Quinnipiac Overhauls Network to Support More Users, Devices, and Apps

• By Rhea Kelly
• 02/07/13

Facing a significant increase in users, mobile devices, and applications accessing its network, Quinnipiac University is implementing an upgrade based on Mobile Virtual Enterprise (MOVE) architecture from Aruba Networks. The private coeducational university in Hamden, CT, aims to deliver robust, reliable, and secure network access to all students, staff, and faculty across its three campuses. On the back end, the school's Information Technology department will benefit from comprehensive visibility and control of both wired and wireless network resources.

Quinnipiac is replacing 250 legacy access switches with Aruba S3500 Mobility Access Switches, which enable the identification of individual users on the wired network along with their roles, devices, and applications, while providing seamless connectivity. Other elements of the infrastructure include eight M3 Series Mobility Controllers and one 3200 Series Mobility Controller, nearly 2,000 AP-125 and AP-135 access points, and the Aruba AirWave network management system. AirWave employs a user-centric approach to identify who is on the network, where users are accessing the network, which mobile devices they are using, and how much bandwidth is being consumed by specific devices.

The new network covers all of Quinnipiac's academic buildings and residence halls and is designed to allow an average of 20,000 devices to connect each day. "Today's mobile wireless devices and applications allow our students to access the information and tools they need to master the subjects they are studying more quickly and conveniently," said Brian Kelly, director of network operations and information security officer for Quinnipiac, in a prepared statement. "Aruba delivers the security, reliability and robustness that these devices and applications require. It also provides visibility into all aspects of our network, allowing our small staff of six IT professionals to more efficiently and easily manage the network. We spend less time troubleshooting and more time researching and acquiring the mobile devices and applications that enhance our students' educational experience."

Quinnipiac will also roll out the MOVE architecture at its new Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine, which is scheduled to open next month for faculty and staff and in August for students. The university is building its new School of Medicine from the ground up with pervasive 802.11n wireless LAN. The building's tech infrastructure will enable faculty to leverage wireless in every facet of teaching, including videoconferencing, video streaming, and lecture capture. In addition, students will be able to access scanned images in the gross anatomy lab.