Case Study: Loughborough University achieves scalable, real-world cloud networking labs with Juniper Networks Junosphere Classroom

Loughborough University Harnesses the Cloud to Create a New Generation of Network Engineers

Loughborough University, a long-established UK computer science department, needed to give students and researchers realistic, hands-on networking experience but was constrained by a 24‑router physical lab and by simulation tools that couldn’t run real router code. The team wanted scalable access to real vendor systems, multi‑vendor interoperability, and research environments that produced credible, real‑world results—capabilities its existing lab and software simulators could not provide.

The university adopted Juniper’s Junosphere Classroom (with the Junosphere Connector) to create cloud‑based virtual labs running real Junos OS that interoperate with existing physical routers. This pay‑as‑you‑go solution delivered virtually unlimited routers, multi‑vendor topologies, and legally usable real router code, enabling cost‑effective scalability, more accurate research, and the first UK curriculum combining physical and virtual hardware—resulting in stronger employer‑ready graduates and an enhanced departmental reputation.

Loughborough University

Olaf Mannael

Lecturer