Registration, networking, exhibitionDoors will open from 08:45 for badge collection and to meet with this year's exhibitors and fellow attendees.

Day one opens

A welcome session for newcomers offering an opportunity to meet fellow first-time delegates and the Jisc team, while providing guidance on how to maximise your experience at the conference.In this ice-breaker session, for anyone new to the event, you’ll have the chance to meet others attending the conference and members of the Jisc team including engineers who run the network. You can find out how to make the most of your time at Networkshop and get more information and support from wider communities.

Welcome to Networkshop for new attendees and find out more about community support

A welcome session for newcomers offering an opportunity to meet fellow first-time delegates and the Jisc team, while providing guidance on how to maximise your experience at the conference.

Heidi Fraser-Krauss, Jisc CEO, welcomes you to Networkshop 2026 and provides an overview of what to expect from this year's event.

Welcome to Networkshop

Heidi Fraser-Krauss, Jisc CEO, welcomes you to Networkshop 2026 and provides an overview of what to expect from this year's event.

Over the next decade, the Janet Network will transform from a high‑performance network into a strategic platform for national innovation, resilience, and global competitiveness.This strategic update will take a retrospective look over the past 12 months of key achievements and activities, as well as a strategic forward view of the next five years of evolution.

Jisc strategic update - the Janet Network

Over the next decade, the Janet Network will transform from a high‑performance network into a strategic platform for national innovation, resilience, and global competitiveness.

The rapidly changing technology and geopolitical landscape is significantly changing the network infrastructure that drives our organisations.This keynote session will cover a range of topics, including the impact of AI and the growing data explosion as well as the affect it is having on network infrastructure and how organisations need to adapt. Fred will also look at the maturation of quantum and humanoid robotics and how they are influencing network security and network management. Fred will conclude this fascinating discussion by covering the growing geopolitical situation driving data, AI, operational and legal sovereignty.

The autonomous enterprise

The rapidly changing technology and geopolitical landscape is significantly changing the network infrastructure that drives our organisations.

Morning break

Now it is time to take a break and use this time to network with exhibitors.

Bookable infrastructure support meetings giving you access to Jisc specialists.Whether you are facing specific challenges or you want to explore ways to optimise and secure your infrastructure, these sessions are tailored to meet your needs.

Infrastructure support meetings - pre-booking required

Bookable infrastructure support meetings giving you access to Jisc specialists.

A look at why traditional campus security models are failing in a world where the network boundary is the identity, not the building.We've spent two decades building walls. Then we handed out fifty thousand keys. This lightning talk discusses the problem facing every FE and HE institution: the security model most of us inherited was designed for a world where users sat inside a building, on institution-owned devices, accessing on-premises systems. That world is gone.Today's campus has no edges. Students and staff connect across personal devices, home broadband, cloud applications, and partner networks. The perimeter didn't disappear - it became the identity of the person, not the walls of the building.This session names the gap between where our security models are and where our campuses actually are - and asks the question that every network and security leader in education should be sitting with: if the walls are gone, what replaces them?

The dissolution of the network perimeter - and what replaced it

A look at why traditional campus security models are failing in a world where the network boundary is the identity, not the building.

This session will share real‑world experiences of establishing and supporting transnational education partnerships.The session will cover what works, what breaks, and what we believe universities should consider before expanding internationally. We'll explore the practicalities behind secure, resilient and scalable global delivery to help universities build transnational education (TNE) infrastructure that can stand the test of distance, diversity and demand.

Global reach, local challenges: infrastructure for scalable, sustainable transnational education

This session will share real‑world experiences of establishing and supporting transnational education partnerships.

Showing how Dumfries and Galloway College have foundationally built their Intune deployment from the bottom up.This session explains how Microsoft Intune has become a key aspect of how the college's digital team operates. We'll show how creating it from a simplistic level and growing it now helps the college to save time and resource for many operational tasks.

Microsoft Intune: making it work for you

Showing how Dumfries and Galloway College have foundationally built their Intune deployment from the bottom up.

Solihull College and University Centre explains how talking about cyber security made it a college problem rather than just an IT problem.In this session Dave Gartside, IT director from Solihull College and University Centre, will outline how Solihull College and University Centre is preparing staff and students for WHEN a cyber attack happens. This review of the college's journey of cyber resilience will provide learning to change the way we all talk about cyber.

