VSU’s ICT team successfully deploys free WIFI to all main campus dorms

As part of VSU’s Smart Campus project, the Information and Communication Technology Management Center (ICTMC) has deployed the university’s Free WiFi service to 25 dormitories and cottages at the VSU Main Campus in Baybay City, Leyte.

Using Unifi’s wireless technology, this initiative will provide additional free internet access to 1,772 students who reside inside the campus with no data cap and time restrictions. 

Consequently, other non-dorm residents can also connect to this free internet service when they visit their classmates and friends in the dormitories to work on their school projects and assignments. They are only required to provide their student number and other pertinent enrollment credentials to log in.

With an increased total university bandwidth because of additional leased lines that were put in place through a grant from the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), ICTMC has allocated a total of 4 Gigabits of dedicated and uninterrupted internet connection for residents in dormitories and cottages.

Norman O. Villas, System and Network Administrator of VSU, shared that the deployment of free wifi service to all dormitories and cottages has increased the network coverage inside the Main Campus with close to 98% of the campus with access to the VSU Unifi.

He further revealed that the first set of access points (APs) acquired in 2017 are also needing essential upgrades in the coming years to ensure reliable and stable internet across all departments and units inside the VSU Main Campus.

“We’re currently ordering a new set of APs to upgrade our internet system in academic units and other administrative offices. We’re hoping to complete this within the year so that we can improve our service to all our constituents,” Mr. Villas said.

Currently, free public internet service has been made available for use by all students in all academic departments including strategic locations of the university such as the VSU Ecopark, the VSU Library, the Department of Computer Science and Technology (DCST) building, RDE Hall, Convention Center, beach resort, guardpost, administration building complex, and the VSU Market, among others.

Meanwhile, ICTMC Head Engr. Sean O. Villagonzalo also said that a network policy is currently being drafted by a designated task force so that the use of free public WIFI inside the university can be equitably distributed, secure, and properly used by students.

“There's a need for us to develop our very own network policy so that we can be assured that our massive internet infrastructure investments are properly utilized mainly for academic purposes. Having such a policy in place will also ensure equitable distribution of our internet data to our growing number of constituents here at the VSU Main Campus,” Engr. Villagonzalo emphasized.

For the past years, VSU has been aggressive in improving the basic internet infrastructure of the university by investing in technologies and equipment that will modernize and future-proof VSU in terms of web operations, online services, and internet access.

One of the big ticket projects related to this is the establishment of the first Data Center located in a state university here in Eastern Visayas.

A data center is a facility that centralizes an organization’s IT operations and equipment for the purposes of storing, processing, and disseminating data and applications, which is vital to the continuity of daily operations.

Because this new facility will soon house the most critical and proprietary online assets of the university, the VSU Data Center is particularly designed to withstand natural disasters like typhoons, earthquakes, and flooding.

The provision of free public WIFI for all faculty, staff, and students along with the essential upgrade of IT infrastructure is one of the enduring legacies of the Tulin administration that will surely be beneficial for many years to come.

VSU President Edgardo E. Tulin, expresses his thanks to the Commission on Higher Education for augmenting the funds of the university to make way for the Smart Campus project of VSU.

“I’m happy that we’re already deploying these services so that our students can take advantage of them in the soonest possible time. I’m particularly grateful to the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), especially to our Chairperson J. Propero E. De Vera III for his continued support of the many projects that we embark on so that we can future-proof the basic operations of the university,” Dr. Tulin expressed.

The current VSU administration commits to replicating this success in all the other 4 component campuses in Alangalang, Isabel, Tolosa, and Villaba. Presently, they have already been connected to the centralized network of VSU here on the Main Campus for easy monitoring and maintenance. 

The liaison offices of VSU in both Manila and Cebu have also been previously connected to VSU’s centralized network as part of this initiative.

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