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Juniper Networks, a leader in secure, Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven networks, has announced that they have been selected by the National Institute of Informatics (NII), the inter-university research institute in charge of Japan’s nationwide academic information infrastructure, to upgrade its SINET6 academic information network to meet the diverse and complex needs of research and education institutions across the country and globally. With a secure, experience-first network powered by Juniper, SINET6 has achieved 400G connectivity, support for additional points of presence (POPs), added redundancy and enhanced security in its domestic network.

“We are delighted to have Juniper Networks join us on this journey to create the latest and most advanced iteration of SINET. Juniper’s solutions are enough considered the requests of SINET6, providing with one of the most advanced networks that can support game-changing research and seamless digital learning experiences,” said Takashi Kurimoto, Associate Professor, Information Systems Architecture Science Research Division, at the National Institute of Informatics With Juniper, we are confident that we have a strong foundation to meet the current and future needs of Japan’s research and education institutions for years to come.”

Since its inception in 1992, the Science Information Network (SINET) has aided in the advancement of collaborative research and remote education in Japan and around the world by leveraging innovative technologies to upgrade its cutting-edge network every four to six years. Today, it serves as the academic backbone network for over 900 universities and research institutions. It connects over three million users and is linked to other research networks in the United States, Europe and Asia to support international research collaboration.

In recent years, the exponential growth of data traffic and the growing need for data analysis has resulted in a demand for faster connectivity, expanded bandwidth and simplified networking services. Furthermore, there is a push to expand SINET into Society 5.0 and elementary, junior high and high school settings, making it a critical pillar in Japan’s $4.4 billion GIGA School Program, which aims to prepare students for the country’s push toward a post-information society.

Building on a relationship that spans over a decade, NII engaged Juniper for SINET6 with the goal of improving its services by implementing advanced technologies such as 400G optical transmission, 5G mobile and Network Functions Virtualization (NFV). To scale SINET6’s reach and performance to 400G, NII selected Juniper’s MX Series Universal Routing Platforms and ACX Series Cloud Metro Routers for router network.

SINET6’s supported POPs have now seen a 1.5x increase to 70 sites, improving connectivity experiences for the country’s research institutions. SINET6 also utilizes Juniper’s PseudoWire Headend Termination (PWHT) capability provided by Junos OS, directly connecting sites using the ACX Cloud Metro Routers, lowering connectivity costs and simplifying the network. To safeguard against cyberattacks, the Juniper and Corero Joint DDoS Protection Solution was integrated with the MX Routing Platforms to enable high-speed, low-load and accurate attack traffic detection and defense.

With networking upgrades from Juniper, NII officially launched SINET6 in April 2022, and it is now being considered for use in a broader range of research and education applications than ever before, with plans to evolve even further as a network service. Looking ahead, efforts to streamline and automate the network are planned for the upcoming SINET7 in order to meet the diverse needs of the growing number of subscribers.

“It is an honour to once again be chosen by NII to provide our experience-first solutions to power SINET6, which supports cutting-edge research and education in Japan. Building on our long-standing partnership, NII has built a cost-effective and highly reliable network that takes advantage of all the capabilities of 400G. We are excited to continue contributing to SINET’s evolution and are committed to powering the best research and education experiences in the country,” said Tomohiro Furuya, VP & Country Manager, Japan, at Juniper Networks.

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