When, not if: one college's journey towards cyber resilience

Solihull College and University Centre explains how talking about cyber security made it a college problem rather than just an IT problem.

As education embraces cloud and hybrid learning, securing access without disrupting teaching is critical.In this joint session, KHIPU Networks and Palo Alto Networks explore key security challenges across the sector and demonstrate how Prisma Access Browser delivers secure, policy-driven access on any device. See a live demo and customer case study showcasing BYOD protection, secure exam environments, and safe student browsing – all through a simplified, cloud-delivered approach that enhances security while reducing IT complexity.

Protecting the classroom of tomorrow: the power of the Prisma browser

As education embraces cloud and hybrid learning, securing access without disrupting teaching is critical.

Learn about Defender and Active Directory best practice such as hardening privileged accounts and monitoring authentication, and key Microsoft Defender XDR configuration recommendations to strengthen visibility and detection.Attendees will learn the essential steps to ensure their environments are aligned with Jisc's SOC requirements and be ready for effective threat monitoring and response.Please note: this session is for Jisc members and customers only. Commercial organisations will not be able to join this session.

Getting SOC ready - defender and active directory best practice

Learn about Defender and Active Directory best practice such as hardening privileged accounts and monitoring authentication, and key Microsoft Defender XDR configuration recommendations to strengthen visibility and detection.

In 2026, UK education is under pressure from volatile hardware supply chains and soaring costs.This session moves beyond the 'cloud vs on-prem' debate to advise how Jisc's cloud can help you to leverage AWS and Azure Cloud as a critical resiliency hedge. We will explore how to tackle technical debt, avoid hardware scarcity, ditch capacity planning and create a hybrid infrastructure that is secure by design with predictable costs.

Hedging your tech: making cloud part of your hybrid resiliency strategy

In 2026, UK education is under pressure from volatile hardware supply chains and soaring costs.

Users failing to connect to eduroam after password changes, CredentialGuard causing pain, Microsoft hinting at NTLM retirement... the list goes on.Certificate-based EAP-TLS authentication for eduroam could solve all this, and more. Or will it? What are the benefits and pitfalls of EAP-TLS? Join Stefan Paetow, federated roaming technical specialist from Jisc, for this session and find out if EAP-TLA is the silver bullet for password-less eduroam.

EAP-TLS: moving beyond usernames and passwords in eduroam

Users failing to connect to eduroam after password changes, CredentialGuard causing pain, Microsoft hinting at NTLM retirement... the list goes on.

Modern education and research platforms depend on network infrastructure designed to be resilient, yet real-world conditions often fall short.From API throttling and timeouts to partial data transfers, intermittent connectivity, and even security-related disruptions such as revoked access or credential failures, systems must operate under constant uncertainty.This session explores how to design systems that continue to deliver reliable outcomes despite these challenges. Drawing on practical experience building scalable data pipelines for research and education platforms, it focuses on network-aware system design, including retries, idempotency, partial failure handling, and graceful degradation.Rather than treating failure as an exception, the session shows how designing for imperfection leads to more resilient, efficient, and trustworthy systems. It also connects these principles to institutional impact, including data availability, research continuity, and trust in digital platforms, highlighting how resilient and sustainable infrastructure is achieved through systems that can recover and continue delivering value.

Built to fail gracefully

Modern education and research platforms depend on network infrastructure designed to be resilient, yet real-world conditions often fall short.

What time is it? A simple question but traceable accurate time is of critical importance.In this session we will cover use of the network from ultra-accurate comparison of atomic clocks, with a view to redefining the second to millisecond precision, used for log synchronisation. The strategic importance of time in position navigation and timing will also be included in the content.

The race for perfect time: how networks power the future of precision

What time is it? A simple question but traceable accurate time is of critical importance.

As universities expand across hybrid and multi-cloud environments, DNS has become critical infrastructure, but many institutions still operate with fragmented systems, manual processes, and inconsistent data.Common challenges include siloed DNS, dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP), and IP address management (IPAM) tools, spreadsheet-based IP management, limited visibility, and growing risks of misconfigurations or service disruption.In this session,we will explore why modernising DNS infrastructure is no longer an optional upgrade, but a strategic imperative, and how universities can transform their networks into a resilient, automated, and scalable foundation. You will learn:<ul><li>Why hybrid campus networks amplify DNS complexity and operational silos</li><li>Modern DNS architectural approaches to ensure high availability, performance, and security</li><li>Best practices to transform operations with data consistency, overlay management, and automated workflows</li></ul>Through practical examples drawn from higher education environments, this session shows how modernising core network services enables universities to prepare their networks for growth, supporting both current services and future innovation.

