Networking Program Gets Infrastructure Upgrades
Published: April 4, 2016
New certificate, diploma, and degree to be offered this fall.
Networking students at Johnston Community College are able to train on a faster student network thanks to recent bandwidth upgrades.
"We have jumped from DSL into cable and increased our speed 15 times from what we had originally," said David Oliver, lead networking instructor. "This major upgrade allows us to now host our own lab servers independent of the college, and it will increase our capabilities to offer online and hybrid classes that require hands-on labs."
Analiz Vasquez of Wendell hopes to soon work as a network technician. She said the network upgrades have definitely improved her student experience in the program. Vasquez recently competed in the Cisco NetRiders Competition, an opportunity that would not have been possible without the infrastructure upgrades.
"I used to have trouble accessing and downloading files on the old network; it was very hard," she said.
One of two females in the college's networking program, Vasquez said she said her fellow students and instructors are a close knit group.
"When I came here, I had no networking background, but I never felt intimidated or left out because I am a female," she said. "We all respect each other and I know I can rely on them and ask questions, just as they can rely on me."
"The instructors here are very helpful," she added. They are accessible and they schedule their time around you which has really meant a lot to me."
Starting this fall, the networking associate degree will transition to an associate degree in information technology information systems. A certified CISCO Academy, the college will also offer a certificate and diploma in information technology information systems.
Dr. Deborah Porto, dean of business and advanced technology programs at JCC, thanked the college leadership for investing in the program.
"We are very excited about the potential for the networking program at JCC," Porto said. "The new infrastructure allowed JCC to virtualize labs so students can do their lab work from home at any time. This improvement helps students with hands-on skills, which helps students to take advantage of the internship opportunities and gain employment in area businesses. I am very proud JCC supported these improvements for our students."
For more information about networking and information technology at JCC, please contact Oliver at (919) 209-2204 or deoliver@johnstoncc.edu.
Cut line: Networking students recently thanked JCC President David Johnson for the technology upgrades. Pictured from left are networking instructor Derek Brown; David Hicks; Blake Garriss; Andrew Pobrica; Angel Jara; Fernando Martinez-Flores; Elisalem Garcia-Reyes; lead instructor David Oliver; Analiz Vasquez; and Dr. David Johnson, JCC president.