National University Of Singapore Secures Online Examinations With High Performance Network From Juniper Networks

Juniper Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: JNPR) today announced that the National University of Singapore (NUS) has deployed Juniper Networks market-leading Secure Access SSL VPN platforms to securely deliver online examinations to its students. The University relies on the Juniper Networks Secure Access 6000 to facilitate a fully electronic examination portal, allowing security policy-controlled access to exams and assessments while cutting costs for printing, manual processing and classroom space.

“The online examination system would not be feasible without a delivery technology that was completely secure, user-friendly, and easy to manage,” said Roland Yeo, Manager, Network Group, NUS Computer Centre, NUS. “Fortunately, the Juniper Networks SA platform delivers on all these fronts and we are very excited to be the first education institution in Singapore to offer the next generation of this assessment system.”

As part of the NUS Integrated Virtual Learning Environment (IVLE), the secure online examination system allows lecturers to conduct online examinations and assessments from a secure desktop environment. The IVLE system can deliver online multimedia as part of the examination process - a feature not available with manual paper exams - and, coupled with the SA platforms, ensures students are not able to access unauthorized online resources outside of the examination scope.

“The Juniper Networks solution is highly flexible, allowing us to easily and dynamically scale to meet our needs in a cost effective manner,” added Yeo. “Our staff can easily conduct secure online assessment of students without fear of data theft, man-in-the-middle interception or other forms of network attacks.”

The Juniper Networks Secure Access series of SSL VPN appliances enables organizations of all sizes to deploy cost-effective secure access for mobile and remote users. SSL, the security protocol found in all standard Web browsers, eliminates the need for client-software deployment and costly ongoing client maintenance/support when compared to traditional IPSec solutions for remote access, making it ideal for the NUS environment. The Secure Access platform’s browser-based approach enables NUS to quickly deploy its secure desktop environment to any personal computer without requiring pre-installation of a VPN client. In addition, the Secure Access SSL VPN solution authenticates each user’s identity and verifies the health of the endpoint device before network access is granted, enforcing access to specific resources at a per-user level.

“The ability to rapidly and effectively deliver education is crucial to the Asia Pacific region as it moves towards becoming a knowledge-based economy,” said Brad Gray, vice president of Asia South Pacific for Juniper Networks. “We are pleased that the best-in-class features of our Secure Access SSL VPN platform are enabling higher learning institutions, such as the NUS, to provide quality education to a new generation of future leaders.”