Network Upgrades Bring The Arboretum Up to Speed

Located on the far southern edge of campus, The Arboretum was in a difficult location for network infrastructure enhancements. After years of planning, The Arboretum now has an upgraded network offering speeds 200 times faster than previously experienced. The upgrade came from a collaboration with UK Information Technology Services (UK ITS) and UK College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, where cost sharing allowed for the installation of a new fiber plant on site. 

Visitors to the The Arboretum can now experience improved performance with tasks like processing credit card payments when visiting the KY Children’s Garden or the gift shop at the Dorotha Smith Oatts Visitor Center. Arboretum staff can manage assets more efficiently, keeping devices on site up to date on the latest software and helping customers faster.  

Arboretum Director, Molly Davis, sees the impact of the upgrade. “Our staff, gift shop, and Kentucky Children’s Garden operations, have relied upon a Wi-Fi connection to the adjoining residential neighborhood’s Windstream connection since at least 2001. Performing tasks ranging from working in SAP to developing plant lists and labels or downloading images to use in a presentation were very time consuming. The time it took to open a file would be minutes or might not work at all because the connection timed out. We are extremely grateful to both partners who allowed this upgrade to occur, and we could not be more delighted with our improved internet and the speed it brings which allows us to work more efficiently and accomplish more!” 

This new equipment on site not only enhances The Arboretum operations, but also provides the possibility for future projects. A new UK Fiber plant gives flexibility for other uses of the property. Among projects in consideration for the property is installation of equipment for public safety enhancements. 

UK ITS hopes that with the installation of new fiber, The Arboretum can increase their offerings to the community by allowing technology to support their mission of connecting people with nature and serving as a resource for environmental and horticultural education, research, and conservation.