A smart network supports student success and research goals at UT San Antonio

“Network modernization supports the university’s strategic initiatives,” says Nassos Galiopoulos, CTO and deputy CIO at UTSA.

A decade-old campus network couldn’t keep pace with students’ expectations or researchers’ needs. “Demand for Wi-Fi has increased 10-fold,” he says. “Students use multiple mobile devices and are streaming media and classes while on campus.”

In 2022, UTSA earned the prestigious Carnegie R1 research university designation and also qualified for the Texas National Research University Fund. “As a public research university, our mission is to produce new knowledge, and we must meet stringent cybersecurity requirements to apply for grants,” says Galiopoulos.

Addressing the IT talent shortage was also critical, and the university wanted a campus network that would be simpler to manage. “The reality of the job market is that it’s hard to find network engineers at salaries that a state institution can afford,” he says. “We don’t want our staff to spend hours troubleshooting connection issues.”

“UTSA has the concept of a ‘digital backpack’ so wherever students are on campus, they can just reach out and get what they need. A fast, reliable, and secure Juniper network supports this experience,” says Kendra Ketchum, Vice President for Information Management and Technology at UTSA.

The Juniper network supports the university’s focus on learning, collaboration, and research, while being easier to manage. 

“With Mist AI integrated into the Juniper network, a small team can manage a vast network with 1,000 switches and 60 buildings on three campuses,” says Galiopoulos.

Strong security and simpler network segmentation support the university’s research mission, opening the door to more grant opportunities, and supporting research programs such as understanding aging and health disparities, researching extreme climate conditions, and building a diverse and inclusive innovation ecosystem in the U.S.