Cyclone Technology's netPrefect forms key part of Birmingham City University's faculty of Technology, Innovation and Development computer degrees
Cyclone Technology's netPrefect software has been chosen as the basis of the Network Design and Management module of Birmingham City University's faculty of Technology, Innovation and Development (TID)'s degree courses in networking and ICT systems.
The module is a key element in the third year curriculum of TID's popular computer networks degrees. These encompass its BSc courses in Computer Networks and Security, Computer Networks for Business, Software Design and Networks, and ICT.
Designed to provide comprehensive network monitoring and management both for enterprises and managed service providers, netPrefect™ enables students to test the stability and performance of their network designs. This is to ensure their practicality in the real-world environment.
TID's senior lecturer and course director for Computer Networks and Security, Ron Austin says: "netPrefect™ has been chosen for its outstanding structural framework and exceptional versatility. It is extremely powerful and its rules-based approach is ideal for our Network Design and Management Module. It enables us to show students how to build and maintain a network, in a very structured way and helps them understand how the intricacies of network design can affect overall performance. In short it shows how to get the best out of the network and all of its components."
Managing director of Cyclone Technology, Maria Baxter, comments: "Birmingham City University's faculty of Technology, Innovation and Development is a highly respected centre of learning for advanced computer networking. We're delighted netPrefect™ will play a key role in the development of tomorrow's network managers. We have worked closely with TID, testing netPrefect and see their decision to use it as an integral part of four degree courses as a real vote of confidence in its suitability and stability."
Bearing in mind the need for students to be trained on an effective management platform relevant to the working world, Ron Austin expresses confidence in netPrefect as a valuable vehicle for learning: "We're using netPrefect™ in TID courses because we believe its functionality and modus operandi will give students the in-depth, pragmatic, hands-on experience and knowledge needed to manage real networks and services. I also feel sure netPrefect™ will be found highly effective when used commercially by network administrators, systems integrators and managed service providers in organisations of every size and type."
Cyclone Technology has designed netPrefect™ to give computer network managers, and managed service providers, full control over their infrastructure resources. It can be used to monitor both in-band and out-of-band traffic and all devices across the entire network from a single local or remote console. Its 'pay-as-you-go' billing capability adds key elements in terms of flexibility and cost control.
All standard protocols are supported by netPrefect™, including TCP/IP, SMTP, SNMP, SSL, SSH, SYSLOG and Telnet. It also comes with full support for WinConsole, and provides CLI management capability for Windows devices. It will also integrate with other popular management platforms such as HP OpenView and IBM Tivoli.
The system has been thoroughly tested by Birmingham City University's TID team over several months. Part of this process saw Cyclone and TID work in partnership to develop a full set of rules for Cisco's latest networking technologies, making netPrefect™ ready for use in Cisco-based networks without delay.
About Birmingham City University's faculty of Technology, Innovation and Development (TID)
The Technology Innovation Centre (tic) is home to Birmingham City University's Technology, Innovation and Development faculty at the University's Millennium Point campus in the city centre. This faculty is a leading provider of knowledge and technology transfer into industry. Multiple technologies are embedded in degree courses which range from mechanical engineering, through diverse computer-based courses and multimedia. As a leading, international, Cisco Systems training academy, it runs network-engineering short courses which feed into degree programmes, producing graduates of immediate value to employers. Already a major university-based Microsoft academy, the University became the first UK-university to achieve Certified Partner status in the Microsoft Partner Programme. Its interactive digital media resources have recently seen it become an exemplary government-sponsored, multi-media based Skillset Academy.
About Cyclone Technology
Cyclone Technology is a specialist developer and publisher of network management software. The company was formed in 1996 by Phil and Maria Baxter, who between them have more than 40 years of experience in network management and infrastructure systems for major enterprise organisations in the telecoms, finance, pharmaceutical, healthcare, defence and utilities sectors. Cyclone's flagship system is netPrefect™ an enterprise-class rules-based network management and monitoring solution that has been designed to give network managers and managed services providers complete control of all network resources from a single local or remote screen. It supports a wide range of industry standards and operating systems and can be used to monitor mixed environments that make use of Microsoft Windows, Unix and Linux operating systems.
For more information contact:
Maria Baxter (Managing Director) Cyclone Technology
Tel: (01584) 819946
E-mail: maria.baxter@cyclone-technology.com