Modernising university networks for hybrid and multi-cloud environments with resilient and secure domain name systems (DNS)

As universities expand across hybrid and multi-cloud environments, DNS has become critical infrastructure, but many institutions still operate with fragmented systems, manual processes, and inconsistent data.

If we want networks that truly support education, research, and student experience, we need to move beyond connectivity alone.As further and higher education institutions face growing pressures around hybrid learning, cyber security, sustainability, and student experience, connectivity must evolve from a utility service into an intelligent insight-driven platform.This session explores how network telemetry and data engineering principles can transform campus infrastructure into a strategic asset.

From network telemetry to educational intelligence: rethinking campus connectivity for FE and HE

If we want networks that truly support education, research, and student experience, we need to move beyond connectivity alone.

For UK research, education and public sector organisations, choosing how to buy cloud can be as critical as choosing the cloud itself.This session compares OCRE and the OGVA AWS agreement, focusing on what matters in practice: alignment with funding models and governance, flexibility for diverse workloads, and the trade-offs between commitment, cost, and control. Walk away with a clear, practical way to choose the right route for your organisation’s cloud use cases, with confidence.

OCRE vs OGVA: finding the right fit for cloud procurement in the UK research, education, and public sector

For UK research, education and public sector organisations, choosing how to buy cloud can be as critical as choosing the cloud itself.

Lunch break

Pre‑registration required.A highly interactive, discussion‑based workshop exploring what is working well and what isn't within the network solutions procurement framework.This session for Jisc members and customers offers a focused review of how the network solutions framework is performing across resilience, efficiency, cost sustainability and service outcomes. We will look at how insights from this workshop can shape improvements for the next iteration of the framework, ensuring it meets future technical, commercial, and strategic needs. The session will include:<ul><li>Reviewing real‑world experiences of the framework in practice, including scalability, cost performance, operational efficiency and alignment with organisational needs</li><li>Understanding how the framework’s structure and processes influence delivery efficiency, resilience and long‑term cost sustainability</li><li>Practical use of the framework, exploring how customers use the framework to achieve cost‑effective networking that aligns with service strategy, budget constraints, compliance obligations and long‑term technology planning</li><li>Forward‑looking improvement planning, identifying enhancements and opportunities to shape the next iteration of the network solutions framework so that it better supports evolving customer requirements, future technology landscapes and supplier capabilities</li></ul>From this session you will take away:<ul><li>High‑level insight for strategic leaders on the value of the existing framework through member use cases, supplier viewpoints, behaviours, and framework alignment with our customers' organisational goals</li><li>Tactical insights for managers wanting to use the framework</li></ul>

The network solutions framework: your voice, your impact

A highly interactive, discussion‑based workshop exploring what is working well and what isn't within the network solutions procurement framework.

Ghost students are having a major impact on the higher education sector.Today’s bad actors are harnessing the power of AI and automated bots to register large numbers of synthetic or stolen identities through online admissions applications. The good news is that there are effective solutions to protect against AI-driven ghost student fraud.Join Cloudflare in this session as we move past the headlines, analyse the anatomy of enrolment fraud, and pinpoint the key solutions.

Fake students, real disruption: stopping the ghost student problem

Ghost students are having a major impact on the higher education sector.

Universities are under pressure to modernise technology while also making difficult decisions about their physical estates.Buildings may be closed, mothballed, repurposed or sold, but they still need to remain secure, connected and fit for purpose right up to the point of change. This creates a difficult balance: invest too heavily and risk wasted spend, delay investment and risk creating technical debt that affects resilience, security and user experience.This session will look at how a university approached this challenge using subscription networking. By adopting a model that allows equipment to be returned and costs stopped if buildings close, the university will modernise its network while maintaining flexibility across a changing estate.The session will explore what this means in practice, how it supports better alignment between IT and estates planning, and why flexible commercial models may become increasingly important for higher education technology strategy.

