Our group chief technology officer, Bella Abrams welcomes delegates to this year's Networkshop.

The Janet update will be split into two parts. First, Neil Shewry will provide a strategic update on Janet, focusing on current activities, challenges, and priorities, and a look ahead at future evolution. Second, Rob Evans will provide detailed technical insight into Janet developments, both retrospectively, and looking forward as the need to keep pace with user demand and technology advancement continues.

In this keynote, Dr Jo Salter MBE, Britain’s first female fast jet pilot delves into insights on resilience, clear decision-making, and grounded leadership during uncertainty and times of change.

When change hits, most people wait for clarity. But leaders don’t have that luxury. They have to move - even when the path is uncertain. Navigating that uncertainty requires agility, resilience, and clear decision-making, but success is never achieved alone. The team on the ground play a vital role in ensuring ideas are translated into action with precision and adaptability.

In this keynote, Jo Salter MBE shares what it really takes to lead through transformation, challenge and pressure. Drawing on her experience as Britain’s first female fast jet pilot and decades advising leaders across sectors, Jo cuts through the noise with straight-talking insights on resilience, decision-making and staying grounded when it counts.

This isn’t about staying positive. It’s about staying present — and moving forward with clarity, confidence and calm when everything around you is shifting.

Explore the future of networking with our connectivity team at Networkshop 2025. Drop by to discuss your current challenges, future plans, or ideas - our team is on hand to help you boost your performance, resilience and scalability to keep you connected.

Learn how UK universities and colleges, through Jisc, have secured a collective Oracle Java agreement that simplifies licensing, ensures compliance, and delivers significant cost savings. This session offers a clear overview of what’s changed and what it means for your institution.

Learn how innovative technologies can aid with the changing AI landscape. 

The fundamentals of network connectivity haven’t changed, but the demands on networks have. As environments grow more complex, organisations need more than just a reliable infrastructure; they need intelligent, adaptive solutions. This session explores how Extreme Networks simplifies, secures, and automates your network, while AI brings a new layer of intelligence to proactively identify issues, optimise performance, and reduce operational overheads. It’s not about replacing the basics - it’s about evolving beyond them.

A single point look at your cloud configuration, comparing that against various sources, and making achieving CE easier.

Helping you stay on top of the ever changing features and settings of your cloud services, Cloud assist is designed to provide free health checks (currently M365 but more to come) as well as premium features to assist with Cyber Essentials and your SharePoint storage retention (with more features to come).

In this training session, Nick will show you what you can get in the tool now, and a sneak peak at features planned for in the next 12 months.

This session will empower you to harness Al's full potential and embrace smart, intelligent campus.

Elliot Townsend and Kevin Mortimer will set the record straight. They will demonstrate the true capabilities of Al and Machine Learning (ML) and show why institutions should embrace these game-changing technologies.

Elliot will dive into multiple ML models, explaining how they transform reactive network operations into proactive insights. See how these technologies improve student experiences, reduce service escalations, and lower operational costs. They will show how institutions can achieve quick wins and develop strategic tools to drive digital transformation.

Kevin will share how AI and ML have revolutionised IT services at the University of Reading, supporting smart campus initiatives. Discover how Al enables real-time student experience monitoring, creating engaging and supportive environments.

While industry hype often causes people to tune out when they hear "AI," Elliot and Kevin will redefine what AI and ML truly mean and illustrate their real-world benefits.

Exploring challenges and solutions for working with non-standard protocol implementations in cloud environments, starting with DNS and DHCP in Microsoft Azure.

In today's networking environment we are facing ever increasing complexity. With the growth of cloud networking, many of the tried and tested protocols and models we rely on are being implemented in a non standard way.

This session will discuss examples and explore some of the options that engineers and architects have when working with these implementations. As a starting point, we will look at the implementation of DNS and DHCP in Azure.

An introduction to the Janet Network and what it can do for you.

In this session, our chief network architect, Rob Evans, will describe what the Janet network is, how it works, and how it enables connectivity to global research and education networks and the rest of the internet, and how you can make the most of it.

