Juniper Networks expands Unite Architecture with new switches

NEW DELHI: Tech giant Juniper Networks has announced two new Juniper Networks EX Series access switches that are expected to enable simplified management for campus and branch networks, regardless of size and complexity.

The EX2300, an entry-level switch, and EX3400, a mid-range switch, offer new options for companies to leverage Juniper Networks Unite for a cloud-enabled enterprise, including Junos Fusion Enterprise and Juniper Networks Virtual Chassis technology to streamline network provisioning through a single point of management.

The new products are expected to also further Juniper's Software-Defined Secure Networks (SDSN) framework by serving as additional enforcement points throughout the network.

As part of Juniper Unite, an agile enterprise architecture that provides a simplified network infrastructure, the new EX2300 and EX3400 switches provide small and mid-market organizations with an easy-to-manage network solution, liberating overextended IT resources to concentrate on high-impact projects.

The new access switches also give large enterprises greater flexibility needed to significantly scale operations and implement resource-intensive IT projects. These switches enhance the EX Series switching portfolio, offering customers more choice while maintaining the same Junos-based EX feature set, including the endpoint functionality for Junos Fusion Enterprise. Additionally, by building enforcement capabilities into these new switches, companies can stop potential security threats closer to where they originate and help the network defend itself.

Announced last fall, Juniper Unite provides a foundation to build an agile and secure network for enterprises looking to quickly deploy cloud applications and services in a streamlined manner. This is done through cutting-edge switching, security and routing products as well as software technologies – including the switches announced today and third-party solutions through the Open Convergence Framework (OCF).

As a part of Juniper Unite, Junos Fusion Enterprise, the industry’s highest scaling software-enabled switching architecture for campus environments, based on the IEEE 802.1BR industry standard, provides automated network configuration and simplified scalability to meet business needs while promoting intelligent, flexible cloud-enabled enterprise networks.

Junos Fusion Enterprise allows customers to collapse multiple network layers, including an on-premises data center, into one simple, smart and flexible cloud-enabled enterprise network.

"Expanding the Unite architecture with the new EX switches offers our customers more choice, flexibility and investment protection. These new platforms also support Junos Fusion Enterprise – empowering IT teams to spend less time provisioning and more time delivering an innovative IT experience – and, by serving as enforcement points throughout the network, they also enhance Juniper’s Software-Defined Secure Networks framework by keeping the network and its users secure," said Jennifer Blatnik, Vice President of Cloud, Security and Enterprise Portfolio Marketing, Juniper Networks

“We initiated our 100-gigabit Dublink Transport plan in 2015, designed to retain, expand and attract businesses within a legacy Office Park. Increasing the City’s fiber capability will serve as an economic development driver and expand capabilities for primary and secondary education. To do this, we need a flexible, scalable, and simple network solution and Juniper Networks’ technology is a perfect fit for us. We look forward to continuing our relationship with Juniper and building out our small and medium sites with the EX Series for improved network operations," said Doug McCollough, Chief Information Officer, City of Dublin

“Juniper’s Junos Fusion Enterprise technology, with its single chassis view of more than 100 switches and its configuration sync features, will transform our distributed networks by consolidating them into a single, secure, logical point of management, configuration and operation. Combined with its operational simplicity and the ability to extend powerful features from the core to access devices, Junos Fusion Enterprise gives us flexible migration options and massive scalability while protecting existing investments," said Rafi Brenner,Vice President of Information Technology, ForeScout Technologies Inc.

"To meet our customers’ software-defined and cloud data center business objectives, we required a network architecture that’s flexible, scalable, simple to operate, and will support the full range of applications in use. Juniper Networks’ Junos Fusion brings unparalleled simplicity, scalability, and flexibility to the data center by flattening the network, including on-premises data centers, into one simple, smart and flexible cloud-enabled enterprise network. Customers benefit from a new level of agility within the data center, enabling them to rapidly deploy applications and services," said David Magee, Chief Technology Officer, Atrion Communication Resources

“Juniper’s new EX Series access switches provide more choice to support growing campus and branch requirements. Users demand increased bandwidth, while IT desires ease of provisioning and management. The addition of MACsec encryption on the EX3400 meets the security needs of regulated environments (e.g. government and financial services), while general capabilities such as zero-touch provisioning and Virtual Chassis technology deliver ease of deployment. Additionally, these new EX switches provide the building blocks for customers looking to Junos Fusion Enterprise for a scale-out, simplified management architecture," said Daniel Conde, Analyst, Enterprise Strategy Group