Progress on IT improvements
Posted: Tue 17 Jan 2012, 11:38am.
IT Services has installed over 250 new computers since last term as part of a major project to upgrade the IT facilities available for all students.
The Library has gained 84 new PCs and Macs. The new all-in-one PCs have been proving popular - the large screens make it easy to compare documents side by side and because there is no base unit, there is more desk space for books and notes.
From the start of the Spring term, we’ve also introduced an IT Services help point in the Library information hub, giving students on-the-spot assistance with printing, logins and wi-fi.
We’re now over half way towards our target of making 400 new computers available. The total includes a number of cluster rooms which were previously managed by schools. IT Services has taken over the running of several rooms, replacing the computers with newer models and making them available to all students when not booked for teaching:
- over 50 in Pevensey
- over 100 in Richmond
With the help of staff in the schools, we’ve found some new spaces for computers such as the ground floor study area in Silverstone and the old café in Richmond. We’ve also replaced 15 computers in the Freeman Centre which can now be used by all students.
Improving wi-fi
During the winter vacation, we did the groundwork for a significant increase in the wi-fi coverage in lecture theatres and seminar rooms. Although most lecture theatres already have wi-fi, there is insufficient capacity for current demands and many seminar rooms have no coverage at all. We made a lot of progress over the break, ensuring that there is sufficient cabling to install additional wi-fi in over 75 seminar rooms and lecture theatres.
We are now starting to configure and enable the wi-fi access points in these areas so users of teaching rooms should see a big improvement in the next few weeks.
Next on the list is wi-fi in the residences. With the huge growth in mobile internet devices, campus residents have increasingly called for wi-fi in their rooms. The new Northfield buildings allowed for better network access and already have wi-fi but many of the existing residences lack the basic infrastructure that is needed. During the vacation, we carried out site surveys with specialist providers and we are now working with them to establish how we can extend wi-fi access to bedrooms and communal areas.
More information about the improvements project
These upgrades are part of a £1.3 million project announced in November 2011 to improve the technology available to students at Sussex.
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