2012 was going to be the "Year of More Bandwidth"...LOTS of bandwidth through the wonderful world of fiber. It was also going to be the year in which we brought all of the PCs receiving SCLS technology services onto the SCLS network (often referred to by SCLS staff as "convergence" or "network convergence").
Funny how things work out, isn't it?
As you may remember, in February 2011 the Department of Administration declined the fiber grant. With fiber nixed and the Badgernet contract stalled, SCLS staff met with engineers to begin planning for an alternate type of secure bandwidth-to-SCLS. When the BadgerNet contract was finally renewed in November 2011, SCLS requested bandwidth increases for SCLS member libraries from TEACH. TEACH approved approximately half of those requests. Because requests were prioritized based on current bandwidth utilization, the libraries in most dire straits were the ones granted bandwidth. Libraries began receiving their upgrades in spring 2012, and network convergence began as bandwidth and staff time were available.
So where are things at now?
- Some libraries still need additional bandwidth to move ahead with convergence. We are working out the final details of a solution ("VPN") to provide additional bandwidth to libraries using 3rd party ISPs. This will enable us to continue to support libraries as though they are on the SCLS network. We ran into some technical issues which delayed the pilot testing of this solution, but the issues have been worked out and we're back on track to start piloting shortly. For more on the pros and cons of VPN, take a look at the "Library Broadband Future" section of this post.
- Some libraries still need to have their PCs upgraded to SCLS-supported configurations and brought onto the SCLS network. This is still happening. There was a flurry of ordering at the end of 2012, and the PC techs are working their way through these orders while continuing to upgrade existing PCs and move them to the SCLS network where possible. If we haven't gotten to your library yet-- don't worry. You're still on our radar!
What do libraries need to do?
For now, just hold tight and bear with us. And if you have any questions about this post or what's going on with your library, please let Kerri know!
Comments