Customer Success Story
JoongAng Group Builds South Korea’s First AI-Driven Enterprise Network by Juniper
With South Korea’s first AI-driven enterprise network by Juniper, JoongAng Group can continue to lead its diverse array of business and broadcasting services, while securely maximizing operational efficiency and flexibility for future business expansion.
Overview
| Company | JoongAng Group |
| Industry | Media and Entertainment |
| Products used | Wireless Access Points, Wireless (Wi-Fi) Assurance, EX Series, Cloud Services, EX9200 |
| Region | APAC |
Provided
A unified network improving user experience
Maximized
Operational efficiency
The company has a wide range of businesses and is active across the newspaper, broadcasting, digital content, entertainment, and leisure sectors. Since 2008, JoongAng Group has been listed under the KOSPI stock index, which is reserved for large companies in Korea, establishing the company as a domestic powerhouse.
Upon completion of its flagship JTBC Building in 2019, the company started preparations to spread its workforce across two office buildings. In a time where enterprise networking environments were rapidly shifting from a mix of wired and wireless to completely wireless, JoongAng Group understood the need to introduce a next-generation network system that would provide a unified experience for all employees in both buildings.
JoongAng Group based its infrastructure on a smart office concept centered on a fast, seamless wireless network that would bridge the two buildings. If the buildings’ networks were not perfectly integrated, however, employees would have to go through cumbersome procedures, including configuring their IP settings and authenticating repeatedly, inevitably disrupting their workflow.
The decision to go completely wireless reduced the spatial complexities caused by wired networks, including cables and power sources, enabling employees to excel at their work from any location in either building. The smart office environment enhanced by wireless network technology has become essential to media employees who often have meetings outside their offices.
Juniper Networks wired and wireless network solutions fulfilled all of the company’s needs and were first deployed in the JTBC Building last year, followed by the JoongAng Building.“With a Juniper-powered network that offers AI-driven proactive automation and self-healing capabilities, JoongAng Group will be able to provide a secure work environment with a focus on uninterrupted workflows for all of our employees,” says Young Ki Kim, director, JOINS JoongAng.
Juniper AP41 and AP43 High Performance Access Points have been deployed in conjunction with the Juniper Mist Wi-Fi Assurance cloud service to simplify network operations and automate the support experience for the distributed workforce. In particular, Juniper Access Points, equipped with Wi-Fi 6, stood out for providing enterprise-grade performance and an AI engine that has replaced manual IT tasks with AI-driven proactive automation and self-healing.
Juniper’s EX9200 line of Ethernet Switches and EX3400 Ethernet Switch were also selected to enable collaboration and provide simple and secure access for the delivery of mission-critical applications—crucial for executing the company’s smart office concept. The two buildings’ networks were completely integrated in 2020, resulting in exceptional user and device experiences. JoongAng Group has now built South Korea’s first AI-Driven Enterprise network by Juniper.
With Mist AI driving its network, JoongAng Group has leapt ahead of the industry in terms of network efficiency, leveraging automation and insights to lower IT costs while maximizing the end-user experience. “Because the two buildings are located next to each other on the same block, employees can move freely from one building to another, if needed,” Young says. “About 10% of our workforce frequently use both buildings. If they had to spend time configuring the network for each building, work efficiency would inevitably decrease. With Juniper Mist, our employees can spend their valuable time doing the work that they need to do.”
As part of its smart office concept, JoongAng Group continues to explore more ways to leverage Juniper’s AI-driven solutions to transform the employee experience in a digital workplace. At the same time, it will continue to refine its security and emergency response system for employees and guests, especially against the backdrop of the ongoing pandemic.
JoongAng Group is now considering extending its use of Juniper’s AI-driven solutions to all of its affiliates in the near future. In addition to its media division, it has various businesses that would greatly benefit from wireless networks for customer service such as its leisure and movie theater businesses.
The Products
Juniper is leading the convergence of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth® LE, and IoT with our enterprise-grade Access Points. The Juniper Access Points work in conjunction with the Juniper Mist Cloud Architecture and Mist AI to collect and analyze metadata in near real-time from all wireless clients.
Wireless (Wi-Fi) Assurance
Driven by Mist AI and machine learning, the Juniper Mist Wireless Assurance cloud service automates troubleshooting and operations, making wireless networks predictable, reliable, and measurable while providing near-real-time visibility into user service levels.
The EX Series Ethernet Switches are cloud-ready, high-performance access and aggregation/core layer switches designed for enterprise branch, campus, and data center networks. Wired access networks don’t have to be complex—you can reduce risk and cost without compromising performance, quality, and innovation.
Juniper enables your business to scale elastically while minimizing capital investment through our modern cloud services that span the network and security domains.
Published December 2020