Information Technology

Goals & Benefits to Campus

Berkeley IT has embarked on a wide-ranging program to improve the overall experience of network users on campus. The goal of this project is to offer a broader and clearer range of connectivity options and to modernize and improve the capacity of various network services where necessary. This IT Top Priority consists of multiple projects as described below.

User Experience Improvement Projects

Network User Experience Program Timeline

Improving our overall network involves several coordinated projects happening in tandem with careful consideration for project dependencies and sequencing to minimize disruption to the campus community. The biggest factor in our ability to make progress in the past has been years of underfunding. We are thrilled that, as of July 1, 2022, we are now fully funded to continue this critical work, however, we are playing catch-up and changes cannot happen overnight. The overall aim is to enhance the campus Wi-Fi, firewall, and VPN experience on campus and to improve connectivity for students in international locations. 

Wi-Fi Upgrades: Infrastructure Expansion & Modernization

The majority of locations on campus now enjoy modern 802.11ac Wi-Fi service. Over the last year, we replaced over 600 obsolete access points that do not support modern services in multiple buildings on campus and are working to replace 200 more. This work will be finalized in October 2022. View the updated map of coverage here | compare to Wi-Fi map from last year.

Wi-Fi Service Improvements

Berkeley IT offers several Wi-Fi network services, some of which provide identical features. The user experience for configuring access to the primary campus Wi-Fi service (eduroam) is not intuitive and has poor accessibility. Our existing services do not adequately support Internet of Things (IoT) devices or the needs of students in our residence halls. We are addressing all of these issues during this project.

Campus Firewall & VPN Capacity Improvements

During the pandemic, the bSecure GlobalProtect VPN became an important tool for our students, faculty, and staff and use of this service increased dramatically. More and more campus departments rely on the bSecure firewall service to ensure they are able to meet policy and privacy requirements. Berkeley IT would like to expand the service to most campus connections as the default to reduce risks for our user community. We will be implementing additional hardware capacity to ensure the ongoing stability and scalability of VPN. We will also implement additional capacity to expand firewall services on campus.

Improved Connectivity for Students in International Locations

Today, students who are studying remotely in locations outside the US can experience poor access to course materials and resources as a result of restrictions imposed on local internet access. Berkeley IT will be implementing a service to address these issues for locations where these issues have been a concern. This service will take the form of a VPN which improves performance and ensures educational resources are available without restriction. Project details are being developed, more information coming soon.

Detailed Milestones & Timeline

Important dates and major milestones for this program. See individual project pages for more detailed information. All dates are estimated and information may shift as this program and the suite of projects within it progresses.