Sun's first centre of excellence in Middle East is hub for IT security research and development

The development was formalized today with the signing of agreement papers by H.E. Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, the UAE Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research.

The Sun Centre of Excellence, to be based at the UAE University's College of Information Technology (CIT), is being created to meet the growing demand in the region for network and information security solutions. Aimed at developing new technologies in the region, Sun has dedicated its hardware, expertise and on-going support to the project.

Positioned as a leading facility for research and development, international experts have been employed to conduct groundbreaking research at the new facility. Solutions devised at the Sun Centre of Excellence will be applied to address real-life problems experienced by the region's government departments and businesses. In addition to providing an environment for testing new solutions, the Sun Centre of Excellence is committed to the education of UAE nationals.

The project - which includes technology and consultancy from Sun partners CIT and Cisco - will benefit students by providing them with access to solutions and tools in an authentic working environment. Exposure to these applications and instruction on creating IT infrastructures will better prepare students to secure viable long-term employment.

Speaking at the opening of the Sun Centre of Excellence, H.E. Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, the UAE Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, said: "Information security is an area of vital importance to the information society. The Sun Centre of Excellence will be a resource for the community at large and will help to produce better trained students that can address the needs of the country and the region in this important area."

"We anticipate that this Sun Center of Excellence will foster a generation of network and information security experts, who in turn will contribute to the technological development of the UAE and the region," said Dr Ali Al-Noaimi, Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at UAE University.

Rafic Z. Makki, Dean of CIT, added: "This agreement with Sun enables us to deliver the most innovative educational environment for our students. The students will collaborate with leading researchers and IT developers, thereby gaining a wealth of experience that will prepare them for leadership positions in the field of information security."

To be staffed by experts specializing in the field of IT security, the Sun Centre of Excellence faculty will assist government and industry organizations with all aspects of their network and information security needs. "The new facility will be the epicenter for regional security innovation, and will also showcase how Sun technology can be used to build reliable, secure solutions to safeguard networks," said Todd Korth, Director for Education and Research, Sun Microsystems EMEA.

As part of Sun's commitment to the project, the company has dedicated two Sun Academic Equipment Grants. The agreement includes the provision of Sun hardware running the Solaris software environment, to be used for ongoing educational and research curricula.

"The opening of the Sun Centre of Excellence positions Sun as a leader in security, educational support and innovation," said Tarek Ayass, Sales Manager, Education and Research, Sun Microsystems MENA. "We look forward to working with the team on a variety of projects ranging from certification projects and research to hosting conferences and being an active part of the CIT technology vision."

"Ultimately, educational programs such as this enable Sun to demonstrate sound corporate citizenship by creating a base of skilled professionals who will contribute to the growth of the national and regional economy," Ayass continued.

The Sun Centre of Excellence program was devised by Sun to facilitate collaboration between leading educational institutions, co-sponsoring partners and Sun to educate students in state-of-the-art information technology applications using Sun's industry leading products.