The GÉANT project, now in its GN5-2 phase, provides services to support European research and education communities in taking the network and its services one step beyond. This presentation will drive us through two of them: the Network eAcademy and Timemap. 

Network eAcademy includes resources for network technicians to stay updated on automation, artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, optical time and frequency networks, etc. Three open training programmes “from the community for the community”, a common terminology document, a maturity model, or a functional architecture reference are some of them. 

TimeMap is the GÉANT jitter and latency monitor tool along the GÉANT backbone, and also a measurement method which can be applied to nearly anything, such as time and frequency distribution services. 

In the session we will present the key elements of the architecture and how this is turned into an innovative monitoring service with various use cases.

This lightning talk will explore how the latest in secure, high performance Wi-Fi networks can be integrated with IoT management and monitoring applications to create a smart campus environment.

The smart campus approach simplifies the management of technology infrastructure, drives efficiency for both IT and estates teams, whilst helping improve the student experience.

This approach enables a single management platform to be used for multiple systems, supporting the integration of different manufacturers, legacy technology, and the latest generation technology across CCTV, access control, alarm management and environmental monitoring. The result is simplified management, improved visibility to deliver a Smart Campus environment.

Whether you're considering options for a small project or planning a full infrastructure migration, Jisc's cloud specialists are here to help. Join us for personalised advice, technical guidance, or strategic insights to help digitally transform your organisation.

Discover how Jisc’s new network solutions framework was established to make it easier than ever to procure network equipment and services. This session will cover how the framework simplifies compliance, reduces admin, delivers sector-best pricing and is specifically tailored to education - all helping you buy smarter and faster.

Hear from Rubrik on how other higher education institutions are leveraging the latest in cyber resilience to protect against today's threats.

For years, cybersecurity teams in HE have chased threats across the perimeter, the endpoint, and the network - yet breaches remain inevitable. Boards are demanding evidence of resilience, and traditional security operations are struggling to keep up as attackers leverage AI and automation.

Is proactive security and resilience a realistic aim? Can we predict, prevent and prove cyber resilience?

Newcastle University and University of Lancashire have embraced network transformation and technology innovation to drive operational simplicity, efficiency and assured experiences for connected users and devices.

This keynote panel discussion will focus on next-generation architecture, highlighting how EVPN-VXLAN for micro-segmentation plays a central role in transforming campus networks.

The panel will explore key insights, best practices, and lessons learned across several critical areas:

- The advantages and challenges of EVPN-VXLAN

- How AI can be a game changer for simplified, reduced cost network

- The growing importance of location services in digital transformation, student engagement, safety, personal security, and real-time analytics

- The alignment of technology and service innovation with institutional priorities for sustainable infrastructure

- Why digital twin technology

An overview of the GÉANT network infrastructure including future plans and why Pan-Artic network connectivity is important.

This breakout session will consist of two lightning talks;

The GÉANT Network: supporting international collaboration 

This talk will provide an overview of how GÉANT, and in particular the GÉANT network infrastructure, supports collaboration within the research and education community on a global scale.

Between 2019 and 2023, the GÉANT network underwent significant changes, transitioning toward an infrastructure ownership model for its pan-European footprint. Now, building on the success of this project, GÉANT is applying the same model to its intercontinental connectivity.

With an increasingly tightening global security environment, ownership and control of critical infrastructure are becoming ever more important.

In this context, the model applied by GÉANT is becoming ever more relevant.

This session is targeted at network and IT professionals in the REN sector interested in gaining a deeper understanding of where the regional and global REN network is now and will be in the near future, why this is important, and how it supports the research and education sector.

Polar Connect, Pan-Arctic connectivity

This talk explores Polar Connect, the visionary initiative led by NORDUnet and Nordic NRENs to establish a resilient, trans-Arctic submarine cable linking Europe and Asia by 2030. 

