NETWORKS

Juniper Networks today announced that the company has helped Merit Network, Inc., a Michigan-based non-profit provider of high-performance networking and services, more than double the capacity of its research and education network to support new services for its Members and manage growing application demands. By selecting Juniper Networks EX Series Ethernet Switches, M Series Multiservice Edge Routers and MX Series Ethernet Services Routers, Merit will be able to support next-generation, bandwidth-intensive applications such as high-definition classroom video conferencing and virtual field trips. Additionally, the increased capacity allows Merit to grant Members full access to Internet2, the U.S. advanced networking consortium, without causing network congestion.

“Back when we were one of the first R&E networks offering 300 megabit capacity, we never imagined the spike in data volumes that our Members would require today,” said Bob Stovall, vice president of Network Operations and Engineering, Merit Network. “These days, the content traffic and application load surpasses anything we’ve seen in the past, and we expect this to continue growing each day. By increasing our capacity with Juniper, we can enhance the quality of service we provide and protect our existing investments — not just today but well into the future.”

Michigan’s research and education community — from K-12 school districts to state government agencies — has long relied on Merit’s regional optical network. Members now tax the network with typical bandwidth-intensive applications such as video conferencing and real-time analytics of massive data sets, as well as specialized applications such as streaming symphony-quality music, virtual field trips to museums around the country, and broadcasting high-definition video dance courses from remote locations. Merit needed a cost-effective, high-performance network core that could deliver advanced services, scalability and engineering performance to support such a diverse set of applications and services.

“We wanted a platform that could provide at least 10 gigabit capacity in a small footprint with low power consumption, and the Juniper Networks EX, M and MX Series products will provide that and more,” Stovall noted. “We want to meet our future capacity needs for at least the next five years without undertaking a major forklift upgrade.”

Juniper’s EX Series switches and MX Series routers simplify data center network design by enabling the collapsing of the core and aggregation layers, providing significant capital and operational cost savings. Juniper's Virtual Chassis technology, which allows up to 10 EX4200 Ethernet switches to be interconnected as a single logical device, combined with line-rate 10 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) performance on its chassis-based EX8200 line, significantly reduce the number of interswitch links and the amount of equipment required in the data center by up to half.

Juniper’s family of MX Series Ethernet Services Routers offer advanced routing capabilities, such as MPLS network virtualization, low-latency multicast, advanced quality of service (QoS), and high availability, along with switching and security capabilities. A portfolio of Ethernet line cards provides customers with flexibility and choice for Ethernet speeds, and fiber optic and copper interfaces that scale from 20 to 40 Gbps per card. Deployment is simple and non-disruptive.

The Juniper Networks M Series is a family of high-performance multiservice edge routers with advanced routing features that delivers exceptional flexibility and reliability over a wide range of connectivity options. The M Series Multiservice Edge Routers enable service providers and enterprises to rapidly and efficiently deploy new, revenue-generating services while minimizing total cost of ownership.

The EX, M and MX Series solutions all run JUNOS Software, a single source operating system integrating routing, switching, security and network services from Juniper Networks. With JUNOS, administrators can quickly and cost-effectively keep up with changing business demands and easily customize services and applications.

“High-quality, low-latency video, voice, data and storage networks are a must for today’s research and education networks, which are increasingly dependent on the fast, secure and reliable transport of huge amounts of data,” said Phil O’Reilly, senior vice president, U.S. Enterprise Sales, Juniper Networks. “Global R&E networks are often the first adopters of advanced, high-bandwidth solutions, and the paths they forge are often followed by commercial and public sector organizations. We see Merit’s choice to deploy the EX, M and MX Series to significantly increase their network capacity as a testament to the performance, scalability and efficiency of Juniper’s high-performance networking solutions and JUNOS Software.”