The Network for Education in Georgia
PeachNet is the statewide communications network supporting all University System of Georgia (USG) Information Technology Services (ITS) efforts. It is the mission-critical foundation that connects all USG institutions and is the basis for the USG’s Integrated Learning Environment (ILE) built from the following enterprise applications:
- Vista Learning Management System
- GALILEO, Georgia’s Virtual Library
- Georgia ONmyLINE, Access to USG’s Online Courses and Programs
- Banner Student Information System
- PeopleSoft Human Resource Management and Financials Systems
- USG Data Warehouse
New Initiatives
ITS’s goal is to continually extend communication and collaboration tools for USG faculty, students, and administrators. By evaluating and implementing technologies, ITS has identified new opportunities to provide better, more efficient services at a lower cost to USG institutions.
Quality of Service
Due to the bandwidth provided by the Fiber Project, the USG can now implement Quality of Service (QoS), a means of bandwidth management that identifies categories of network traffic and assigns each category a priority and adequate bandwidth. Categories include voice, interactive video, intra-PeachNet traffic, and general Internet traffic.
Interested in QoS solutions for your campus? Contact ITS.
Fiber Project
The demand for bandwidth continues to rise as USG institutions continually increase their use of technology through online courses, new research connections, web-based tools, and GALILEO services. The Fiber Project is ITS’s solution. With the decline in the telecommunications market, excess commercial fiber became available for long-term lease. On behalf of the USG, ITS acquired some of these fiber assets and leased 1,900 route miles of fiber in 2004 to connect 26 of the 35 USG institutions, as well as additional USG sites. By leasing the fiber directly, ITS is able to move PeachNet services away from commercial telecommunications services. The result is additional bandwidth and levels of redundancies that were previously cost prohibitive. View fiber map
How do USG institutions and GPLS benefit from the Fiber Project?
- Virtually unlimited bandwidth and a higher level of service at a cost equal to or less than current costs for commercial leased lines
- Alternate paths that increase network redundancy and reliability
- Flexibility to design a more robust and fault-tolerant infrastructure to meet increasing demands for bandwidth and higher quality services
- Capability for research institutions to participate in national initiative such as Internet2 and the National Lambda Rail