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Neighborly ConnectionGrand Rapids Community College and Merit collaborate to produce beneficial partnershipsOctober 2006
It's always good to have a back-up plan. At least that was the intention of Grand Rapids Community College when it approached
Merit Network in the spring of 2005 about connecting to a fiber network right across the street.
GRCC wanted to have a redundant connection to the Internet to ensure access at all times for its students, faculty and staff. It
previously had just one method of reaching cyberspace: a dedicated fiber connection to Merit's backbone Grand Valley State University's
Eberhard Center. The renowned Van Andel Institute was located right across the street, and it was already part of the Grand Rapids fiber
ring that GRCC knew would be the way to provide a back-up connection. Enter Merit Network.
"We were so close yet so far," explained Bob Eluskie, director of enterprise infrastructure for GRCC. "Van Andel Institute was right
there and so was the opportunity to have a back-up connection, but we were not tapped in."
Merit worked with Eluskie and his staff to develop the best plan for connecting to the Grand Rapids fiber loop through Van Andel.
Although other engineers had helped GRCC build its own dedicated fiber network, they did not offer the access to the ring and ultimate
redundant connectivity. According to Eluskie, Merit configured the routers and switches, and helped manage the construction related to the project.
Total cost was about $6,000, which Eluskie said was inexpensive because of Van Andel's close proximity. GRCC and Merit only had to bore
under one road. The project was funded through the college's capital improvements fund.
GRCC and Merit started the work in June 2005 and finished in December 2005. Because of its back-up dedicated line to Merit's Grand Rapids
backbone, previously its only pipeline - Eluskie pointed out that there was never any loss of connectivity during the process, which was
critical during this time of the school year.
Opportunities on the horizon.Technical skills were was just one of the benefits Merit brought to the table. Having worked with so many of Michigan's educational institutions
through the administration of its own network connecting K-12 schools, libraries, state and local governments, nonprofits and healthcare
organizations, Merit's consultants had an understanding of how such a connection could help GRCC expand its educational horizons. No longer having
to worry about losing a high-speed Internet connection if the college's one-and-only network went down, instructors could do more with
videoconferencing, distance learning and sharing of resources with other institutions. Eluskie said the college has already started collaborating
with other Michigan universities.
"Shortly after the project was done, Ferris State contacted us about using our fiber. Merit helped facilitate the partnership. We have also worked
with Davenport University to provide connectivity to the Merit ring using our fiber," says Eluskie.
GVSU now also wants to use GRCC's fiber because pending street construction will cut GVSU's connection. As Eluskie puts it, "We're returning the favor
to them."
GRCC will keep two other connection points at the north and south ends of its campus as additional back-up. Eluskie and his staff credit Merit for
helping them achieve such an important goal.
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