The European Union’s vision of making Europe the most dynamic and competitive knowledge economy has taken a major step forward with GÉANT2, the high bandwidth, pan-European research network. Now, thanks to a partnership between DANTE, who manage the GÉANT2 network, Imtech and Juniper Networks, the IP layer is ready to support the highest available throughput currently achievable under open standards.The EU has invested 93 million Euros in the project under its European Research Area (ERA) strategy with an equal sum funded by the 30 National Research and Education Networks (NRENs). The goals of achieving a single European information area, stimulating growth in IT industries and employment, as well as improving the quality of public services and lifestyles of millions of Europeans, are now a reality.
The GÉANT2 network reaches more than 30 million researchers and educators, via the NRENs, at higher speeds and capacities than ever before. It connects 34 European countries and has links to a number of other global research networks. Connections can be made over high speed, high capacity paths enabling breakthroughs in key research areas such as particle physics, radio astronomy and weather prediction.
The network facilitates communication by email, voice and video conferencing. It also speeds up communications between servers enabling critical, real-time application processes to take place instantaneously. In some cases, previous networks caused results to be unavailable for days or weeks because data had to be physically transported.
Nowadays, ground breaking research is the result of collaboration by more than one great mind. Intellectual interaction across continents is now more feasible because IT resources can be shared over high speed networks and can be provisioned more economically with benefits to users and the environment alike.
Imtech was selected as prime contractor responsible for supplying the Juniper routers for the GÉANT2 network, managing the migration program from the older technology and administering the support contracts. 18 Points of Presence (PoP) were deployed in a 4-month program. The installation had to be carried out on a live network. Diligent project management was required to ensure no disruptions to service. Imtech used its own deployment team, highly skilled in Juniper Networks, to undertake the work.
The project required precision deployment management matched equally by the network design. Imtech Telecom's engineers carried out the equipment implementation at each site, with a dedicated project management team ensuring that the roll-out progressed seamlessly with minimum disruption. Imtech Telecom was responsible for installation, testing services and field maintenance of the systems while Juniper Networks T1600 series core routers, Ethernet services and network management solutions formed the foundation of the network.
Imtech Telecom Global's Project Management team combined innovative and multidisciplinary methodologies. Offering advanced project management solutions for technological infrastructure and upgrading of the network. Due to the increased quantity of European data flow and the highly increased bandwidth of data flow, education providers chose to invest in overhaul, expansion and upgrading of existing ICT infrastructure and capacity across the European network.
Imtech Telecom Global provided risk management analysis with full deployment for high tech ICT infrastructure. All Imtech solutions are characterised by optimum attention to detail at every step of the upgrade to fit in seamlessly with the primary concerns of the customer.