juniper Networks Partner, has implemented a secure, flexible, scalable, next-generation network with its highly skilled professionals, enabling UCY to deliver advanced innovative educational services and tools to meet the evolving needs of the future leaders and learners of tomorrow.

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"Having an advanced network from Juniper is like finally getting a road from the port to the city. Now we can enjoy all the things coming in from the port that we couldn’t access before. We can add new applications and move toward becoming a smart campus. The Juniper network opens all sorts of possibilities for an incredible future."
Christos Charalambous Head of IT infrastructure service, University of Cyprus

Published February 2021