Saudi Arabian Ministry enables high-performance e-services with Juniper Networks solutions

The new infrastructure includes the headquarters data center backbone built using Juniper's routing, switching and security solutions.

The MOFA network will connect its Riyadh headquarters with branch offices in Jeddah and Dammam and embassies globally to deliver, accelerate and secure the pace and quality of online services, such as issuing visas and consular assistance, and the Ministry's key internal applications used for financials and human resources.

"As the rate of travel into and out of Saudi Arabia increases, the scope and volume of our online services has increased exponentially, as has the Ministry's need for uncompromised network security,"

said Ghassan Kutobi, ICT Manager, MOFA.

"Our new high-performance network will deliver a responsive and trusted environment for deploying e-services more quickly and cost-effectively. We specifically selected Juniper Networks as our solution provider based on several key factors: the proven performance and reliability of its technology; the innovation of its EX Series Ethernet Switches that leverage Junos Software, a single source network operating system; and the company's ability to consult and execute on both a regional and global basis."

"The growth of e-government online services in the Middle East is creating significant demand for high-performance network infrastructure to ensure the speed, reliability and security of those electronic processes," said Samer Shaar, Regional Director for Juniper Networks, Middle East, Central Africa and Pakistan.

"Working with Saudi Arabia's MOFA to create a dynamic and secure network that extends across the Kingdom and to its missions around the world demonstrates how Juniper's technology can accelerate and protect internal and external applications in a comprehensive and cost-effective way."

MOFA will integrate Juniper's application acceleration, enterprise routing, switching and security devices to create an optimized, secure high-performance network infrastructure. The Juniper Networks M Series Multiservice Edge Routers provide advanced routing with carrier-class reliability, for the high-performance network.

The EX Series provides the carrier-class infrastructure to underpin MOFA's network, while the Juniper Networks J Series Services Routers provide high-performance connectivity to branch office locations.

The Juniper Networks WXC Application Acceleration Platforms deliver fast and consistent application performance across the WAN to help ensure uncompromised access to mission-critical applications between the datacenter and branch locations.

To secure this network infrastructure, MOFA will deploy the Juniper Networks Adaptive Threat Management Solution, which includes the Secure Access (SA) SSL VPN appliances, SSG Series Secure Services Gateways, IDP Series Intrusion Detection and Prevention Platforms, and Juniper Networks Unified Access Control (UAC), composed of IC Series Unified Access Control Appliances with EX Series Ethernet Switches as enforcement points.

The Juniper Networks SSG Series with Unified Threat Management (UTM), SA Series SSL VPN Appliances, and standalone IDP platforms will provide comprehensive protection against current and emerging network- and application-layer attacks. The UAC deployment with EX Series Ethernet Switches as enforcement points will enact session-specific security policies defined by the IC Series UAC Appliances —the hardened, centralized policy platform of UAC. The IDP and firewall security deployment will be managed by Network and Security Manager (NSM), which centrally controls device configuration, network settings and security policy.

Juniper's UAC solution enables MOFA to ensure continued business productivity without compromising security. Juniper's UAC combines user identity, roles and responsibilities, and endpoint security state information with network location information, to create a dynamic access control policy for each user per access request, ensuring MOFA's employees have flexible, secure and differentiated access to its network resources and applications.

The UAC solution prevents security threats such as compromised or non-compliant PCs and handheld devices from connecting to and infecting the local area network.