Data Center Network Refresh

The University of Kansas is seeking a qualified vendor to provide a turn-key deployment of a modern, resilient, and scalable infrastructure data center network. The project includes design consulting, hardware, software, implementation, and training services. The goal is to simplify the architecture, enhance system stability and redundancy, increase speed and throughput, and enable automation for more efficient operations. Key qualifications include experience with data center network deployments, familiarity with higher education or enterprise environments, and proof of engineering credentials and vendor reseller status. The project timeline includes milestones such as design completion, equipment installation, production services cut over, and training of KU IT staff. • The project requires a modernized data center approach with a redundant architecture that enables in-service software upgrades without disrupting data center network services. • The vendor should provide a layer 2 solution with 100G uplinks to the campus core/backbone network. • The project includes deliverables such as documentation, testing and acceptance, and training. • KU will provide reasonable access to KU staff and administrative resources as required. • The project has blackout periods for changes during academic semesters.