The Next Gen² Network initiative consists of a group of key networking projects, teams, and investments working to ensure a secure, responsive, future-ready campus network. Together, these projects promise to reshape the wired, wireless, and cloud-enterprise network on UW-Madison’s campus to be responsive to our instructional, research, business, and operational needs.
Discovery process
Nine in-person discovery sessions were held in various campus locations during Jan 2020 and a virtual session was held in early March. Over 100 technical and non-technical staff members attended and provided input on 18 pre-established questions. The results were compiled and ranked based on the number of times the input was given.
Ranked input received on the ten technical questions (PDF)
Ranked input received on the eight non-technical questions (PDF)
A technical deep-dive session held on Feb 12, 2020, was attended by 45 people representing 23 campus units. Presentations were given on the current state of the network, the Cybersecurity ideal future state (Zero Trust Network), and Interoperability. Following the presentations, five facilitators hosted discussions on what it would take in terms of people, process, policy, and technology to move in the direction of a Zero Trust framework and identity-based access.
The core project team conducted virtual or onsite interviews with the following peer institutions using a set of questions covering network topology, management and operations, and engineering, design and deployment:
- Oregon State University –Jan 15, 2020 (virtual)
- University of Michigan –Jan 30. 2020 (onsite)
- University of Minnesota –Jan 31, 2020 (virtual)
- University of Indiana/GlobalNOC –Feb 6, 2020 (onsite)
- Rutgers University –Feb 20, 2020 (onsite)
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