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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Challenge
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH) Zurich accelerates innovation.
It is the largest science and technology institution in Switzerland and is at the heart
of global challenges such as climate change, world food supply, and human health
issues. Regularly ranked among the world’s best international universities, ETH
Zurich is acknowledged as a center of excellence in engineering, architecture,
mathematics, natural sciences, system-oriented sciences, and management and
social sciences. With some 413 professors and 17,000 students, many of whom
are doctorate candidates, ETH Zurich is the study, research, and work place for
80 nationalities.
It is the largest science and technology institution in Switzerland and is at the heart
of global challenges such as climate change, world food supply, and human health
issues. Regularly ranked among the world’s best international universities, ETH
Zurich is acknowledged as a center of excellence in engineering, architecture,
mathematics, natural sciences, system-oriented sciences, and management and
social sciences. With some 413 professors and 17,000 students, many of whom
are doctorate candidates, ETH Zurich is the study, research, and work place for
80 nationalities.
The university’s Cisco-based network is a key enabler, not just for delivering
connected education on the campus, but also for supporting virtual learning and
global collaboration with other academic and research institutions, for example, by
linking to SWITCH, the Swiss National Research and Education Network.
connected education on the campus, but also for supporting virtual learning and
global collaboration with other academic and research institutions, for example, by
linking to SWITCH, the Swiss National Research and Education Network.
The end goal is to use IP networking and collaboration tools to improve student
success rates, while also shortening research and development (R&D) cycles,
thereby speeding time-to-benefits realization and knowledge transfer to
businesses and the wider community.
success rates, while also shortening research and development (R&D) cycles,
thereby speeding time-to-benefits realization and knowledge transfer to
businesses and the wider community.
Although relatively small in size, the IT team at ETH Zurich plays a pivotal role in this
process. As well as maximizing network uptime, they are always looking to take
the best that technology has to offer. In 2004, the university was one of the first
Cisco customers to introduce Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) in a campus
environment with Cisco Catalyst® 6500 Series Switches, a technology that today
is still crucial to the university’s ongoing success. MPLS was used to build an open
and collaborative platform that is securely partitioned into over 170 VPNs, in turn
protecting sensitive data, for example, relating to drug trials, patient records, and
confidential research.
process. As well as maximizing network uptime, they are always looking to take
the best that technology has to offer. In 2004, the university was one of the first
Cisco customers to introduce Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) in a campus
environment with Cisco Catalyst® 6500 Series Switches, a technology that today
is still crucial to the university’s ongoing success. MPLS was used to build an open
and collaborative platform that is securely partitioned into over 170 VPNs, in turn
protecting sensitive data, for example, relating to drug trials, patient records, and
confidential research.
Keen to take advantage of recent technological advances, the IT team decided to step back and plan the next phase of
its transformational strategy. “Our role is that of an internal service provider operating a multitenant environment,” says
Derk-Jan Valenkamp, network manager for ETH Zurich. “Some of our customers want to be open to the Internet, and others
need a closed network environment. MPLS caters for all requirements and eliminates the need to build and manage security
profiles on an individual basis. However, it was becoming harder to negotiate maintenance windows, so we needed to find a
way of increasing the agility and availability of our MPLS platform.”
its transformational strategy. “Our role is that of an internal service provider operating a multitenant environment,” says
Derk-Jan Valenkamp, network manager for ETH Zurich. “Some of our customers want to be open to the Internet, and others
need a closed network environment. MPLS caters for all requirements and eliminates the need to build and manage security
profiles on an individual basis. However, it was becoming harder to negotiate maintenance windows, so we needed to find a
way of increasing the agility and availability of our MPLS platform.”
Customer Case Study
© 2012 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information.
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Customer Name:
Swiss Federal Institute
of Technology Zurich
Industry:
Education
Location:
Switzerland
Number of Employees:
27,000 staff
and students
and students
Challenge
• Create highly available, secure network
that facilitates collaboration
• Help ensure IT model is aligned to
support competitive advantage and
growth for next 10 years
growth for next 10 years
Solution
• Cisco Unified Data Center architecture
and Nexus platform optimize resources
spread across data centers connected
by MPLS-enabled campus network
spread across data centers connected
by MPLS-enabled campus network
Results
• Reduce risk, cost, and time-to-market
for researchers
• Deliver a Network which can handle the
growth of research Data.
• Platform for growth and attracting
talented students and staff