Cisco announced today that the American University of Kuwait (AUK) has selected Cisco for its end-to-end network infrastructure and firewall upgrade. The upgraded infrastructure will incorporate Cisco collaboration/local area network (LAN)/wide area network (WAN)/Wireless/Voice/Video/Security solutions.
Established in 2003, AUK is an independent, private, and coeducational liberal arts institution of higher education. The educational, cultural, and administrative structure, methods and standards of AUK are based on the American model of higher learning. Academic courses, extra-curricular activities, and support services are designed to prepare students for the contemporary world in which critical thinking, communication skills, and life-long learning have become imperative.
Key facts
The Cisco end-to-end network deployed by AUK will include Cisco switching solutions which are the cornerstone of any network architecture. Regardless of application, or information stream, Cisco switching solutions deliver a consistent high-quality network experience to connected users. This increases end user productivity, satisfaction ratings, and business system interaction and returns. For AUK, rapid, reliable access for its students to any resource anywhere, and at any time, is mandatory. Cisco switching solutions will deliver maximum uptime, high throughput, rapid deployment, enhanced access, and automated operations.
It will also include a reliable network firewall to protect from unauthorised access, while permitting legitimate student traffic was also a key requirement for AUK. As its student population grows, evolves and adapts to mobility, cloud, and the rising threat landscape, AUK needed visibility into its network users, applications, content, devices, activities, and threats, as well as protection for the AUK network from multi-vector threats across the entire attack continuum. Cisco firewalls for edge and campus environments fulfilled this requirement for AUK.
“AUK has been partnered with Cisco since the beginning of 2003. The products support and customer service has always been top-notch. When we decided to upgrade there was only one partner who could meet our needs for today and tomorrow, and that was Cisco,” said Rusty Bruns, Chief Information Officer, American University of Kuwait.
“With an ever-growing student population accessing the campus network from anywhere and across multiple devices, AUK needs to be equipped with the latest state-of-the-art technology solutions that deliver a secure environment. This is where Cisco’s end-to-end technology solutions come into play, as they will not only allow us to always remain at the forefront of technology developments, but will also offer us a stable and secure campus network, to maintain confidentiality, as well as prevent potentially disruptive security threats,” added Hossam Omar, Service Desk Manager – Information Technology, American University of Kuwait.
Samer Al Lahham, Regional Manager of Kuwait, Cisco, noted: “We are honoured that AUK continues to enjoy the benefits that Cisco technology solutions offer and we look forward to delivering new, enhanced network experiences to their student population. Cisco has provided a network infrastructure to AUK since it started operations in 2003 and we are proud that our strategic partnership is growing from strength to strength. Cisco’s vast portfolio delivers the reliable, scalable, and highly secure IT infrastructure that will suit AUK’s ever changing business needs for years to come.”
