Dive Brief:

• The University of California, Irvine, was slow to upgrade its wireless availability in student housing, primarily because of budget constraints, but its recent upgrade means the school has powerful infrastructure that will remain relevant for several years.
• Campus Technology reports that students had started bringing their own wireless routers to their dorm rooms, but when the campus’ wireless network launched in December, 85% of residents logged in on day one and the network had no hiccups.
• The IT department is saving money because of the reduced tech support load and the obsolescence of prone-to-breaking wall jacks, and it planned ahead for long-term capabilities by choosing its system with the expection that students will continue bringing more Wi-Fi-enabled devices.

Dive Insight:

As colleges compete for students, facilities are important. Traditional students are looking for dorm rooms that are comfortable and full of amenities, with wireless internet being one key example. At UC-Irvine, the upgrade cost $3 million over about 18 months. But it was overdue. More than half of schools now provide wireless internet to the vast majority of their campuses, according to the 2015 State of the Residential Network study. About half of campuses dedicate at least 1 gigabyte to the ResNet, compared to just a quarter in 2012, and many are increasing their budgets for ResNet funding.

With additional entry points to the campus network, administrators need to pay attention to security. Cybersecurity is consistently one of the top issues facing colleges and universities today. Comprehensive protection is the best way to address ever-changing threats.