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Project to support university growth, student services and serve as a software-defined networking learning resource
· Project is one of first in the Middle East to use Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) and F5 Networks technology.
· Initiative will be vital to accommodate QU's growth and innovation ambitions.
· Cutting-edge technology feeds into Doha's smart city strategy.
Dubai, United Arab Emirates: Qatar University (QU) today bolstered its ability to grow and innovate by launching one of the Middle East's most advanced disaster recovery (DR) data centres.
Using technology from F5 Networks and Cisco, QU is now one of the first education institutions in the region to run a software-defined (SDN) DR data center that is centralized, rapidly configurable and scalable. The project will also serve a learning resource for SDN research and ICT student development.
"It is an important achievement for QU to become the first academic institution in the Middle East to deploy an SDN DR data center," said Trevor Moore, CIO, Qatar University.
"In particular, the project highlights how our IT development strategy is continually evolving to provide QU staff and students with the best possible state-of-the art and risk-free network services. It also stands as a best practice example and contribution to Qatar's ambitions for transforming Doha into a smart city," he added.
Key benefits of the new DR data center include cutting time-to-market for newly deployed services, reducing risk by removing touch points and management silos, as well as enhancing QU's overall flexibility to scale and react to both controlled and unforeseen circumstances.
The project uses Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) and F5 Networks technology to manage both low-level network services and higher level application services from one central management interface - the Cisco Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC).
The DR data centre runs on Cisco ACI, which combines the flexibility of software with the scalability of hardware performance, using Nexus 9000 switches and orchestration with Cisco APIC. It also facilitates rapid systems integration and customization for network services, monitoring, management, as well as orchestration with visibility for both physical and virtual networks.
F5 Networks' contribution includes application delivery control and layer 4 through 7 functionality using the ACI-compatible F5® BIG-IP® Local Traffic Manager™ (LTM) in order to simplify, automate, and customize application delivery. In addition, the F5® BIG-IP® DNS scales and secures DNS infrastructure during high query volumes and DDoS attacks. The project design is flexible to integrate additional F5 solutions such as Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM) and Web Application Firewall (WAF).
"We are delighted to strategically collaborate with Cisco on this trailblazing project at Qatar University, which is all about automation, simplification and really showing what next generation data centers are capable of," said Garth Braithwaite, Regional Director - Middle East and Turkey, F5 Networks.
"Today, it is more important than ever for organizations to deploy and deliver applications with speed, reliability and security that is capable of meeting meet pressing operational challenges such as security, cloud enablement and mobility."
Mohammad Hammoudi, General Manager, Cisco Qatar, said:
"The combination of Cisco ACI and F5 Networks technology is genuinely transformative for the data center, enabling rapid provisioning, orchestration and scaling of critical network and application delivery services - all while maintaining or improving performance, security and reliability. Furthermore, as more and more devices and things become connected, the need to increase the expertise in ICT is accelerating not just in Qatar but also globally, the disaster recovery data center at QU will facilitate this vital learning experience enabling students to advance their IT skills."
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About Qatar University
Qatar University is the national institution of higher education in Qatar. It provides high quality undergraduate and graduate programs that prepare competent graduates, destined to shape the future of Qatar. The university community has diverse and committed faculty who teach and conduct research, which addresses relevant local and regional challenges, advances knowledge, and contributes actively to the needs and aspirations of society.
For more information, visit www.qu.edu.qa
About Cisco
Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in IT that helps companies seize the opportunities of tomorrow by proving that amazing things can happen when you connect the previously unconnected. For ongoing news, please go to thenetwork.cisco.com
Cisco and the Cisco logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cisco and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. A listing of Cisco's trademarks can be found at www.cisco.com/go/trademarks. Third-party trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company.
About F5
F5 (NASDAQ: FFIV) provides solutions for an application world. F5 helps organizations seamlessly scale cloud, data center, telecommunications, and software defined networking (SDN) deployments to successfully deliver applications and services to anyone, anywhere, at any time. F5 solutions broaden the reach of IT through an open, extensible framework and a rich partner ecosystem of leading technology and orchestration vendors. This approach lets customers pursue the infrastructure model that best fits their needs over time. The world's largest businesses, service providers, government entities, and consumer brands rely on F5 to stay ahead of cloud, security, and mobility trends. For more information, go to f5.com.
You can also follow @f5NetworksME on Twitter or visit us on Facebook for more information about F5, its partners, and technologies.
CONTACTS:
Amina Grimen
The Portsmouth Group
+971 55 298 6070
amina.grimen@theportsmouthgroup.com
© Press Release 2016
