As higher education institutions — universities and vocational schools — grow in size and stature, their campus networks are in an urgent need of an upgrade.
As new learning methods evolve — such as Virtual Reality/Augmented Reality (VR/AR) technology-based teaching and 360° smart classrooms — low latency becomes key.
Indeed, with massive amounts of data now needed to be transferred in the name of research, sufficient bandwidth is also now a priority.
Yet, traditional campus network face multiple challenges, from supporting new technologies and delivering higher bandwidths, to ensuring consistent wireless coverage campus-wide, providing network operators with greater control, and simplifying network Operations and Maintenance (O&M).
But introducing new technologies — including agile controllers, cloud-based management platforms, campus-specific WLAN devices, and Cybersecurity Intelligence Systems (CISs) — to education helps to ensure students and staff alike receive the high-quality network experience they need and deserve.
Agile
An agile controller provides complete control over Software Defined Network (SDN) architecture. It does this by centralizing control over the network’s bandwidth, applications, and security policies, ensuring campus networks are more agile and can support more personalized services. The agile controller integrates multiple networks, and provides more efficient management for employees, guests, device administrators, and dumb terminals. Its flexible architecture supports third-party interconnection, and ensures that users receive consistent high-quality services.
Cloud
Huawei uses a cloud-based management platform — CampusInsight — to simplify O&M. CampusInsight intelligently mines network big data in real-time. Then, using third-party applications, it intelligently identifies four typical network issues: connectivity, air interface performance, roaming, and device-related issues. Using telemetry, CampusInsight provides troubleshooting suggestions for individual and group users, improving fault rectification by 85%, while also reducing Operating Expense (OPEX) — by up to 80%.
Efficient
Likewise, Huawei’s eSight Platform provides unified, visualized resource management, topology, performance, and intelligent configuration for heterogeneous devices. An open, flexible, cloud-based platform built to support infrastructure and devices from third-party vendors, eSight improves O&M efficiency, reduces costs, optimizes resource utilization, protects investments already made, and ensures responsive, high-availability network systems.
Bandwidth
Huawei uses innovative, distributed Wi-Fi devices to provide high bandwidth (1.167/1.267 Gbit/s) for each classroom, and comprehensive coverage without coverage holes. Classroom-specific Access Points (APs) are placed in equipment rooms, weak-current wells, or corridors, while Remote Units (RUs) are fixed in classrooms, and signals are transmitted over wired cables, without wall penetration loss, delivering high-quality wireless coverage. Additionally, a cloud-based management platform is used to manage APs, tenants, applications, licenses, network planning and optimization, device monitoring, network service configuration, and Value-Added Services (VASs) — in turn significantly reducing OPEX.
Secure
Security remains at the forefront when implementing an efficient campus network. As such, Huawei adopts the Cybersecurity Intelligence System (CIS) to defend against Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) using big data and Machine Learning (ML). It collaborates between security devices and endpoints, and provides network operators with visualization on various terminals, with real-time security posture awareness, and PB-level source tracking within seconds.
Campus Switches