Since 1 June 2022, Belnet customers have been able to use the eduVPN service hosted by Belnet. In order to be certain that the open VPN solution meets the expectations of the R&E community, some customers – including Hasselt University – have been testing out eduVPN for several months in a proof of concept.
International collaboration is an inherent component of research and education networks such as Belnet. For instance, since 2012 we have been exchanging knowledge and experience with our colleagues at CEDESURK and their partner organisations in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Together with Muliri MIRINDI Dieudonné and Patrick LUFUNDISU, we look back at the main challenges and achievements.
Last May, our security team counted 790 cases and 36 different categories of vulnerabilities reported by our Belnet Threat Intelligence service across all the organisations connected to our network.
The amount of data generated by research is increasing exponentially. This brings security, privacy and storage challenges, but also new opportunities. The principles of FAIR data, for example, make it easier for researchers to build upon existing research results. Although the benefits of FAIR are widely recognised, there are still many misconceptions circulating.
The exchange of ideas and expertise with our community is crucial for an organisation like Belnet. Through its active involvement in the GN5 project, Belnet seeks to contribute to the further development of the e-infrastructure for European research and educational institutions.