On May 18-19, technology staff will take advantage of one of the quietest times of the year to upgrade the campus network infrastructure. These upgrades require all IT services to be offline. There is never a good time to bring down access to Information Technology, however, it is critical to maintaining a fast and reliable network.

Beginning 5 a.m. Saturday, May 18 through 5 p.m. Sunday, May 19, the campus community will lose access to technology resources. This includes office phones and 911 service, elevator emergency phone service, blue light emergency phones, any service that requires ISU ULID and password, WiFi, ReggieNet, email, and PeopleSoft to name a few.

“The new data center network hardware will provide faster speeds, higher bandwidth, and low latency to the critical applications that reside in the data center,” said Rachal Roach, manager of Networking. “It provides the capability for every device to connect with much faster fiber optic cabling while providing network engineers with better visibility and telemetry for faster troubleshooting.”

The upgrade requires significant coordination and effort in a short period of time. The goal is always to minimize the impact on campus. “We don’t do this type of upgrade often,” Roach said, “but it is critical to provide the flexibility, scalability, and future-proofing required to support the application and data requirements of ISU for years to come.”

If you have questions about how the upgrade will impact you that weekend, contact the Technology Support Center at 309-438-HELP (4357) or supportcenter@ilstu.edu.