SUCCESS STORY: The University of Texas at San Antonio
Customer Company Size
Large Corporate
Region
- America
Country
- United States
Product
- Brocade MLX Series Core Routers
Tech Stack
- Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS)
- Virtual Private LAN Service (VPLS)
Implementation Scale
- Enterprise-wide Deployment
Impact Metrics
- Productivity Improvements
- Digital Expertise
Technology Category
- Networks & Connectivity - Ethernet
Applicable Industries
- Education
Applicable Functions
- Business Operation
Use Cases
- Campus Area Network
Services
- System Integration
- Cloud Planning, Design & Implementation Services
About The Customer
The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) is an emerging Tier One research institution specializing in health, energy, security, sustainability, and human and social development. Approximately 30,000 students attend classes at one of three campuses: the Main Campus at the foot of the Texas Hill Country; the Downtown Campus in San Antonio’s business and cultural district; and the HemisFair Park campus, which is home to the UTSA Institute of Texan Cultures. As a research institution, UTSA also supports 25 research centers and institutes, which require next-generation network performance and capabilities to help them achieve their goals.
The Challenge
The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) was facing challenges in providing its community with highly available, secure, flexible, and robust services for networking and other technologies. The university's previous campus networks were designed as individual Cisco hub-and spoke architectures on each of the three campuses. As UTSA grew, the team needed more network flexibility and state-of-the-art tools to meet its internal customers’ needs. Network traffic patterns across campus locations had changed, teaching methods had changed because of new technology capabilities, and traffic volumes had increased. In addition to the hub-and-spoke architecture limitations, the existing network equipment was reaching its end of life. For the IT team, it was an ideal time to reevaluate the core network and learn more about new, leading-edge capabilities.
The Solution
UTSA deployed 26 Brocade MLX Series Core Routers, which offer a modular approach to scalability. UTSA’s systems provide 16 slots for a mix of 1 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) and 10 GbE interfaces. Each building on the three campuses houses a Brocade MLX Router. The Brocade MLX reduces network complexity by enabling the IT team to collapse core or backbone routing with border routing, as well as provide connectivity between sites using MPLS/ VPLS. From UTSA’s perspective, the Brocade MLX enables them to create a private enterprise cloud for delivering services across multiple locations. The Brocade MLX also delivers the resiliency that ensures high uptime between geographically separated locations.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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