Juniper Networks, a leader in secure, AI-driven networks, has announced that VPRO, an independent Dutch broadcasting organisation, has deployed Juniper’s solutions to modernise its data centre network in support of the video-heavy requirements of three public broadcasters using a shared infrastructure.
VPRO deployed QFX Series switches and EX Series Ethernet Switches from Juniper to set up a world-class data centre network that can deliver a superior experience to content editors, producers and staff creating thought-provoking documentaries.
As viewers’ appetite for VPRO’s distinct perspective has grown internationally, the organisation needed a more powerful IT infrastructure to support its editorial and production teams as they create content for websites, mobile apps, television, radio, live events and print. The VPRO team also needed to support the technology needs of NTR, a Dutch educational public broadcaster and BNNVARA, a youth-oriented public broadcaster.
Valentijn Flik, Lead Architect, VPRO, said: “Editing, storing and transferring high-definition video places big demands on the network nowadays and video and audio files get bigger and bigger, so we needed more bandwidth to support our day-to-day activities.
“The powerful data centre network, enabled by Juniper, can easily scale to support the objectives of the three public broadcasters as well as the work of sales and marketing, finance, human resources and legal.”
The technology solution will provide a host of operational benefits including faster service delivery as a result of automated, programmable fabric architecture. VPRO’s production environment supports applications that move hundreds of gigabits per second of uncompressed video every day.
It will also offer increased flexibility and simplicity to meet the demands of a broadcast environment for all types of production services, including cloud-based video production, video display, post-production, playout and uplink communication for all three broadcasters: VPRO, NTR and BNNVARA.
The technology also means reduced time-to-market by 17% with revenue-generating new content as a result of automated systems and processes; reduced troubleshooting time and optimised, consistent performance, due to streamlined application infrastructure resources, which has a significant impact on end-user experience; and increased return on investment as a result of centralization with reduced physical footprint on location.
To accomplish this, VPRO implemented the following Juniper solutions:
- Juniper Networks QFX5110 Switch acting as the leaf and spine device. The 10/40/100GbE QFX5110 switch is optimised for high performance and density in a demanding data centre environment. VPRO’s new data centre network is designed for scale, manageability and sustainability.
- EVPN/VXLAN architecture, supporting efficient Layer 2/Layer 3 network connectivity. With VPRO, BNNVARA and NTR sharing the infrastructure, the data centre network needed to support multi-tenancy while remaining flexible.With EVPN/VXLAN, VPRO can maintain network separation between the three companies. EVPN/VXLAN also allows VPRO to extend its Layer 2 networks to other parts of the organisation to support its Disaster Recovery site.
