ICT services which include infrastructure and infostructure are provided for all UPM staff to enable administrative, learning and teaching (PdP) tasks and research to be implemented well.
The ICT service facilities provided are as follows:
- UPM computer network system (UPMNet) is the University's main computer network infrastructure used by more than 30 thousand users. UPMNet consists of various network technologies with different speeds of 10baseT, 100Mbps, 1000Mbps and 10Gbps to support online operations and access to the Internet.
- PutraHotspot WiFi with a power of 1200 Access Point WiFi is available throughout the residential college and part of the Academic zone. This project, implemented in 2016, is provided for FREE and can be used by more than 12,000 students at a time with WiFi space coverage of almost 90% in the residential college area.
- Internet Access Control Systems are used to assist in a more uniform and efficient distribution of broadband access. All students can use the internet access facility with a speed of 8Mbps as well as a download quota of 30Gbps per month
- Availability of good internet access with the implementation of the rental of Metro-E Internet service providers namely TIME, Maxis and MYREN with a capacity of 3.8Gbps
- Provision of server infrastructure and storage for PutraBLAST Learning Hub of 27 servers with a capacity of 176 physical CPU, 1056GB RAM and 16TB storage to support online learning
- Video conferencing application facilities for PdP purposes namely Big Blue Button (PutraBLAST), Microsoft Teams (M365), Webex, Zoom and Google Meet
The use of old technology that has been in operation for more than eight (8) years will cause operational disruption due to the high risk of equipment damage. The growing number of users and the increasing operation of online university applications, limit the ability of the UPM network system (UPMNet) to provide smooth information highway services. It is very worrying if there is damage to the equipment that is operating.
Increased Broadband Capacity
The use of online applications requires the availability of high-capacity Internet facilities. Based on these requirements, UPM plans to increase the bandwidth capacity from 3.8Gbps to 10Gbps by early 2021 through the existing Internet rental service. This improvement aims to support user demand and meet the needs of smart classroom and online PdP.
Upgrading and Empowering Computer Network ICT Infrastructure (UPMNet) and University Data Center (UPMNet 4.0)
With the rapid development of technology and development, the acquisition of equipment with a new design that is more suitable is needed to upgrade the 23-year-old UPMNet. The Management Committee of Universiti Putra Malaysia agreed to approve this proposal in stages according to the phase with an allocation of RM10 million in 2021, and another RM10 million in 2022.
The implementation of UPMNet4.0 which involves the replacement of network equipment and ICT security requires an allocation of RM48Million and is implemented in stages as follows:
