Axians Implements Cisco ACI at Aventus

Aventus, the biggest education provider in the tri-city area of Apeldoorn, Deventer and Zutphen, opted for a software-defined architecture based on Cisco’s Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) technology. Axians, the ICT Brand of VINCI Energies, handled the design and implementation.

Having this innovative technology as the foundation for its ICT infrastructure makes Aventus a front runner within the Dutch education sector.

Aventus offers have been extensively digitalised

As a regional education centre, the educational services Aventus offers have been extensively digitalised. New applications are introduced at a very rapid pace and applications such as the cloud and the ability to work remotely from anywhere at any time are growing by leaps and bounds.

Roy Dusink, Head of Automation at Aventus said, “With this software-defined technology we can quickly add capacity from the cloud. Furthermore, we can choose to operate applications either in our own data centre or in the cloud. On the other hand, we have the capacity for automated roll-out of development, testing and production environments. We are improving the continuity of our service provision while still maintaining maximum management control – and leaving room for alternative options. An additional benefit is that we can apply our experience to the ICT training. Because Axians is willing to share its knowledge, students can work with the latest technology. This way we make a direct contribution to creating appealing and sophisticated educational services.”

Providing optimal support for the range of educational services requires a high degree of continuity with regard to ICT service provision. Moreover, the ICT infrastructure must be sufficiently scalable and flexible to enable use of cloud-based applications whenever possible. A standardised, open and secure network infrastructure is crucial in this regard.

“Although the importance of ICT in the education sector is continuing to increase, we are seeing ICT budgets coming under pressure. This presents a significant challenge to educational institutions,” says Tom Greeve, CEO of Axians. “Thanks to technological innovations such as BYOD and software-defined architecture, Axians is helping educational institutions such as Aventus by increasing flexibility and functionality in the short term on the one hand and lowering costs in the long term on the other hand. As a certified Cisco ACI partner, Axians is the right company to provide the design and set-up of the new data centre and network infrastructure for Aventus.”