The challenge
The Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences is one of Netherlands leading institutions in the field of education. With thousands of students and staff relying daily on digital systems, a robust IT network is one of the backbones of the organisation. Over the years the network had grown organically. New locations, systems, departments and other use cases had been added, each with their own requirements and levels of access. As a result, the network became complex, difficult to manage and increasingly vulnerable to security risks. The university needed a network that could support intensive research, data sharing and remote collaboration without compromising on security or performance. At the same time, they wanted a structure that could scale easily to meet future technological demands.
“The network was lagging behind current standards. We wanted to get back on track and therefore we needed to move towards zero trust with the simplest possible management and with a more scalable network design.”
The approach
Entek IT was asked to redesign the network architecture from the ground up. Through workshops with key stakeholders we gathered information, requirements, current pain points, and desired outcomes. This information was then used as the foundation for the new network design, which was written with the technical and functional end goal in mind. Key parts of this project were bringing the infrastructure to modern standards from a management and security perspective, while enabling the small local infrastructure team with knowledge and confidence to adopt the new standards and technologies that were embedded in the new network infrastructure design. Entek IT implemented the new design together with the infrastructure team. Using a solid migration strategy aimed at business coninuity, we manged to migrate the 14 locations to the new infrastructure in only 8 migration windows with no impact to network infrastructure services. In all decisions, choices, and implementations, the local team was involved to enable knowledge sharing.
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The solution
The new network infrastructure design was based on Cisco’s Software Defined Access (SD-Access) solution, implementing network wide segmentation. The solution uses Cisco Catalyst Center to automate network onboarding and network management, while extensively increasing network visibility with the Assurance feature. The Cisco ISE platform is used to enable network wide authentication and profiling using 802.1x. The infrastructure was seamlessly connected to the firewall environment with the future possibility to enable end-to-end identity management from the point of connection to leaving the campus infrastructure.
The infrastructure consists of Cisco Catalyst 9000 wired and wireless infrastructure, a centralised Cisco ISE cluster and a Cisco Catalyst Center cluster. The design realised site survivability, limiting the failure domain to a single site in case of central platform disruption or outage on other locations. Both the wired and wireless infrastructure are centrally managed and monitored.
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Results
Since the delivery of this project, we have achieved impressive results together with Hogeschool Rotterdam:
Increased Security Maturity
The new network infrastructure uses the latest security feature and standards, enabling the infrastructure to fit in the zero trust framwork.
Low Impact on Business Continuity
Using Entek IT’s proved migration approach, the migration of the entire campus was executed during off-business hours with no additional impact on business continuity.
Increased Team Confidence and Knowledge
During the project, the involved network engineers gained knowledge and confidence in the new methodologies, technologies and features of their network. From looking over Entek IT’s shoulder to self deploying and managing the network.
Future Readiness
The modular design supports network flexibility and new technologies, while maintaining operational and management efficiency.
“During the design phase of our Cisco SD-Access architecture, I got to know Entek IT as a partner that truly works alongside us. Their team combines strong technical expertise with an open and engaged way of collaborating, allowing us to make well-informed design decisions together. They helped us translate our complex existing environment into a clear, future-ready network foundation, where identity-driven access, segmentation, and automation are central. The value of this goes beyond just the design itself: thanks to the choices we made together with Entek IT, we are ready to manage our campus network in a more secure, intelligent, and efficient way in the years ahead. To me, this journey did not feel like a traditional implementation, but like building a truly future-proof network architecture together.”
Conclusion
The collaboration between Entek IT and Hogeschool Rotterdam demonstrates how a well scoped project can deliver real (technical) results. By combining technical expertise, structured thinking and a focus on security, Entek IT has built more than just a network. It has created a foundation for innovation, connection and growth. The campus infrastructure of Hogeschool Rotterdam is ready for future developments within the field of Education.
