After years of collaborative effort, Cybera is pleased to announce that Ambrose University and Olds College have connected to the National Research and Education Network (NREN). Twenty-five post-secondary institutions in Alberta are now linked together — and to similar institutions around the globe — via this dedicated, high-speed network specifically built by and for the research and education sector.
The global web of high-speed research and education networks is purpose-built to allow the free flow of data (both large research datasets, and smaller online correspondence) between institutions in a secure, resilient manner. Cybera operates the Alberta portion of Canada’s network, and works with its NREN partners across the remaining nine provinces and three territories — as well as our national partner CANARIE — to ensure that education, research, and public sector organizations have the most seamless and secure connections possible.
“Joining the National Research and Education Network marks a significant milestone for our institution,” says Steve Morris, Director of IT at Ambrose University. “This connection will not only enhance our digital infrastructure, but will also give our staff and students more opportunities to share teaching and learning experiences with other education institutions across Canada and around the world.”
Within Canada, access to the NREN provides more than just connectivity. Participating higher education institutions can make use of a variety of additional services that are geared towards improving the internet experience of their users, or firming up their cybersecurity operations.
“We’re particularly excited to have access to national initiatives such as the CanSSOC Threat Feed from CANARIE, which will be a great addition to our existing cybersecurity operations,” says Joe Guenther, IT Director for Olds College, referring to the threat intelligence curation service built specifically for the Canadian R&E community. “Beyond that, we’re looking forward to deepening our connections with other post-secondary institutions, and participating in a community of shared network, IT operations, and cybersecurity learning.”
A team-effort connection
The connections to Ambrose and Olds have been years in the making, involving collective efforts between the institution’s technical teams, and Cybera’s network and project management experts.
In Olds, the teams were able to utilize the Alberta SuperNet to connect the agriculture and technology institution to the provincial (and national) network.
The Ambrose connection was made possible by leveraging the City of Calgary’s dark fibre, and with funding support from CANARIE through its NREN program that invests in national network infrastructure.
“It’s great to see these institutions join our connected community, as the Canadian NREN is becoming more important to the operations of our member institutions,” says Barb Carra, President and CEO of Cybera. “Researchers, students, and staff are more connected (and reliant on the global internet to work and learn) than ever before, and the need for a trusted, secure, and high-speed network to transmit their valuable data has never been higher.”
The benefits of the global web of National Research and Education Networks
- This specialist network is managed by a collaborative, global team of technical experts, whose goal is to minimize the work put in by connected institutions, while creating an optimal experience for users.
- Networks have built in custom pathways (like a VIP highway) to handle the large, “bursty” nature of research traffic, which can require very large datasets to be transmitted continuously over the course of days, weeks, or even months.
- Global NREN Communities of Practice promote network evolutions to meet future needs of an increasingly bandwidth-hungry sector, while bolstering the cybersecurity threat response and mitigation strategies of connected institutions.
- NREN partners are not-for-profit, meaning they work solely to bring value to their communities.
- NREN partners offer unique and highly valued above-the-network services that cannot easily be found elsewhere — including safe single sign-on tools, secure and instant wifi access for staff and students, knowledge-sharing initiatives, and a host of cybersecurity offerings.
- The network is designed to grow and adapt to the changing needs of its connected users.
For more information about the Research and Education Network in Alberta, visit: Cybera.ca/nren.