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7/30/2019 Extreme Networks University of Brighton Case Study
1/2
Make Your Network Mobile
Extreme Networks Case Study: University of Brighton
Leading UK University Turns to ExtremeNetworks for Reliability, Manageabilityand Flexibility
With ve UK campuses (in Brighton, Eastbourne and Hastings)
spanning 60 buildings and serving a community o over 21,000
students and 2,600 sta members, the University o Brighton isrecognised as a leading institution o higher education. With over 500
courses to choose rom, the University o Brighton is a modern,
innovative institution on one o the liveliest sections o the UK coast.
Since university designation in 1992, the University has grown steadily
and students graduate in a range o subjects as diverse as automotive
engine design, law with accountancy, midwiery, three-dimensional
design, architecture and pharmacy.
Growing Network Needs
The Universitys network plays an integral role and is business critical
or sta, lecturers and students, providing 24/7 access to the Virtual
Learning Environment (VLE) and business applications. The original
inrastructure was hybrid, home grown system, installed andmaintained by the IT department. The core network and applications
included a number o dierent vendors products, and no common
management platorm. Although this was suitable at the time, the
growing number o students, and consequently the growing pressure
on the network and IT sta, meant a more resilient, reliable and cost
ecient system was required.
The University eventually chose Extreme Networks to deliver a more
robust and secure network, with Extreme Networks BlackDiamond
8800 switches in the core and two new data centres based on the
Summit X650 and X460 switches. The resulting inrastructure
supports the delivery o lecturers notes and lessons through real-time
video applications, which provides students with a more fexible
approach to studying.
As a university our main priority is providing the best education
possible to our students, said David Rickhard, Network Services
Manager at the University o Brighton. This relies heavily on the ICT
inrastructure being able to deliver a high-perormance service, as well
as a resilient and reliable learning environment. We have worked with
Extreme Networks or over a decade and the decision to continue
working with them was an easy one to make. Not only did they have
proven experience in the education sector and within the University
itsel, but their proposals enabled us to meet all our business objectives
within a strict, designated budget.
Challenge
The University o Brighton needed a network that would
support the delivery o lecturers notes and lessons through
real-time video applications. Its original network was built
on a hodgepodge o products that was unmanageable.
SolutionExtreme Networks provided a comprehensive solution rom
core to edge based on BlackDiamond and Summit switche
Benefts
The network supports all o the applications the
University requires to provide students with a more
fexible approach to studying.
Extreme Networks provides 24/7 availability.
The solution is easy to manage with ExtremeXOS,
a consistent architecture across all products.
Extreme Networks Delivers
Virtual Learning Environment for
University of Brighton
7/30/2019 Extreme Networks University of Brighton Case Study
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Extreme Networks Case Study: University of Brighton
Make Your Network Mobile
2013 Extreme Networks, Inc. All rights reserved. Extreme Networks, the Extreme Networks logo, BlackDiamond, ExtremeXOS, Ridgeline and Summit are either registered
trademarks or trademarks of Extreme Networks, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. All other names and marks are the property of their respective owners.
Specifications are subject to change without notice. 1874_01 09/12
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High Availability and Perormance orVirtual Learning
The University o Brighton prides itsel on keeping current with
developments in education technology and lecturers rely heavily
on the network to deliver lessons and distribute notes and grades
via the VLE. Lecturers regularly lm lectures, which can be stored
on the network and later streamed or downloaded by students, so
it is vital that network downtime is avoided.
Our ICT inrastructure is the backbone o the University and has
become an integral part o every students day-to-day lie, said
Rickhard. Extreme Networks cost-eective and versatile network
has enabled us to deliver a state-o-the-art virtual learning
environment which provides a space where teachers can deliver
lectures in real-time or as videos or streaming and download.
Thanks to the robust and secure solution provided by Extreme
Networks, we are able to continue to meet the highest standards
o education at our award winning acilities and meet student
demand or increased fexibility.
Extreme Networks BlackDiamond 8800 switch provides the
University with a specialised network solution that delivers high
density Power over Ethernet (PoE), 10 Gigabit Ethernet whereverits needed, and a high perormance enterprise core, which
eliminates bottlenecks between edge and core and reduces data
trac. The BlackDiamond 8800 switch has been complemented
with the ExtremeXOS modular operating system, common across
all Extreme Networks switches. The Extreme Networks solution
has enabled the University to simpliy network operations, despite
the increased number o users and pressure on the system.
The ExtremeXOS modular operating system and Summit
switches have been invaluable to us, said Rickhard. Managing a
network o this size requires a large amount o manpower and can
take up a huge amount o time, but the central management
system and automatic ailover mechanism oered by the
BlackDiamond 8800 means that i one switch ails the secondautomatically takes over. As a result, the sta and students that
rely on the network dont suer i problems do arise.
Extreme Networks provides high availability and simplicity and
delivers a consistent and hardened network inrastructure that
reduces management overhead, operational complexity and
capital expenditures or the University. It also delivers fawless
operations, as well as a secure and robust learning environment
or the distribution o voice, video and data to a highly mobile user
community through a prolieration o network enabled devices.
Customer service
The University appreciates the pride Extreme Networks takes in itscustomer service and support. Prior to installation, the Universitys
ICT inrastructure team was given ull access to the demonstration
centre at the UK headquarters, enabling them to see rst-hand the
capabilities and benets oered by Extreme Networks products.
The customer support has been impeccable, not only in terms o
continued support oered by the technical sta, who are an asset
to the company, but also in terms o training and seminars to
bring sta up-to-date with the system and technology, said
Rickhard. This is something weve noticed to be unique to
Extreme Networks. Youre not just an account number, youre a
customer, and even those at high levels within the organisation are
approachable and know you by name.
Excellent Return on Investment and Valueor Money
Virtually every educational institution is subject to strict budgetary
constraints, and must nd the absolute best value or money and
ROI available. These actors usually make or break a deal.
One o the deciding actors in staying with Extreme Networks
during the system upgrade was the return on investment we have
seen over the years weve been working with them. The network
has worked seamlessly or over 11 years with minimal disruption. I
the requirements o the network had not changed it would still be
sucient. When working within the tight budgets seen in the
education sector, this is a huge deciding actor, said Rickhard.
The bottom line is that the University sees no other network
partner in its uture. Since we started working with Extreme
Networks, theyve been quick to understand our requirements and
implement solutions that not only support out needs now but also
our plans or the uture, explained Rickhard. The fexibility
oered by Extreme Networks solutions is vital in a dynamic and
continually changing environment like the education sector. The
account management team keeps us up-to-date with new
applications and ways to improve the learning environment. We
look orward to continuing our relationship with Extreme
Networks and would recommend the company to anyone looking
to upgrade their ICT inrastructure.
Thanks to the robust and secure solution provided
by Extreme Networks we are able to continue to
meet the highest standards o education at our
award winning acilities and meet student demand
or increased fexibility.
- David Rickhard, Network Services
Manager at the University o Brighton
Since we started working with Extreme Networks,
theyve been quick to understand our requirements
and implement solutions that not only support outneeds now but also our plans or the uture.
- David Rickhard, Network Services
Manager at the University o Brighton
http://www.extremenetworks.com/http://www.extremenetworks.com/Recommended