AU is continuing to improve its network and Internet connections in step with a recent statement from National Science Foundation that U.S. colleges and universities must improve their digital infrastructure in order to remain leaders in the fields of technology and higher education.
In a speech delivered at a technology forum sponsored by The Chronicle of Higher Education in November, NSF Director Arden L. Bement Jr. said an institution's technological infrastructure will become a key factor in determining its comparative worth, according to The Chronicle.
"Indeed, to be more provocative, I would suggest that leadership in cyber infrastructure may determine America's continued ability to innovate, and thus our ability to compete successfully in the global arena," he said.
Currently, AU uses a gigabit Ethernet network for the university's internal network and a 90-megabit Internet connection, according to Hassan Marvi, acting director of Technology Operations. A gigabit is the transfer rate of one billion bits per second and a megabit is the transfer rate of one million bits per second. Anything referred to as a "byte" is considered the equivalent of eight bits.
Marvi said AU currently uses two Internet service providers, RCN and PSINet. Both companies provide 45-megabit Internet connections to the university.
He said AU's Internet connection is pretty good for a school of its size.
"Some schools have a slower connection, perhaps as low as a T1 connection, which is about 1.5 megabits," he said. "Larger schools have a larger bandwidth. So for a school of our size, we are doing well."
Peter Brusoe, a graduate student in the School of Public Affairs, said AU needs to move its technology services into a more "customer service-oriented paradigm."
"When I go to Cosi to do work, I can get on the Internet in 10 seconds flat," Brusoe said. "At the start of each semester, it takes me a good 10 minutes to get my wireless key reset, not to mention the time it takes to acquire a signal."
Marvi said his department is in the process of planning improvements to the university's Internet connection.
"We're hoping to upgrade our speed during the [spring 2007] semester to double our current capacity," he said. "Of course, we're in the planning stages at this point, so nothing is fixed yet"
