SNAP SHOT: DATA CENTER TRANSFORMATION

Many government data center networks have multiple heterogeneous platforms, four or more tiers and inconsistent management interfaces that make network consolidation and administration complex and time-consuming. The escalating difficulty of managing dispersed networks and complex security policies and tools impedes flexible, cost-effective data center management, creating weaknesses and the potential for security breaches.

Government data centers are also under intense pressure to secure information and provide transparency to meet requirements such as the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA). Meanwhile, the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) requires agencies to seek new methods to track resource usage, carbon emissions and efficient utilization of resources such as power and cooling in data centers.

Juniper Networks solutions embody new approaches to data center consolidation and management that reduce power and cooling costs, increase network availability and support disaster recovery, while sustaining growth and data center management. “To achieve efficient, secure, scalable and flexible data center networks, agencies need to decrease the complexity of data center architectures – and our high-density, next-generation Ethernet switches are key enablers in removing aggregation layers,” said Tim LeMaster, Juniper’s Director of Systems Engineering. “Advanced technologies such as network virtualization and WAN acceleration also help improve data center performance and efficiency, employing fewer network devices and consuming less power and space.”

Security in government data centers can also be improved via virtualized approaches to security throughout the network architecture, such as those embodied in Juniper’s new SRX-series of Dynamic Services Gateway products, LeMaster explained. Security should be deployed to include the following: denial of service (DoS) protection at the edge; firewall(s) to tightly control who and what gets in and out of the network; VPN solutions to protect communications; Network Access Control (NAC) to ensure granular network and application access control; and Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS) to protect against a more generic set of application-layer attacks.

Juniper also recommends an architecture review to uncover data center components that may effectively be replaced and/or consolidated. Juniper can help agencies consolidate, for example, by collapsing aggregation layer components for higher performance. Juniper’s network management portfolio includes Network and Security Manager (NSM), a centralized management solution for provisioning and policy configuration that scales across Juniper’s product line; Security Threat Response Manager (STRM), a network-wide event and application visibility solution with bundled compliance reporting packages; and Advanced Insight Manager (AIM), a diagnostic and case automation solution that enables government agencies to mitigate security, compliance and continuity risks while realizing operational efficiencies. And the recent rollout of Juniper’s SRX security solution, currently in evaluation for Common Criteria certification, combines firewall, intrusion detection/prevention and denial of service defenses – all on JUNOS® software.

With JUNOS software running routers, switches and security devices, Juniper solutions offer a clear, consistent view into data center operations, reducing complexity and providing a consistent, standards-based platform that optimizes provisioning, service delivery and network administration. Partnering with leading systems integrators and solutions providers, Juniper serves an extensive roster of U.S. defense, intelligence and civilian agencies with next-generation applications that enable secure, collaborative environments. Juniper can help government IT organizations achieve both the daita center modernization and simplification they need, and the regulatory compliance required by law.

For more information, please visit: www.juniper.net or call (866) 298-6428