Doing more with less: cut costs without compromising your network

Universities are under pressure to modernise technology while also making difficult decisions about their physical estates.

Build secure data foundations, harness AI, deploy autonomous agents for student support, ensure governance, and maximise network and cloud investments driving productivity and academic excellence.Gain actionable insights into maximising your network and cloud investments to drive productivity and academic excellence in 2026.

Explore the shift from AI experimentation to institutional performance​

Build secure data foundations, harness AI, deploy autonomous agents for student support, ensure governance, and maximise network and cloud investments driving productivity and academic excellence.

Large language models are already embedded in university workflows drafting emails, summarising case files, and generating briefing notes.Most institutions have no policy, no data protection impact assessment (DPIA), and no records framework covering any of it. This session draws on practical experience as a university CISO and information governance specialist to examine the compliance gaps that HE institutions are navigating right now.The session will cover:<ul><li> What the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) actually requires when AI outputs may be 'held' information</li><li>How UK GDPR applies to personal data processed through LLMs</li><li>Why shadow AI creates invisible records outside your subject access request (SAR) and FOI search scope</li><li>What a minimum viable governance framework looks like in practice</li></ul>It is designed for CISOs, data protection officers, records managers and senior leaders who need to move from awareness to defensible governance — and want honest answers about where most institutions currently fall short.

Data protection and freedom of information in the age of large language models: what universities are learning the hard way

Large language models are already embedded in university workflows drafting emails, summarising case files, and generating briefing notes.

IPv6 deployment is much lower at Janet-connected sites than commercial networks. Join us to get your questions answered and your IPv6 deployment up and running.At the start of this year, IPv6 for the first time accounted for over 50% of user traffic worldwide and just over 50% in the UK. Yet on Janet IPv6 sits at around 10% with deployment much lower than commercial ISP levels. There are some notable exceptions: The CERN experiments’ infrastructure sees over 95% of all data transfers being IPv6 and some of their network links have even removed IPv4.In this session we’ll explore reasons behind this, talk about common issues with deploying IPv6, and field any questions, concerns or problems you may have. Not sure about addressing plans? Stateless autoconfiguration? Security? We’ll discuss any topic raised.The session will take the format of a short introductory talk, a quick poll, and then a panel will field your questions. Our panellists will be drawn from Janet Network architects, university networking staff who have deployed IPv6, and an industry viewpoint.

IPv6 - everything you need to know and have been too afraid to ask

IPv6 deployment is much lower at Janet-connected sites than commercial networks. Join us to get your questions answered and your IPv6 deployment up and running.

Reduce risk, simplify access and move beyond legacy VPNs with identity-driven security using Entra Global Secure Access.This session provides a technical overview of Microsoft Entra Global Secure Access, covering internet access and private access within a zero trust model. It explains the core architecture, integration with conditional access and key deployment considerations. Delegates will gain practical insight into how Global Secure Access supports modern secure connectivity.

Modernising secure access with Microsoft Entra Global Secure Access

Reduce risk, simplify access and move beyond legacy VPNs with identity-driven security using Entra Global Secure Access.

As further and higher education embrace the 'campus without walls', traditional security models are evolving.This session explores how Zero Trust technologies like zero trust network access (ZTNA) and network access control (NAC) are converging to support security service edge, and secure access service edge strategies, enabling secure, identity-driven access for students, staff, and devices. It will also show why Extreme Networks can deliver stronger protection, simplified management, and seamless connectivity across modern educational environments.Explore how ARO Technology and Extreme Networks are assisting institutions like London Business School and other FE and HE institutions in redefining network security and how, together, the challenges for the 'campus without walls' and the bastion security model are changing the fabric of the network and operational parameters.This session examines the convergence of Zero Trust Technologies and how Universal NAC and ZTNA architectures are enabling secure, seamless, identity-driven access across increasingly distributed educational environments.

The new reality of network security in FE and HE: how Zero Trust is reshaping security in education to achieve the 'campus without walls'

As further and higher education embrace the 'campus without walls', traditional security models are evolving.

How cloud assist is helping to keep your M365 tenant up to date.This session will also explore how cloud assist helps with Cyber Essentials, as well as showing off new deployable configurations and current and new features.

Cloud assist - present and future

How cloud assist is helping to keep your M365 tenant up to date.

