Extreme Connect 2025
May 19-22
Paris, France
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The University of Calabria in Italy, often abbreviated to UNICAL, needed a robust wireless solution for improved staff and student experience, as well as a unified solution to manage a complex, multi-vendor environment. Extreme Networks technology delivered on all these requirements and then some.
The University of Calabria (Italian: Università della Calabria) is a state-operated university located in the small town of Rende, on the outskirts of Cosenza. The central part of one of Italy's largest campuses, spanning across 200+ hectares of enchanting rural landscape, is uniquely situated along a 1.5 kilometers long suspension bridge which connects 14 departments, 300 labs and classrooms, offices, libraries, cinemas, theaters, etc. Here, more than 30.000 students study, work, and enjoy life on a campus that can be easily described as small student town on its own.
Despite the unique nature of the location, the challenges faced by UNICAL’s IT team were the ones that are commonly shared by many colleges and universities: a high-density wireless environment, limited visibility, complex manual configurations and troubleshooting, and on top of it all, budgetary constraints which require maximum efficiency, high return on investment (ROI) and extending the lifecycle of the equipment as much as possible.
For the University of Calabria, Extreme Networks has been the networking vendor of choice for many years, dating back to the times even before the acquisition of Netsight and Enterasys. Over the years, UNICAL has gone gradually through many generations of both wired and wireless solutions, including S-Series, C-Series, and Summit switches, and from Wi-Fi 2 up to Wi-Fi 6 access points. At all these different stages, Extreme Networks was able to guarantee the coexistence of various equipment and the continuity of services along a smooth migration path.
For more than last 15 years, the local IT team was able to manage the diverse and constantly-evolving environment easily and consistently with the help of ExtremeCloud IQ – Site Engine (formerly known as Extreme Management Center). Suffice to say, the solution is being used up to the present day to maintain granular control and enable gradual modernization of the multi-vendor network, without resorting to a costly and ever-challenging “rip-and-replace” approach.
No modern campus can do without robust and secure wireless connectivity, at any time and any place. Most recently, the ExtremeCloud IQ – Site Engine solution enabled UNICAL to make a smooth transition to a new Wi-Fi solution, not only sporting a new generation of network devices, but also a completely different access point setup that enables better performance and higher redundancy. Today, with the combination of 850 new indoor and outdoor Wi-Fi 6 access points from Extreme, the University’s IT team is experiencing far better outcomes across the board.
The increased performance, stability, and coverage of the new wireless network has literally redefined the way UNICAL’s students and staff use connectivity. Whether something works well is best evidenced by the growing number of users. And the numbers in this case are looking particularly impressive. Many users have migrated from the wired network to the new Wi-Fi–in fact, the traffic on the wireless network has almost tripled since the upgrade and today constitutes the bigger part of all internet connections.
This translates into better digital services and new use cases supporting innovative teaching. For example, it is now possible to connect a number of different devices such as students’ laptops, teachers’ tablets, projectors etc. in large classrooms with 400 seats, while also enabling a more interactive approach (e.g. sharing lessons on MS Teams, using apps like Kahoot for active participation and involvement of students, wireless app payments at the canteen, etc.)
If reliability and performance of the new wireless network itself wasn’t enough, the implemented technology brought another added benefit for UNICAL’s IT department. By taking a different approach to network topology – changing from bridge-at-the-access-point to bridge-at-the-controller – Luca Marozzo and his colleagues not only managed to improve roaming capabilities at a high-density environment, but also centralized traffic control and improved network security.
"We saw great benefits from the new configuration, both in terms of having greater control over the traffic generated on the wireless part, and in terms of implementing certain security features, such as traffic isolation to prevent issues between various clients connecting to the same access point. It's also worth noting that the process of deploying the new infrastructure was very smooth and simple – we were able to completely overhaul our configurations all by ourselves, thanks to the clear and detailed solution documentation provided by Extreme," said Walter Curci, Network and Security Manager, Università della Calabria.
Far better performance, reliability and uptime of wireless network. Simplified management of a complex IT environment. Granular visibility and proactive troubleshooting that literally save hours of work. A flexible, open-protocol foundation that allows to operate a mixed-vendor infrastructure and protect IT investments by extending the life of older equipment. With all these benefits brought by Extreme technology, the University of Calabria have more confidence for whatever future may bring. And just like the students, the ambition of UNICAL’s IT department is to grow and improve. What’s next? The renewal of core and distribution layer, and the expansion of Wi-Fi to student dormitories, planned for the near future.
