The Connecticut State University System continues to build and expand its WAN, providing greater bandwidth and facilitating improved communication, collaboration and efficiency. The recent purchase of next-generation optical switches from Cisco will increase data transfer speeds dramatically, to a maximum rate of 40 Gigabits per second. This expanded capability provides countless opportunities for CSU and SCSU connectivity and innovation.

To begin with, optical switches will support a faster network for all users (faculty, staff, and students in dorms) and allow us to increase wireless access and capacities on campus. These upgrades, while not rigidly academic, improve the overall quality and marketplace appeal of the university. Greater bandwidth will also provide support for online education components such as Vista, OnlineCSU and hybrid courses. Moreover, high quality streaming audio and video on demand will become increasingly practical realities, and real time online simulations and exchanges of information and ideas will be increasingly possible as well (at George Washington University an optical switch supported network allowed faculty to remotely broadcast high resolution medical imaging such as X-rays and MRIs). Ideally, greater CSU connectedness will allow Southern to interact academically with its sister institutions. Videoconferencing between small classroom seminars could be seamless, or a conference at one university might take questions remotely from another university.

As SCSU and CSU continue to build their networks we remain energized by the possibilities the future holds. Optical switches will play a key role in our next generation network and we encourage faculty to contemplate options afforded by what will be a dramatic increase in accessible bandwidth.