In always on environments where reliability, security and rapid response are critical, it’s easy for connection and wellbeing to slip into the background.In this session, delegates are invited to discuss the human elements of networking. Themes we will be exploring include:<ul><li>Staying present and mindful about technology</li><li>Dealing with stress in an on-call environment and the impact on focus and energy</li><li>Connecting people to share, learn and provide support through community-led skills</li></ul>

Powered by people - staying present and safe in a digital workplace

In always on environments where reliability, security and rapid response are critical, it’s easy for connection and wellbeing to slip into the background.

This keynote explores decades of university collaborations, showcasing AI-native networking's role in enhancing the user experience, anticipating issues, and enforcing dynamic, proactive network security.Join HPE's discussion of how the Aruba-Juniper integration benefits UK universities by simplifying network architecture, enhancing operational integration, and securing access, minimising the need for various tools.Throughout this session HPE will cover prioritising connectivity in residences and dense teaching spaces, defining relevant metrics, and using proofs of concept for network upgrades.

The AI-native campus network and the journey to self-driving: why UK universities need it now and how HPE and Juniper convergence changes the game

This keynote explores decades of university collaborations, showcasing AI-native networking's role in enhancing the user experience, anticipating issues, and enforcing dynamic, proactive network security.

Afternoon break

See how HPE Mist Access Assurance streamlines eduroam onboarding, enables personal WLANs, and simplifies authentication troubleshooting across campus and residential networks.For many universities, the first digital experience a student has on campus is connecting to wifi. Yet secure onboarding to eduroam can be surprisingly complex, particularly for new students, international arrivals, or less technical users who may not have mobile data access or confidence installing certificates and configuration profiles.This lightning talk explores how HPE Mist Access Assurance simplifies secure Wi-Fi onboarding while maintaining strong security and policy compliance. Using integrated PKI, cloud-based identity verification, and simple self-service workflows, universities can enable users to securely connect to eduroam without complex manual configuration, or even pre-provision from home. For managed devices, certificate enrolment can be fully automated through platforms such as Microsoft Intune and Jamf.The session will also demonstrate how Access Assurance provides a single platform for authentication visibility, troubleshooting, and guided remediation, helping IT teams quickly identify and resolve connectivity issues while improving the overall student experience.

Mist access assurance - how Juniper Mist university customers are simplifying eduroam onboarding on campus and delivering personal WLANS in student housing

See how HPE Mist Access Assurance streamlines eduroam onboarding, enables personal WLANs, and simplifies authentication troubleshooting across campus and residential networks.

UCL is transforming its digital foundations to meet the demands of modern research, shifting from traditional IT budgeting to architecting the high-performance networks required for supercomputing, AI, and data-intensive science.This session explores how UCL’s network modernisation programme is enabling next‑generation compute, supporting facilities such as its new national‑scale systems, and reshaping how infrastructure is planned, funded and delivered. Attendees will hear how strategic investment, technical redesign and operational change are converging to create a resilient, scalable network capable of powering world‑leading research across disciplines.

From building budgets to building supercomputers: network modernisation at UCL

UCL is transforming its digital foundations to meet the demands of modern research, shifting from traditional IT budgeting to architecting the high-performance networks required for supercomputing, AI, and data-intensive science.

Join Bella Abrams, Jisc group chief technology officer offering closing thoughts from day one of the event, before opening the networking reception in the exhibition hall sponsored by Qolcom.

Closing thoughts

Join Bella Abrams, Jisc group chief technology officer offering closing thoughts from day one of the event, before opening the networking reception in the exhibition hall sponsored by Qolcom.

Join us for a networking reception sponsored by Qolcom, taking place in the exhibition hall to close the first day of the conference.

Networking reception

Join us for a networking reception sponsored by Qolcom, taking place in the exhibition hall to close the first day of the conference.

Day one closes

Registration, networking, exhibitionDoors will open from 08:30 for badge collection and to meet with this year's exhibitors and fellow attendees.

