SPIE : chosen by the LyRES metropolitan network to interconnect Lyon's 22 universities

Malakoff, 29 March 2022 -SPIE ICS, a French digital services subsidiary of SPIE, the independent European leader in multi-technical services in the areas of energy and communications, has renewed its partnership with the LyRES metropolitan network for another seven years in order to offer ultra-secure broadband connections to all students, teachers, researchers and administrative staff in the Lyon area. This collaboration, which began in 2004, enables it to meet the increased requirements for speed and secure access for its 22 establishments spread over 50 interconnected sites.

More than 100,000 students in 22 institutions

SPIE ICS was chosen by the LyRES (Lyon Recherche Enseignement Supérieur) metropolitan network to migrate the fibre network and deploy level 1, 2 and 3 network equipment. The objective for LyRES is to communicate faster and more securely in order to meet the crucial challenges of digital development for its higher education and research establishments, with growing needs in terms of throughput, security of flows and flexibility.

Securing data transport

As a service operator, SPIE ICS enables the LyRES network to monitor, administer its data traffic, and gain visibility on its status in real time. It also enables to prioritise sensitive flows by implementing quality of service mechanisms.

Connected to the RENATER national network for higher education and research, the LyRES network must be operational at all times, especially during national exam periods that take place simultaneously throughout the country (e.g. medical exams on tablets).

The security protocols put in place guarantee the integrity and non-interception of the data, whether the transmitter is a CNRS laboratory, a university or a CROUS residence.

A technological breakthrough

The data transport infrastructure proposed by SPIE ICS is based on a major technological breakthrough (automation, telemetry, EVPN, etc.) in order to meet the needs of a rapidly changing environment. Thomas Petit, operational director of the Inter-establishment Centre for Network Services, explains: "Today, there are very high stakes in network resilience. The reliability of access is essential for the research and higher education sites in Lyon. Scalability in terms of architecture and throughput is also essential. "

On this project, SPIE ICS was able to apply its know-how in terms of integrating complex network infrastructure solutions, using Cisco's level 2 and 3 technologies of the OSI (Open Systems Interconnection) model on the one hand, and the French group Ekinops for multiplexing and high-speed flow transport technologies on the other.
Bogdan Stefanescu, Director of the Competence Centre at SPIE ICS' Eastern France Division, explains: "We have redesigned the entire architecture to optimise the routes. It's a bit like a huge motorway network, but over a short distance, on the scale of the Lyon conurbation. The average speed is 100 gigabits/second, with peaks of several hundred gigabits in some places. "

A flexible and scalable solution over time

The seamless transition from the old to the new data transport infrastructure ensures perfect service continuity. SPIE ICS has designed a scalable, easy-to-operate architecture whose flexible construction will allow it to adapt over time to a changing environment. This is the strength of this solution, which will be in place for the next seven years.