University Employs Nortel

SYDNEY -- Macquarie University, one of Australia's leading universities, has chosen a comprehensive network security solution from Nortel(x) (NYSE/TSX: NT) to protect its information infrastructure from internal and external threats.

The University made the decision to overhaul its security systems after an audit last year revealed multiple weaknesses in its existing infrastructure. The AU$1 million solution from Nortel and channel partner 3D Networks will replace multiple separate firewalls and ad-hoc security gateways with a network of secure routers connected to a central firewall for all incoming and outgoing traffic.

"Considering we support more than 30,000 students, all of whom have equal access to the network, we have the dual challenge of creating an environment that fosters experimentation and learning while protecting against unauthorised traffic originating from our users," says Peter Hole, infrastructure services manager, Macquarie University. "We also have a mandate to protect our intellectual property, both research-based and commercial. Macquarie is world renown as a research institution, and we store a large amount of sensitive research and commercially viable data on our network. With the technology from Nortel, we're protecting our reputation as much as our users."

Earlier this year Macquarie University issued a tender for a new security system with the requirement that it doesn't affect system availability, is highly scalable as the network expands, is quick to react to new threats, and can detect and react to damaging and non-damaging illegitimate traffic like music and video downloads.

"Nortel's solution was unique compared to the submissions we had from competing vendors," says Hole. "The solution is elegant in its simplicity. By placing a firewall at the network core rather than the edge and routing all traffic through the firewall, we're simultaneously protected from external and internal threats."

Nortel Networks Ltd. (NYSE/Toronto: NT)