Day two opens

This technical community session for Jisc members and customers will focus on giving you the latest updates on the Janet backbone, access networks, and associated network services. In addition, you'll hear news about the network performance test tools that are available to you as Jisc members, customers, and collaborators.David Richardson, principal network engineer, Jisc, from our Janet Network engineering team will open the session with a brief talk on the latest upgrades and developments happening on the Janet Network.The second update will come from Tim Chown, network development manager, Jisc, on the network performance test tool facilities you can use. This will include the additional perfSONAR servers and our new 100Gbps-capable Globus test server.There will be time after the updates for questions. If there is anything you would like to know about the network, any technical challenges you face that you'd like advice on, or performance problems you need support with, please join the team in this session to ask.

Janet Network engineering and performance update

This technical community session for Jisc members and customers will focus on giving you the latest updates on the Janet backbone, access networks, and associated network services. In addition, you'll hear news about the network performance test tools that are available to you as Jisc members, customers, and collaborators.

Software asset management (SAM) is not just an operational necessity, it's a strategic tool for reducing unnecessary spend, mitigating compliance risks and improving visibility across complex estates.Please note: commercial organisations / vendors cannot attend this session.This session builds on Jisc’s new blog series and insights from institutions navigating fragmented software estates, shadow IT and inconsistent licensing practices.

Uniting the sector to tackle software sprawl: SAM for visibility, value and resilience

Software asset management (SAM) is not just an operational necessity, it's a strategic tool for reducing unnecessary spend, mitigating compliance risks and improving visibility across complex estates.

Bella Abrams, group chief technology officer, Jisc, welcomes you to the second day of Networkshop and provides an overview of what you can expect from the day.

Welcome to day two

Bella Abrams, group chief technology officer, welcomes you to the second day of Networkshop and provides an overview of what you can expect from the day.

Applied futurist, Tom Cheesewright, shares a vision of what's next for education, mapping the history and the future of our relationship with machines.Every time technology changes, so does education. What we learn, how we learn, and sometimes even why we learn, are all affected by the prevailing technologies of the day. Applied futurist, Tom Cheesewright, believes that in the next few years we are set to go through another big technological shift. One that will not just open up new possibilities for the way we teach, but fundamentally change much of the world beyond education, and it will place enormous demands on our networks, from capacity to security.In this talk, Tom shares the story of our evolving relationship with machines and where it leads us, and what he has learned working with some of the world's largest technology companies, governments, and educators, on what's next.

Learning machines: humans, computers and the future of education

Applied futurist, Tom Cheesewright, shares a vision of what's next for education, mapping the history and the future of our relationship with machines.

This session is perfect for IT leaders and network specialists looking to boost efficiency, resilience, and scalability across multiple domains in their campus environments.Ready to accelerate network management across your campus? In just 15 minutes, discover how Cisco Cloud Control and automated workflows are revolutionising device onboarding and lifecycle operations for higher education. See live how you can streamline complex tasks, reduce manual errors, and enable secure connectivity—all from a single intuitive dashboard.

Transform campus networking: fast, automated, and effortless with Cisco Cloud Control

This session is perfect for IT leaders and network specialists looking to boost efficiency, resilience, and scalability across multiple domains in their campus environments.

Further education has quietly become one of the UK’s most infrastructure dependent public services.FE networks and digital platforms now underpin high‑stakes examinations, qualifications, safeguarding, employer delivery, real‑time digital learning, and core business operations including finance, MIS, estates, HR and curriculum platforms. Intelligent, resilient and secure networks are no longer optional; they are fundamental to adaptive learning and learner success, yet the sector is still often funded and architected as though colleges are small schools, with limited resources and unavoidable single points of failure. In reality, FE institutions support thousands of customers, manage multi‑million‑pound turnovers and carry substantial operational and reputational risk. Having worked in higher education, research and industry, the contrast is stark.Drawing on Stoke-on-Trent College’s digital transformation journey, this session explores how intelligent networks, strong cyber security practices and people‑powered resilience enable FE institutions to deliver at scale, challenging procurement myths and underestimation of FE IT’s role.

The FE digital reality check: high stakes IT, relentless transformation and exceptional teams

Further education has quietly become one of the UK’s most infrastructure dependent public services.

