Data Integration signs new University contract

Data Integration, the network and system integrator owned by Xchanging announces a new customer contract with Regent’s College. Following a successful tender response and rigorous 10 day network assessment and design process, Regent’s College has appointed Data Integration to replace its ageing network infrastructure.

With implementation due to commence next month, the three year contract sees Data Integration managing the deployment and support of a completely new network infrastructure including Extreme Networks switches, Palo Alto firewalls, A10 server load balancers and Infoblox DNS technology.

Through enhanced network performance, security and reliability of service realised by its new infrastructure, Regent’s College will now enable students to increase productivity when accessing applications and online resources.

Andrew Binns, Executive Director, Technology Services, Xchanging, comments: “Today’s generation of students wants to study in an enhanced learning environment, and technology plays a pivotal role in the facilities that educational establishments now have to offer to remain competitive. In partnering with Data Integration to build a new infrastructure, Regent’s College is positioning itself as a forward-thinking university of choice.

“This deal further enhances Xchanging’s domain knowledge in the education sector, which ranges from providing network services to four of the UK’s top ten universities, to provision of a complete Virtual Learning Environment to Malaysia’s 10,000 schools in partnership with the Ministry of Education.”

Having now been granted the power to award degrees, and with approval for a new name, Regent’s College is shortly to re-launch as Regent's University London and will become the UK's second private not-for-profit University.

As Jim Nottingham, Chief Information Officer at Regent’s College, explains, “A positive student experience is vital for us, but much of our existing network infrastructure had reached end-of-life, and loss of connectivity and network outages are very frustrating for staff and students alike. We needed a complete network refresh to enable us to deliver network services befitting of a forward-thinking and rapidly expanding university.”

“We were very impressed with Data Integration’s 15-year track record of working with other leading universities including Exeter, Greenwich and Reading, clearly demonstrating an inherent knowledge of our specific challenges and how to solve them. This new network infrastructure provides us with the resilience and flexibility we need to continue our expansion with ease and to reach our target of 10,000 students over the next five years,” said Nottingham.