Release

UAlbany Lights Way to Faster Cyber Connections

Contact: Catherine Herman (518) 437-4980

ALBANY, N.Y. (October 14, 2005) -- The University at Albany announced a new high-speed fiber connection which expands the University's research capabilities. The new technology dramatically increases the connection speed for the University's East Campus, and also improves accessibility to the New York State Education and Research Network (NYSERNet).

UAlbany is integrating what is known as "dark fiber" into its cyber infrastructure. Lighting the fiber provides the increased capacity and other improvements for the campus.

The faster connections supported by the new fiber mean that researchers at UAlbany can collaborate with colleagues in participating networks across the state or around the world. Having such powerful connections in place opens the door to unlimited networking and research possibilities. Incorporating the new fiber into the University's network infrastructure means the institution is poised to participate in additional research opportunities invited by new and emerging technologies.

"This is a landmark moment for the University," said Christine Haile, chief information officer. "The enhancement to our infrastructure gives us the potential to provide connectivity at speeds we only dreamed of a few years ago. We control the speed of our connections, not an outside service provider. This positions our research community to fully participate in scientific endeavors that rely on a high-speed networking infrastructure."

The East Campus is perhaps the greatest beneficiary of the fiber upgrade. "One of the reasons we wanted to control our connection speed was to ensure that all campus locations had the same network capacity," said Tom Neiss, director of telecommunications.. "When we relied on service providers, our speed was limited by what they were able to support. The connection to the East Campus wasn't as fast as what could be supported on the main and downtown campuses. The new fiber gives us the ability to deliver a much faster connection-and we determine the speed. Now we can deliver the same type of connection to all three campuses. We're no longer limited by the capacity of someone else's infrastructure."

This means significant improvements for connectivity on the East Campus. Researchers in facilities such as the Gen*NY*Sis Center for Excellence in Cancer Genomics will be better positioned to compete for grants requiring high-speed computing connections. The School of Public Health will gain faster, more reliable connections which will allow them to take advantage of multicasting technology to distribute software to their classrooms.

NYSERNet's research and educational network provides access to an optical state-wide network which runs from New York City to Buffalo. This connection provides egress to Internet2's Abilene Network, as well as a host of national and international networks, including the National Lambda Rail. It also allows the UAlbany to establish high-speed connections with participating institutions across New York State.

"This is an excellent commitment by the University to building a state-of-the-art cyber infrastructure in support of research and discovery," said Brian Macherone, director of the Research IT Group. The group already supports several advanced computing research endeavors that rely on high-speed networks.