This route, traversing the High Arctic, complements the Far North Fiber system and offers a sovereign, secure alternative to traditional, congested paths through the Suez Canal, Russia, or North America. In addition to digital connectivity, Polar Connect integrates advanced sensing technologies (eg DAS and SMART sensors), enabling real-time data collection for Arctic climate research, marine biology, and seismology. 

The initiative promises substantial societal benefits - enhancing digital sovereignty, resilience, and scientific discovery - while supporting sustainable infrastructure powered by Nordic green energy. The harsh Arctic environment presents logistical and technical challenges, requiring ice-class vessels, phased implementation, and public-private investment models. Polar Connect is supported under the EU’s CEF Digital programme and aligns with broader strategies for European digital autonomy and global data infrastructure resilience.

Showcasing JOINER: a research platform enabling academia and industry to accelerate innovation through ready-to-use tools, reduced implementation time, and collaborative facilities.

JOINER unites the expertise and research strengths of 11 leading universities and laboratories across the UK, along with regional innovation clusters, to provide a comprehensive suite of test environments, tools, and infrastructure.

The platform is underpinned by a strong focus on knowledge exchange, dissemination, and skills development.

By coordinating and federating emerging future network testbed initiatives, JOINER accelerates the testing, validation, and co-creation of 6G technologies and applications - driving research, innovation, and adoption at scale.

Many Janet customers are looking to sell IPv4 addresses, this session will talk about whether you can, and how you might go about doing it.

IPv4 addresses have a market value, and as the education sector in the UK faces renewed pressure on funding, many Janet customers and members are asking if they can sell their addresses to generate some income.

In this session we will talk about some of the trends in the IPv4 market, whether you are able to sell any of your addresses, and how, if you choose that route, you might approach doing so.

Use cases for P5G in the modern higher education and research setting. This session will aim to provide the audience with a better understanding of the use cases for P5G in the modern higher education and research setting, when and where it should be deployed and provide clarity on the popular myth that it will replace WLAN networks, but instead complements them.

Discover how DDI simplifies hybrid multicloud management, boosts automation, strengthens security, and enhances visibility - empowering teams to scale with confidence and operational efficiency.

Hybrid multicloud environments bring agility, but also complexity. Fragmented DNS, IPAM, and automation strategies can quickly become bottlenecks, increasing risk and reducing efficiency.

Learn how to maximise savings and streamline procurement while staying compliant. Come and meet Jisc’s procurement and licensing teams, and understand how they can help institutions unlock value through collective purchasing, simplified agreements, and expert support.

Explore the future of networking with our connectivity team at Networkshop 2025. Drop by to discuss your current challenges, future plans, or ideas - our team is on hand to help you boost your performance, resilience and scalability to keep you connected.

This session focuses on network performance monitoring and troubleshooting, including a talk on the open-source perfSONAR network performance monitoring platform with its new Grafana-based interface, and then information about the network testing facilities provided for you by Jisc.

In this session we focus on network performance monitoring and troubleshooting. We begin with an introduction to the open-source perfSONAR network performance monitoring platform with its new Grafana-based interface, presented by one of the GÉANT developers, following that with information about the network testing facilities provided by Jisc for you to use when diagnosing performance issues, presented by Jisc's network performance team lead.

The talks will give examples of performance issues we've encountered, of perfSONAR in action, and will include tips and tricks for troubleshooting.

This presentation will provide valuable insights into the advantages of utilising Jisc's security operations centre (SOC) as well as an update on the SOC since it launched.

This session will demonstrate how to use Entra ID for seamless hybrid identity, Azure Arc for multi-environment governance, and solutions like Azure Local to run Azure services locally.

Unlock cloud agility and robust management for your on-premise infrastructure. This session demonstrates how to use Entra ID for seamless hybrid identity, Azure Arc for unified multi-environment governance and management, and solutions like Azure Local to run Azure services locally.

Cyber-threats are constantly evolving, and so are we. Join our cyber security experts for an informal drop-in session where you can ask questions, learn best practices, and get practical advice to enhance your security posture.