It is time for us to draw up a summary of a year full of collaboration and innovative projects. In addition to some of our services maturing, the launch of our new website and our office move to WTC III, 2019 has been a pivotal year of implementation and adaptation for all our employees. In a few figures, here is an overview of our development at the dawn of a new decade that is already looking phenomenal.
It is time for us to draw up a summary of a year full of collaboration and innovative projects. In addition to some of our services maturing, the launch of our new website and our office move to WTC III, 2019 has been a pivotal year of implementation and adaptation for all our employees. In a few figures, here is an overview of our development at the dawn of a new decade that is already looking phenomenal.
The Belnet community has 173 institutions connected to our network
Today, our community has 173 institutions connected to our network. These belong to the research, higher education and public authority sectors, among others. In 2019, the Walloon parliament joined the Flemish, federal and French community parliaments as a member connected to Belnet.
Within the R&E community, the Haute École IIya Prigogine recently joined our ranks to benefit from our connectivity services.
Furthermore, while the number of Belnet Leased Lines has increased (107 on average across our community), many organisations have also upgraded their bandwidth.
This general growth proves that our network and our know-how in terms of connectivity remain our community’s major asset.
26 organisations have chosen govroam and 18 Belnet guestroam
Like eduroam, our govroam and Belnet guestroam mobility services are increasingly popular with our communities. In 2019, many public institutions adopted govroam, such as the French community parliament, for example. Today we have 26 institutions as against 21 in December 2018.
Last but not least, Belnet guestroam has been adopted by 18 organisations since its launch at the beginning of 2018. It now has ideal functionalities to optimise the reception of your departments’ visitors.
Security: 16 organisations take advantage of our Belnet DDoS Mitigation service
The demand for our Digital Certificates services proves that security is more than ever at the centre of your concerns. In one year, the number of digital certificates used to guarantee the authenticity of your applications has increased by 20%. Today, 108 organisations benefit from this service and we intend to see this figure increase in future. Security is an important topic and we intend to make 2020 a fertile year in this field.
FileSender: 4 times more uploads and 5.7 times more file downloads than in 2019
Following the recent boost of our FileSender application, end-users in the R&E community have not held back from uploading and downloading very large files this year.
In relation to the 2018 figures, the number of file uploads has been multiplied by 4. And the number of downloads has been 5.7 times higher. In 2019, this tool reached another dimension and we will be sure to inform your of its future developments.
The network equipment framework agreement: 85 institutions have shown their interest
Recently, we offered you a framework agreement concerning the acquisition and maintenance of specific telecoms equipment. This public tender procedure is beneficial in more than one respect, because it enables you to make considerable time and energy savings.
85 institutions have registered their interest and thirty have confirmed their firm participation within our community. This enthusiasm for the framework agreement is a sign that Belnet is on the right path to serve its community more.
This more beneficial approach for the client is also applied in our Cloud services offering through the framework agreement negotiated by GÉANT and available for all the NRENs of which Belnet is one. Like for network equipment, you will no longer have to worry about launching exhausting tenders. You just need to choose the services and suppliers that you prefer within the catalogue defined by the framework agreement. In short, it is a good plan that will make your life easier and is very promising for the future.
100 Gbit/s: a decisive upgrade for your innovative projects in 2020
Last month, we mentioned the upgrade of our connectivity to the European research network. We are now connected to the GÉANT network at a speed of 100 Gbit/s. Thanks to this upgrade Belnet is now ready to provide connected research centers with more bandwidth for their research activities.
At the dawn of a new decade, this announcement bodes well for 2020. It is time for us to wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year.