Illinois Century Network Getting Upgrade

The Illinois Department of Innovation and Technology is upgrading its state-run education network, the Illinois Century Network (ICN), from Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) to software-defined wide area networking (SD-WAN). The state consulted with Fujitsu Network Communications on the project and Fujitsu designed an SD-WAN solution using equipment from Silver Peak. The ICN project includes Silver Peak appliances that are deployed at each location with a centralized orchestrator. The remote appliance includes zero-touch provisioning so it is easy for Illinois officials to install and maintain. The five-year ICN SD-WAN project started in July 2019 and turned on 100 locations in the first four months. Currently, there are 130 locations outfitted with SD-WAN, but that number could grow to 800 if the Illinois Department of Innovation and Technology decides to upgrade all the schools and locations in its network, which is the largest state-run education network in the US.