AST Networks, a business unit of the AST Group, has been awarded the local area network (LAN) upgrade project for Kumba Resources in SA.
The LAN upgrade project includes the implementation of a Nortel Networks LAN infrastructure at all Kumba Resources centres throughout SA. In total, this involves more than 450 network switches in 15 locations. It includes upgrading the LAN technology to Gigabit Ethernet Layer 3 Core Backbone and Layer 2 Access infrastructure including features that will enable an intelligent and manageable infrastructure.
The current LAN infrastructures were based on outdated 155Mbps ATM technology on the backbone networks and 10Mbps on the access networks, which no longer supplied the required bandwidth, redundancy, intelligence, scalability and manageability required for business needs.
Many new business requirements, from safety and health system roll-outs to e-learning deployments, to the centralisation of the SAP ERP backbone to various core mining applications demand an application-aware network that will allow prioritisation based on business strategy.
"Kumba Resources sees major benefits in deploying a vision of having `one network` that will exist as a utility to run all these applications and especially its plant automation applications," says Vickus Classen, chief technology architect of Kumba Resources.
"The LAN has become an important factor in delivering the required ICT technology in successfully delivering Kumba`s business needs and to allow for a manageable and scalable infrastructure," explains Lucien Oosthuizen of AST Networks.
The new LAN infrastructure will cater for Kumba`s growth and demands in higher network bandwidth, link aggregation and redundancy, network intelligence, scalability, network security, network manageability, quality of service, convergence of multiple networks into a single multi-media enabled network and mobility and roaming within the network.
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