London, England - May 15, 2003: Cisco Systems today announced that the University of Central England (UCE) has selected Cisco switching technology to underpin a new 10 Gigabit Ethernet based network infrastructure following an extensive evaluation of multiple vendors. UCE is deploying a complete new campus network from core to edge supporting over 5,000 ports. The campus network will link UCE's seven sites across Birmingham, the high-speed inter-site links being provided by Telewest Communications. UCE is working closely with Cisco Premier Partner, Synetrix to integrate the network.
By supporting high-bandwidth connections with a rich set of services, the network will have the capacity to help UCE implement new applications such as server-less buildings, data centre remote mirroring, disaster recovery, e-learning, and imaging/3D modelling while underpinning UCE's digital library project. The network will also help facilitate the management and security of users, through a rich set of user administration tools, helping UCE to manage authentications centrally across both UCE's new and existing network environments.
"We were particularly concerned about total cost of ownership and investment protection and found Cisco to have the best history and future roadmap with an evolutionary approach to product development," said Colin Tennant, IT director, UCE. "Cisco was also the only vendor who could offer a solution that was truly ready to support a 10-Gbit/s Ethernet core."
Security is highly important for UCE so the university is deploying Cisco's integrated firewall, intrusion detection and VPN modules within the core of the network. It will also implement Cisco Express Forwarding architecture to help protect the core of the network from potential Internet virus and worm attacks.
"We have a long standing relationship with UCE and are very pleased to be involved in the latest upgrade of their network infrastructure," added Andy Hvass, sales director, Synetrix. "We are confident that the Cisco platform provides the best solution for UCE's requirements today and in the future."
Chris Dedicoat, group vice president, EMEA at Cisco Systems, commented: "We are delighted to have been chosen to supply the new network to UCE which is a terrific example of a forward looking University focusing on technology through its technical innovation centre (TIC). By migrating to 10 Gigabit Ethernet it demonstrates UCE's continued innovation in helping to prepare the University and students for the future."
The Cisco solution is based on Catalyst® 6500 series switches, with 10 Gigabit Ethernet modules as well as the new Cisco Supervisor 720 engine in the network core, together with Catalyst 3500 and 2950 series switches. UCE will also deploy the integrated firewall and VPN concentrator modules for the Catalyst 6500, and will manage the overall environment with CiscoWorks. In addition the Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series helps provide a foundation for converged voice, video and data IP communications, which UCE hopes to implement in the near future.
UCE already has a history of working with Cisco at UCE's Technology Innovation Centre. UCE was the first Cisco Networking Academy in the UK and the first University in the UK to be working with the Cisco Learning Foundation on the development of the Virtuoso Virtual Learning Environment. UCE's Technology Innovation Centre is a key constituent of the University and draws upon strong partnerships with national and international industry at the forefront of technological innovation, including Cisco Systems.