An overview of Jisc's sector-wide attack surface management (ASM) scans and its findings. How is institutional infrastructure viewed externally? How does passive ASM benefit institutions?An organisation’s external attack surface comprises all its internet-facing assets: domains, IPs, ports and services, DNS records and certificates. Jisc conducted a scanning project of the entire .ac.uk namespace in 2025 to produce a national picture of risk of the education and research sectors, illuminating the range and extent of technologies deployed across the sectors. Hear Iain Brown, chief security architect, Jisc discuss this sector-wide attack surface management (ASM) scan. Get insight into how your infrastructure is viewed externally and why those 'open doors and windows' should be closed and locked.This session explores how this work is helping institutions to identify risks, reduce exposure and strengthen collective resilience. Hear more about the benefits of passive attack surface discovery and testing and get an insight into how building a comprehensive view of the UK education and research sector's exposed assets and potential vulnerabilities has been developed into a rich and valuable data resource.

The national picture of risk: two years of UK ASM results

An overview of Jisc's sector-wide attack surface management (ASM) scans and its findings. How is institutional infrastructure viewed externally? How does passive ASM benefit institutions?

How the University of Reading has taken an organic legacy network to an optimised secure transformation driving The Internet of Things (IoT) and sustainability messages and achieving wifi first.This talk will share the university's journey in 2019, which started with a refresh through to an evolution over seven years to an automated network sustainably sized, whilst enhancing security and experience.

Once in a generation network modernisation

How the University of Reading has taken an organic legacy network to an optimised secure transformation driving The Internet of Things (IoT) and sustainability messages and achieving wifi first.

Modern campuses run on highly distributed IT environments—spanning networks, applications, endpoints, and cloud services.This session explores how unified full-stack observability helps IT teams break down silos, gain end-to-end visibility, and proactively resolve performance issues.Learn how to streamline operations, reduce downtime and deliver seamless digital experiences for students, faculty and administrators—all from a single, integrated platform.

Simplifying campus IT operations with unified full-stack observability

Modern campuses run on highly distributed IT environments—spanning networks, applications, endpoints, and cloud services.

An introduction to two projects looking at how we can measure the GHG emissions impact of Jisc product and services.A highlight of activity that is taking place at Jisc to measure the GHG emissions impact associated with our products and services. This session will give an introduction to two projects currently being delivered as part of the sustainability programme. It will explore the problem, how a methodology is being developed, lessons learnt so far and what we intend to do with this level of information.

Networks for a greener future - measuring impact, network, products and services

An introduction to two projects looking at how we can measure the GHG emissions impact of Jisc product and services.

In this session we’ll present best practice technical guidance for Janet member organisations who seek to optimise the user experience for networked music performances between musicians at remote locations.Low‑latency applications are becoming central to teaching, research and media production across FE and HE. Janet is designed to deliver exceptional performance, but achieving a smooth end‑to‑end experience depends on how local networks, security policies and devices are configured on site. This session outlines a practical model for supporting low‑latency services, drawing on principles similar to the Science DMZ approach and focusing on smart design, streamlined security and effective monitoring.Delegates will see how tools such as perfSONAR, Timemap, and iperf2 rpm tests can reveal performance issues, validate network behaviour, and support collaborative troubleshooting, and explore how to present these measurements in ways that help both technical teams and non‑specialist users understand what’s happening on the network. You will leave this session with a clear, actionable understanding of how to optimise your Janet-connected environment for real‑time applications and able to deliver more reliable experiences for staff, students, and researchers.

It's not just megabytes, it's milliseconds

In this session we’ll present best practice technical guidance for Janet member organisations who seek to optimise the user experience for networked music performances between musicians at remote locations.

This session discusses the challenges and outcomes of adding a load-balancing layer to network automation.In 2025, the University of York redeployed its Aruba Clearpass cluster from scratch onto all-new hardware and in the process chose to front it with F5 BIG-IP to improve high availability and load balancing on top of what Clearpass already provides. This has significantly streamlined the design and increased the stability and availability of the network authentication. In this presentation, Nat Lasseter will discuss the university's motivations for redeploying the cluster, why this F5-based design was chosen, the challenges and outcomes, and whether you should consider doing the same.

Building a highly available load balanced Clearpass cluster with F5 BIG-IP

This session discusses the challenges and outcomes of adding a load-balancing layer to network automation.

This session explores leveraging telemetry, statistical inference, and AI models—supervised, unsupervised, and reinforcement learning, to develop automated, intent-driven, and fully self-driving networks.Elliot Townsend, senior director - campus and branch, HPE, will be covering what the industry is delivering today, such as AI-assisted root cause analysis, anomaly detection, dynamic QoE optimisation, and closed loop automation pipelines.The session will also look at what to expect in the near future, including predictive network operations, autonomous remediation workflows, digital twin driven simulation, and generative AI-powered troubleshooting copilots.

