Extreme Networks, Inc. has announced that it has been selected for a major campus network and data center network upgrade at Georgia State University (GSU), based on its 4 Pillars Data Center Strategy. The GSU campus network supports 30,000 students, and more than 50 buildings. Functionality of the network is highlighted by secure and scalable network connectivity addressing critical campus systems ranging from cameras, to lighting systems to heating/cooling to vending machines that benefits from increased automation and monitoring from the network.

GSU is the Southeast's leading urban research institution and is one of the top 100 public universities for doctoral degrees awarded. GSU's network renovation project includes an infrastructure refresh that will result in next generation network connectivity featuring integrated 10 Gigabit Ethernet today, 40 Gigabit in the future and the migration to virtualization in its data centers supporting data and storage systems.

The GSU campus network supports the widespread use of video for learning and security, automated building control systems and support of multimedia applications serving GSU's diverse educational curriculum. High availability and network virtualization capabilities topped the university's priorities in designing its future proof 10 Gigabit and later 40 Gigabit Ethernet network that will allow it to manage virtual machines efficiently across its network. To meet its objectives, GSU chose Extreme Networks solution based on its 4 Pillars Strategy for next generation data centers, including the BlackDiamond 8800 modular and Summit fixed switch platforms that feature the ExtremeXOS operating system and the XNV Virtual Machine Lifecycle Management software.

"Virtualizing our servers along with a major network upgrade provides a more stable and reliable infrastructure. The virtualization of the network also offers a significant cost savings to the University and reduces our expenditures for ongoing maintenance," said J. L. Albert, Georgia State University's associate provost and chief information officer. "Taking these proactive measures to optimize operational efficiency, enhance security and increase the availability of our systems will benefit the entire campus."

Extreme Networks XNV virtual lifecycle management software provides network-level visibility and control of the server virtual machine environment in a hypervisor-agnostic manner and without requiring any changes to the server virtualization operating environment. This allows network administrators to efficiently provision, monitor, troubleshoot and manage highly virtualized data center environments while minimizing errors, reducing application downtime and improving their SLA response times.