Zayed University collaborates with Juniper Networks

Juniper Networks today announced that the College of Information Technology at Zayed University hosted the first annual Undergraduate Intercollegiate Cyber Defense Competition in collaboration with Juniper. The competition took place during the 3rd Undergraduate Research Conference, and was designed to give students a hands-on glimpse into managing and securing an enterprise network, but in a risk-free environment.

The competition focused on managing and securing an enterprise’s network infrastructure system. Each team received identically configured systems and was given access to Juniper Networks’ learning portal (Fast Track Program) and study materials on Junos operation system and security gateway. Juniper Networks, along with its training partner Spectrum FZ LLC, organized a series of hands-on technology workshops for all participants prior to the competition. 

Sharjah University – Men’s Campus was announced as the winner, securing the most points by configuring the firewall for security policies and integrating an effective Intrusion Prevention System. American University of Sharjah received the second award while Zayed University Abu Dhabi Campus secured the third place.

“As part of enhancing the students’ educational experience and maintaining their academic agenda, we aim to provide a practical environment where networking students simulate real world scenarios,” said Dr. Leon Jololian, dean of the college of information technology, Zayed University. “The practical examples motivate students, and drive the compeitition which they will experience once they enter the Information Technology business.” 

Students from UAE’s leading universities participated in the competition including Zayed University–Abu Dhabi Campus, Manipal University, Khalifa University, United Arab Emirates University, Dubai Men’s College-Higher Colleges of Technology, American University of Sharjah, and Sharjah University–Men’s Campus.

“Congratulations to Sharjah University on its well-deserved award amongst such strong competition,” said Dr. Samer Shaar, enterprise regional managing director, Middle East and Africa, Juniper Networks. “We applaud Zayed University for its initiative to encourage and enable skill development for future IT engineers, maintaining enterprise security in the Middle East. The competition focused on basic network architecture and security topics including Junos fundamentals, users interface guide, security zones, policies, intrusion prevention system and troubleshooting, in order to provide students with practical knowledge of a secure, cost-effective solution for Middle East enterprises.”