Illinois Century Network employs SD-WAN with Fujitsu
Fujitsu Network Communications, Inc. says it is working with the Illinois Department of Innovation & Technology (DoIT) to apply software-defined WAN (SD-WAN) capabilities to DoIT’s Illinois Century Network (ICN). ICN is the country’s largest state-run education network that serves K-12 schools, libraries, students, government offices, and other users in the state.
The SD-WAN deployment began in 2019 and is expected to last five years. Progress has been rapid; Fujitsu says more than 100 locations were turned up in the first four months of the project, thanks to the use of zero-touch provisioning and the technical support Fujitsu has supplied. The roll out leverages technology from Silver Peak, which was recently acquired by Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company. The new capabilities will reduce costs; improve bandwidth efficiency, flexibility, and scalability; simplify operations; and enable migration to the cloud. Security, data privacy, and high quality of experience for users will be key points as well, Fujitsu adds. DoIT will benefit from centralized orchestration and management with granular visibility as it operates the network.
“We are pleased to help Illinois DoIT integrate and support their SD-WAN solution so they can ensure a superior online learning experience for thousands of students and faculty across the state,” said Greg Manganello, senior vice president and head of wireless and service solutions, Fujitsu Network Communications, Inc. “SD-WAN not only secures connectivity through encryption, it also improves network scalability and resiliency all within the long-term affordability envelope that ICN requires.”
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About the Author
Stephen Hardy
Editorial Director and Associate Publisher, Lightwave
Stephen Hardy is editorial director and associate publisher of Lightwave and Broadband Technology Report, part of the Lighting & Technology Group at Endeavor Business Media. Stephen is responsible for establishing and executing editorial strategy across the both brands’ websites, email newsletters, events, and other information products. He has covered the fiber-optics space for more than 20 years, and communications and technology for more than 35 years. During his tenure, Lightwave has received awards from Folio: and the American Society of Business Press Editors (ASBPE) for editorial excellence. Prior to joining Lightwave in 1997, Stephen worked for Telecommunications magazine and the Journal of Electronic Defense.
Stephen has moderated panels at numerous events, including the Optica Executive Forum, ECOC, and SCTE Cable-Tec Expo. He also is program director for the Lightwave Innovation Reviews and the Diamond Technology Reviews.
He has written numerous articles in all aspects of optical communications and fiber-optic networks, including fiber to the home (FTTH), PON, optical components, DWDM, fiber cables, packet optical transport, optical transceivers, lasers, fiber optic testing, and more.
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