NGN Benefits
- Increased support through earlier detection of security risks
- Improved standards that safeguard Yale’s electronic information
- Increased reliability and network capacity
- More open, more secure network for our Yale community and visitors alike
- Increased global presence
- Allows for high speed network functionality
- Seamless integration with other Yale networks
- Seamless wireless experience
Overall, NGN is a Program consisting of many subprojects that include various security upgrades to detect malicious activity and repel attacks on Yale’s network more swiftly. Continuing to ensure reliable and secure transmission of data is essential for faculty research, particularly in the growing areas of science and engineering. The network’s foundation will include a security model, suitable for the openness required by a research institution, resulting in strong protections for high-risk use and increased freedom for low-risk use.
In addition to supporting faculty research, student learning, and health services, the network is also heavily relied upon for university operations. NGN will allow the shift to an intent-based, identity-first network paradigm, allowing for significantly better user experience, including better interoperability with convergence with other Yale networks, while substantially advancing Yale’s security posture to meet the demands of the future. For example, a professor who is also a clinician will only need to log in once to access the campus and other Yale networks.
Where warranted, NGN will be creating virtual networks (VNs) to isolate and carry traffic for specialized IT systems – primarily those systems that are currently running today on physically separate networks: these include Public Safety, Building Automation Systems, ScienceNet. Access to these VNs will be regulated based on predefined criteria.
The safety and security of the network (current and NGN) rely in part on the proper care associated with the design and maintenance of all Yale IT Systems using the network. This design is particularly true for the larger, more complex systems that will be assigned to an NGN virtual network. Please take time with your teams to understand the needs of your Yale IT Systems by determining their system classification and ensuring the appropriate processes and configurations are in place to meet current Yale IT Policies. A consolidated version of the current Yale IT Security policy, practices, and procedures can be found on Cybersecurity’s website.
To help support this important work, the Information Security team offers free Security Design Reviews and support for determining Risk Assessments.