Trustees approve contract to upgrade wireless network

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University’s Board of Trustees on Friday (April 8) approved a new five-year contract to upgrade wireless access across its three campuses.

The $2.6 million contract calls for replacing approximately 12,750 wireless access points and eight networked wireless controllers at Purdue’s West Lafayette, Northwest and Fort Wayne campuses.

Nearly 63,000 faculty, staff and students rely on Purdue’s wireless network for teaching, learning, research, service provision and entertainment annually. On the West Lafayette campus alone, there are approximately 100,000 unique devices connected to the wireless network each month, with 4.6 million logins to the wireless system each day.

According to ITaP (Information Technology at Purdue), all eight networked wireless controllers and 1,800 wireless access points have reached the end of their serviceable life. The contract calls for the scheduled replacement of the wireless access points across academic and University Residences facilities.

“Wireless connectivity is essential to the life of the university,” said Ian Hyatt, Purdue’s chief information officer and vice president of information technology. “These upgrades will allow us to continue to provide the reliable, secure, high-speed connections that our faculty, staff and students need to carry out Purdue’s mission of teaching and research, as well as meeting the needs of the campus residential community.”

Approximately 3,800 residential wireless access points and two networked wireless controllers will be replaced to provide enhanced network service to all University Residences. More than 2,600 of the wireless access points will be replaced in University Residences during the first year of the contract.

“University Residences is excited to be a part of this program to provide increased wireless access services to our students,” said Beth McCuskey, vice provost for student life. “This technology upgrade is one of the ways that we can invest in our students with the tools that they need to be successful and also continue to enhance the living and learning residential experience.”

The wireless system upgrade is just the latest step in an effort by ITaP to enhance and improve the technology infrastructure, including investments in security, the creation of the Purdue System Cloud and a renewed focus on efficiency and service delivery.

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a top public research institution developing practical solutions to today’s toughest challenges. Ranked in each of the last four years as one of the 10 Most Innovative universities in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, Purdue delivers world-changing research and out-of-this-world discovery. Committed to hands-on and online, real-world learning, Purdue offers a transformative education to all. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue has frozen tuition and most fees at 2012-13 levels, enabling more students than ever to graduate debt-free. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap at https://stories.purdue.edu.

Sources: Ian Hyatt

Beth McCuskey