SCIENCE

Juniper Networks announced that Harris Farm Markets, Australia's first fruit and vegetable supermarket chain, is driving operational efficiency and stepping up its customer service with the deployment of an integrated Juniper-based networking solution for its stores and warehouses. The solution, based around Juniper Networks SRX Series Services Gateways and running on the Junos operating system, provides the company with a highly secure, reliable and cost-effective network to support its point-of-sale and inventory management applications.

Deployment of the new network infrastructure at Harris Farm Markets is part of an IT upgrade program at 23 store and warehouse locations across New South Wales. The company deployed SRX Series Services Gateways to integrate routing, switching and advanced security, with Juniper Networks AX411 Wireless Access Points used to support hand-held devices and CX111 Cellular Broadband Data Bridges to provide automatic fail-over to 3G wireless data connections if problems arise with the primary WAN link.

"We originally scoped the branch network for ourselves but IBM proposed a more cost-effective and functionally superior solution," said Ian Lapid, IT Manager, Harris Farm Markets. "The Juniper SRX Series consolidates enterprise-grade routing, switching and security on a single device, which reduced our capital cost. The Junos software delivers a level of functionality well in excess of what we had originally envisioned, whilst allowing us to simplify network management, which in turn reduces our operational costs."

Within Harris Farm Markets' sites, Juniper SRX240 Service Gateways are the network hub, providing a high performance firewall and connecting over an IP-VPN WAN to the head office, supporting point-of-sale devices through Ethernet connections, VoIP and remote management of the Juniper Networks AX411 Wireless Access Points. The CX111 Cellular Broadband Data Bridge can automatically establish a high-speed 3G data link back to head office in a few seconds, creating carrier and media diversity that practically eliminates the risk of service outages due to carrier WAN issues.

"It's within the branches and on the shop floor where companies like Harris Farm Markets meet their customers and generate revenue," said Mark Iles, vice president, Juniper Networks ANZ. "That means they need networking that is every bit as good as the head office, which is what the Juniper Networks SRX Series Services Gateways and their wireless LAN and WAN extensions are designed to achieve."

SRX Series Services Gateways for the branch are secure routers that deliver essential capabilities to connect, secure, and manage work force locations sized from dozens to hundreds of users. By leveraging Juniper Networks advanced ASIC technology for content security acceleration and the Junos operating system they provide content security, access control, and network-wide threat visibility and control together with best-in-class firewall and VPN technologies that secure the perimeter with minimal configuration and consistent performance.