The importance of getting the digital fabric right in education

The University of Newcastle is the latest education institution to recognise the importance of a high-performance network to students, staff and its broader strategic ambitions. The University has started rolling out Cisco’s Wi-Fi6 technology throughout its campuses to realise:

40% faster speed (and a better student and staff experience)

Capacity to support more devices simultaneously including IoT devices

Improved security

University of Newcastle CIO, Anthony Molina, said the institution is absolutely committed to giving our students access to the latest technology which enables them to study more effectively, gives them a chance to learn hands-on and helps them prepare for the kind of workforce environments they’ll be moving into when they finish uni.

“Universities also have a role to play in the local community’s economic prosperity and environmental sustainability. This will ensure we provide a technology environment which enables our world leading research capability to flourish, manages our environmental impact and allows innovation to thrive is key to this.”

The rollout reflects the growing pressure being placed on education institutions who are now running dozens of applications – most of them business critical – on the network. Universities and TAFE Colleges have significant investments in applications – the performance of which is directly impacted by the quality of the network infrastructure that supports them.

Cisco is also seeing an increasing number of universities looking to upgrade its fixed network infrastructure as well and take advantage of the benefits offered by software defined access. One of the major advantages of this new approach to networking is that fixed line and Wi-Fi networks are managed as part of the same digital fabric rather than being `stitched together’ at the application layer.

Read more about the University of Newcastle’s Wi-Fi 6 rollout.

Visit our Wireless and Mobility site for more information about the benefits of wireless.