Institutions of Higher Education Give Brocade Top Marks for Network Stability and Business-Enhancing Collaboration

SAN JOSE, Calif.--([ BUSINESS WIRE ])--More institutions of higher education are turning to Brocade^� (Nasdaq:BRCD) as a trusted partner as their networks take a central place in every business activity from registration to distance learning. With the student population increasing, the number and type of networked devices rising and bandwidth requirements growing, colleges and universities need more reliable and efficient networks a" along with a higher level of collaboration and service from their network vendors. Brocade, they say, offers the best of both.

"Just five years ago, it was nowhere near that. When you extend that growth in network use to actual learninga"with data, voice and even high-definition video being delivered at long distancesa"you really accelerate network requirements."

Two of these schools, Charleston Southern University (CSU) and Chemeketa Community College, have deployed reliable, high-performance Brocade-based networks that are delivering compelling ROI and strategic business advantages.

Videos

Charleston Southern University: [ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MQar4chFrM ]
Chemeketa Community College: [ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ynth7zln_68 ]

Charleston Southern University

Charleston Southern University (CSU) began working with Brocade in 2006, after deciding its incumbent IP/Ethernet vendora�s commitment was lacking from both a business and technology standpoint. With 3,500 students and approximately 750 staff members, CSU was, in 2001, the first school in South Carolina to offer campus-wide wireless access. With network demands always on the rise, the school began replacing its aging Cisco network with Brocade devices in 2006, and has never looked back.

aThe main reason we went with Brocade was total cost of ownership,a said Rusty Bruns, CSUa�s CIO. aWith Cisco, we felt like we were paying for a name. The maintenance contracts were very expensive, but the service was declining significantly. You really dona�t mind paying more for something if you get the service that goes along with it, but that wasna�t happening. We had to find a different solution. Brocade fit us very well because the cost was significantly less and the performance and stability of the equipment were better than Cisco.a

CSU has a Brocade FastIron^� SX Series switch at the core of its network, a Brocade TurboIron^� switch between its servers and core switch utilizing 10 Gigabit Ethernet connectivity and additional FastIron Series switches underlying the entire infrastructure. With Brocade staff working closely with the university IT department on planning and implementation, Bruns says Brocade is more like an extension of the campus staff than a vendor.

aWe talk, on a very regular basis, about what we need and how to make it happen,a said Bruns. aI havena�t heard from Cisco in more than a year, but we have some vendors, like Brocade, who have really partnered with us to help us move forward technologically. Without them we would not be where we are today.a

Chemeketa Community College

Chemeketa Community College, in Salem, Ore. is the third-largest community college in the state, with nationally ranked programs focused on technical and vocational disciplines. Supporting 11,000 full-time students, another 50,000 part-time students and approximately 1,200 employees, Chemeketaa�s network is critical to the schoola�s ongoing success.

aToday, 99.5 percent of our students are registering online and have e-mail accounts provided by the college,a said Tim Rogers, Chemeketa CIO. aJust five years ago, it was nowhere near that. When you extend that growth in network use to actual learninga"with data, voice and even high-definition video being delivered at long distancesa"you really accelerate network requirements.a

Combine those requirements with other initiatives such as the convergence of its multi-campus voice over IP (VoIP) system with Power over Ethernet (PoE)-driven security camera system and IP-enabled door-locking controls, and the need for network excellence is even greater. To ensure that need is continuously met, Chemeketa has deployed Brocade FastIron Series switches at the access layer, with FastIron GS switches powering the VoIP system. Each of the schoola�s larger buildings has a Brocade FastIron SX switch, and the school is in the process of converting its network core from a FastIron SX switch to a Brocade NetIron^� MLX Series router. In addition, a Brocade ServerIron^� application delivery solution helps ensure that all applications get the server and network resources they need to function properly.

The Brocade equipment replaced Cisco devices, but only after a great deal of internal debate and discussion. aIt actually took some arm-twisting to get me away from Cisco,a said Rogers. aWe had a lot of Cisco infrastructurea"a lot of 6500s, which actually were pretty fair switches. But if we were going to put those all over campus, the per-port cost with Brocade was far less, and it was definitely less in terms of cost on the long-term support contracts. Long-term costs for new Cisco infrastructure were prohibitively expensive.a

Rogers noted that the other critical piece of the puzzle was network reliability. aThe Cisco products that we bought had run their life span and were burdened by 15 years of legacy IOS code and complexities,a said Rogers. aPurchasing Cisco 6500s again just wouldna�t make sense for us, and the Nexus line was loaded with features we didna�t need, but would have to pay for anyway. We want a network that does what we need it to do, that fits our budget and thata�s going to be here for 10 years. Brocade gives us that.a

About Brocade

Brocade^� (Nasdaq: BRCD) develops extraordinary networking solutions that enable todaya�s complex, data-intensive businesses to optimize information connectivity and maximize the business value of their data. For more information, visit [ www.brocade.com ].

Brocade, the B-wing symbol, BigIron, DCFM, DCX, Fabric OS, FastIron, IronView, NetIron, SAN Health, ServerIron, TurboIron, and Wingspan are registered trademarks, and Brocade Assurance, Brocade NET Health, Brocade One, Extraordinary Networks, MyBrocade, and VCS are trademarks of Brocade Communications Systems, Inc., in the United States and/or in other countries. Other brands, products, or service names mentioned are or may be trademarks or service marks of their respective owners.

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Institutions of Higher Education Give Brocade Top Marks for Network Stability and Business-Enhancing Collaboration