Information Technology

William C. Dougherty is the Executive Director of the Network Infrastructure and Services department of the Division of Information Technology at Virginia Tech. The department provides advanced network services—emphasizing robust, integrated and secure information technologies. Drawing on a strong foundation of telecommunications engineering, design, and operational experience, the department designs, deploys and operates wide-area, high-performance computing and communications networks, ensuring the university has direct access to highly reliable, leading edge, high-speed national and global research networks and facilities.

To enable learning and collaboration outside the classroom, outdoor wireless coverage has been added outside numerous locations throughout campus.

Virginia Tech students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to use the eduroam wireless (WiFi) network, which also enables internet access at participating universities and institutions.

Pearson, the first of two new Corps of Cadets residence halls on the Upper Quad, contains 234 dorm rooms with study and lounge spaces on each level. The 101,422-square-foot building has five above-ground floors, a basement, and a room for storing the corps' cannon, Skipper.

Members of the Information Technology team were recognized for successful completion of the university’s Employee Certificate Development Program.

The secure worldwide federated network access service developed for the international research and education community is known as eduroam (education roaming). This federation can be used at Virginia Tech by faculty, staff, and students, as well as by visitors from participating institutions.

The Distributed Antenna System (DAS) improves the cellular coverage and capacity within Lane Stadium, including the stadium bowl, all interior and exterior levels, and the parking lots on the northeast, south and west sides.

The first implementation of Unified Communications was at the end of July 2012 at The Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton Conference Center. Representing the special case of the hospitality industry, the Inn presented challenges of equipping the hotel’s guest rooms, conference rooms, and public spaces, as well as those administrative offices that have communications services needs more similar to other university departments.

TelePresence improves videoconferencing’s two-way audio and video telecommunication experience by offering high definition video communication, using the best equipment available, and allowing for complete network control. While videoconferencing operates on television style sets, Telepresence’s 55-inch plasma screens allow the “life size” view of the remote location to include important details like facial gestures and real-time eye contact. This immersive experience means participants at a distant site feel as if they were physically present in the room.

“With this contract in place, the Virginia Tech community can begin to look forward to a having well integrated, greatly improved communications services as part of our daily activities,” said William Dougherty, executive director of Network Infrastructure and Services. “We can look forward to a wide range of improvements, from caller ID and more robust conference and collaboration capabilities, to integrated voice, email, and fax messaging, and improved support for cell phones and other mobile devices.”

Virginia Tech is planning a transition from the existing campus telephone and voice mail system to a new system which will enable the university community to access new and emerging technologies. The planned system and communications model is often referred to as Unified Communications.

The university's 2010-2016 Six-Year Capital Plan approved on March 23, 2009 includes a project to improve the campus network and communication infrastructure. The university’s technology infrastructure is integral to supporting the institution’s core mission of teaching, research, and outreach. The current fiber-optic backbone is outdated and needs to be upgraded. The physical infrastructure installed over 20 years ago no longer has sufficient capacity to meet existing demand and will not be able to meet future demand as new facilities come on-line.

The Local Multipoint Distribution Service (LMDS) spectrum represents the largest block of spectrum ever auctioned and Virginia Tech was the only university that participated as a bidder in the auction. LMDS enables wireless communications at gigabit speeds - thousands of times faster than most current communications systems for "last-mile" voice and data services.

The intent for the wireless campus infrastructure project is that Communications Network Services, a division of Network Infrastructure and Services, will enter into a long-term relationship with a qualified carrier and its equipment and content partners in order to deliver state-of-the-art wireless voice, data, and Internet services as well as unified messaging on and off campus, in order to improve teaching and learning, and to enhance research.