SCIENCE

Juniper Networks has announced that Carilion Clinic, a Roanoke, VA-based not-for-profit healthcare organization, has built a new network data center based on Juniper Networks switching and routing technologies to support the growing needs of its comprehensive clinic and new medical school.

Carilion Clinic deployed Juniper Networks EX Series Ethernet Switches and M Series Multiservice Routers powered by Junos software across its new secondary data center and campus networks to ensure seamless, highly reliable delivery of mission-critical applications to more than 600 physicians spread across eight hospitals.

Carilion Clinic transformed from a traditional network of hospitals into a comprehensive clinic with leading patient-centered care, medical education and clinical research, with the goal of providing the best possible experience for each patient. The Clinic uses Juniper Networks M10i Multiservice Edge Routers, a compact and fully redundant routing platform, to connect its primary and secondary data centers and support 16 Gbps of throughput, enabling reliable and secure services within the network.

The Juniper Networks EX8200 line of modular Ethernet Switches delivers the port densities, scalability and high availability required for Carilion's demanding data center and campus core environments. Additionally, Juniper Networks EX4200 Ethernet Switches with Virtual Chassis fabric technology enable up to 10 interconnected switches to operate as a single, logical device, allowing Carilion to incrementally increase capacity for varying loads of activity while reducing operational complexity.

"Juniper has a reputation for high-performance and carrier-class reliability, and now we have a solution that will enable us to scale to meet our business continuity objectives," said Mike Smith, director of technical services at Carilion Clinic. "When evaluating switching and routing solutions for our secondary data center, Juniper's functionality was unmatched. We especially like the manageability and flexibility of Juniper's EX Series Switches and M Series Routers, as well as Junos software's compatibility with our IT service management process. We were able to deploy this new infrastructure under an aggressive timetable, while also planning ahead for anticipated future support needs."

Carilion Clinic also plans to use the advanced quality of service (QoS) capabilities of Junos in the near future when it enforces QoS policies for its electronic medical records, voice, video and other mission-critical applications across its MPLS network. The Clinic also plans to expand its use of video, increasing IP multicast streams on its routing infrastructure.

"The Carilion Clinic embodies today's future-thinking and comprehensive healthcare organization model in terms of using a new network infrastructure that directly advances the quality of patient care," said Andy Ingram, vice president of product marketing and business development, Fabric and Switching Technologies, Juniper Networks. "Leveraging the power of a single OS, Junos, Carilion has built a next-generation data center network that dramatically reduces cost and complexity while also improving application and business performance, which ultimately leads to higher value exchanges between its patients, doctors and employees."