Telecommunications Network Planning and Operations Management in an Academic Environment

Abstract

Network planning and management in a large organization such as a university, is a complex task. A large university is an inherently demanding environment in terms of telecommunications services offered and technologies used. This chapter presents and discusses network management and planning issues in the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. Examples of network management procedures are given. We present the data model for service provision. The network expansion and cost reduction case studies are discussed. A SWOT analysis about University’s Telecommunications Center is given. Finally, we discuss the migration analysis for future upgrades that will fully enable the use of emerging technologies such as Voice over IP (VoIP).