University of Pittsburgh First in Pennsylvania to Provide 10-Gigabit-Per-Second Pennren Connectivity to All Campuses

HARRISBURG—The University of Pittsburgh and the Keystone Initiative for Network Based Education and Research (KINBER) announced today that Pitt is the first university in Pennsylvania to provide an expanded 10-gigabit-per-second (Gbps) network connecting all of its campus locations to KINBER’s high-performance Pennsylvania Research and Education Network, also known as PennREN.

“The University’s new strategic plan identifies a foundation of outstanding infrastructure and enriched connections as keys to continued and expanded success,” said Jinx P. Walton, chief information officer of the University of Pittsburgh and KINBER board chair.

“The increased capacity provided by these new connections is a concrete example of strong infrastructure that can enable research collaboration and efficient learning opportunities at and between all five of Pitt’s campuses,” she said.

Pitt faculty, staff, and students on campuses located in Bradford, Greensburg, Johnstown, Pittsburgh, and Titusville will be able to take advantage of the new 10 Gbps connectivity and the higher bandwidth speed it provides for their research and education efforts. Members of the Pitt community on the regional campuses will now have a higher speed connection to the enterprise resources, commodity Internet, and research networks centralized at the University’s Pittsburgh hub.

“Pitt is a Pennsylvania trailblazer in providing high-performance network infrastructure that will enable leading-edge network-based applications and services University-wide,” said Wendy Huntoon, KINBER president and CEO.

She added that the greater bandwidth enables the use of various data-intensive applications providing expanded research capabilities as well as supporting enhanced academic and administrative systems, like video, e-learning systems and payroll.

KINBER is pleased to work with Pitt and other Pennsylvania institutions in joining other organizations nationwide that have already migrated to 10 Gbps- or 100 Gbps- based network infrastructure.

“Now that Pennsylvania has a statewide research and education network, our institutions of higher learning and other community anchors have access to affordable 10 Gbps deployments that can improve their organizations and the communities they serve,” Huntoon said.

About KINBER
The Keystone Initiative for Network Based Education and Research (KINBER) is Pennsylvania’s statewide research, education, and community network. The nonprofit membership organization is composed of education, health care, economic development, libraries, public media, government, and other nonprofit organizations devoted to fostering collaboration through technology. Established in 2010 through a $99.6 million grant from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, KINBER is committed to delivering equitable, reliable, and affordable access; space for collaboration; and digital tools for research and education to inspire tomorrow’s scientific discoveries, enable the exchange of ideas and culture among diverse populations, educate the next generation of citizens, and revitalize Pennsylvania’s economy. For more information, visit KINBER.org.

About the University of Pittsburgh
An internationally renowned public-research university founded in 1787, the University of Pittsburgh (www.pitt.edu) is a leading center of learning and research in the arts, sciences, humanities, professions, and health sciences. Pitt ranks fifth among all U.S. universities in terms of the competitive grants awarded to members of its faculty by the National Institutes of Health and consistently ranks among the country’s leading U.S. public research universities, according to The Top American Research Universities report issued by The Center for Measuring University Performance. With 16 schools and colleges and 35,000 students on five campuses, the University offers nearly 400 distinct degree programs.

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8/13/15/klf/jm