Newark, NJ, February 22, 2022 – A longtime Edge member, Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU), recently upgraded their connection to the Edge optical fiber network, EdgeNet, from 2x 10 Gbps to 2x 100 Gbps—making them the first institution in New Jersey to connect to EdgeNet at this advanced speed.

With a greater number of students looking to connect multiple devices and video streaming and gaming systems to the network, FDU set out to refresh their technology and create a proactive strategy that would help address future needs. “We wanted to enable our students and staff to use technology, collaborate with other universities, and utilize other external services at higher data rates,” explains Michael Reekie, Director of Networking, FDU. “We also wished to alleviate any of the bottlenecks in our current environment that could potentially slow down the user experience. Along with updating our core, we also upgraded our wireless and Internet edge to meet the upcoming demands of the new wireless capabilities.”

FDU explored different solutions to help manage traffic, including traffic shapers that are installed at the Internet edge. However, as bandwidth increases, the cost and maintenance of these devices can be expensive. “We found that increasing our bandwidth and installing faster Internet edge routers and firewalls would be a more cost-effective investment and could provide a better user experience for our students and faculty,” says Reekie. “Making the jump from 2x 10 Gbps to 2x 100 Gbps will help us meet our bandwidth requirements over the next several years and with Edge as an existing partner, it was a very easy transition to upgrade our existing connections, while still allowing a highly available networking experience. Edge was able to provide bandwidth to us at a better cost and value than installing technologies that would shape the use of Internet traffic.” [Read the full press release at Edge | News]