RIT receives $1.5M gift from Juniper Networks

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Rochester Institute of Technology has received a donation from Juniper Networks, an industry leader in network innovation, of $1.5 million in the form of a Web Application Security Framework.

Software engineering students in RIT’s B. Thomas Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences will use the Juniper Networks Web Application Security Framework, technology acquired as part of Juniper Networks’ acquisition of Mykonos Software Inc. in February 2012, to learn how security threats are handled in the industry. The framework will enable students to build and experiment with websites that incorporate a variety of defensive techniques to prevent hackers, fraud and theft.

“I look forward to providing students real-life access to and experience with Juniper Networks Web Application Security Framework as a case study in my Engineering Secure Software course,” says Andy Meneely, an assistant professor of software engineering. “Students will be able to see what kinds of security threats can be handled from a high-level framework like Juniper’s, and will learn how they can mitigate those threats in their own applications.”

The Juniper Networks Web Application Security Framework allows designers to choose their widgets, arrange them on the screen and build a Web application that can be deployed on its own. The standalone application has security measures built right in so that the original Web designer does not necessarily need to be a security expert to get it up and running.

“This investment in Web security training and education is pivotal to the future training of security students in the latest technology,” says David Koretz, vice president and general manager of Counter Security at Juniper Networks. “The need for continued breakthroughs in security technology to predict, track and thwart hackers is not diminishing anytime soon. This donation will provide RIT students hands-on access to leading Web security software, increase effectiveness through better collaboration with classmates and prepare them for a career in the security industry.”

In response to the importance and broad range of issues within the emerging field of cybersecurity, the Golisano College introduced a Department of Computing Security in 2012. Juniper Networks focuses on programs and projects that allow it to leverage its technology and resources to support community development efforts and education and job training programs that connect and empower future generations in the communities where Juniper Networks does business.