The power of data

This session explores leveraging telemetry, statistical inference, and AI models—supervised, unsupervised, and reinforcement learning, to develop automated, intent-driven, and fully self-driving networks.

An update on technologies and trends in the network automation sector.Find out how this once niche part of the networking technology stack is becoming a core component for many sectors. Learn how the research and education sector is lagging behind and what this might mean for those that do not adopt.

Network automation: industry update and future direction

An update on technologies and trends in the network automation sector.

Find out how institutions are tackling the challenges of today as we invite participants to join sector-focused discussions.These themes explore how we build resilient networks by supporting the people who design and run them under real‑world constraints. Join us for different discussions that will cover:
<ul><li>Doing more with less - engineering resilience amid budget constraints</li><li>Supporting career development for junior to senior staff</li><li>Connecting people to share and learn via community-led skills</li></ul>

FE and HE knowledge café

Find out how institutions are tackling the challenges of today as we invite participants to join sector-focused discussions.

Universities are under pressure to modernise essential network services while keeping risk, cost and disruption under control.In this ten-minute lightning talk, Andy Clarke will share a practical approach to phased modernisation that improves resilience, visibility and day-to-day operations without requiring institutions to replace everything at once.Drawing on higher education examples, the session will explore where teams can make early progress, what to prioritise first, and how to build a roadmap that supports future automation, cloud adoption and more reliable campus connectivity.

Modernising campus network foundations without a big-bang re-write

Universities are under pressure to modernise essential network services while keeping risk, cost and disruption under control.

Not every legacy service can be rewritten this year. For institutions running older Java applications, the challenge is how to stay secure and operational while modernisation plans catch up.This session focuses on practical ways to support Java 6/7 estates and replace fragile browser-dependent delivery models such as applets with a more supportable Java Web Start approach. The emphasis is on reducing immediate exposure, preserving service continuity, and helping infrastructure teams make sensible, staged decisions.

Legacy Java, real risk: protecting critical services before modernisation is possible

Not every legacy service can be rewritten this year. For institutions running older Java applications, the challenge is how to stay secure and operational while modernisation plans catch up.

As AI continues to fundamentally change the way organisations work, understanding the risks to data privacy and security are more important than ever.In this session, we will discuss the impact that AI is having on the threat landscape and how organisations can shine a light on their data and enable their users to productively use AI securely.

Keeping your data safe in the AI age

As AI continues to fundamentally change the way organisations work, understanding the risks to data privacy and security are more important than ever.

Please note: this session is for Jisc members and customers only. Commercial organisations will not be able to join this session.This keynote session for Jisc member and customers will provide an overview of the Janet Network and Jisc security, focusing on how connectivity, cloud and security services are evolving to support the future of education and research across the UK.The presentation will explore how these capabilities are converging to provide stronger protection, improved resilience and greater confidence for members and customers. It will also highlight how secure, reliable and scalable connectivity enables institutions to protect their data, collaborate safely and deliver modern digital education services.The session will cover the key benefits of Janet and Jisc security services, including how they support research, learning, collaboration and sector-wide cyber resilience. 
This will be followed by a panel discussion exploring the future of secure connectivity, the changing threat landscape, and how Jisc can continue to support scale, innovation and security across the sector.

The Janet Network: benefits beyond the everyday

This keynote session for Jisc member and customers will provide an overview of the Janet Network and Jisc security, focusing on how connectivity, cloud and security services are evolving to support the future of education and research across the UK.

This session will address the ‘who, where, what and why’ infrastructure that is a critical part of an FE organisation’s operations.Drawing on experience from over 200 Jisc infrastructure reviews conducted across the sector, the following key themes will be addressed:<ul><li>The need for effective communication with users</li><li>Key reoccurring themes identified during infrastructure review</li><li>Sustainability (financial asset management and environmental)</li><li>Future concerns and threats</li><li>Moving towards a more secure and robust IT service</li></ul>A brief overview of the Jisc infrastructure service will be provided prior to discussion of key findings. There will also be an opportunity for Q&A.

FE infrastructure: what's working, what's next

This session will address the ‘who, where, what and why’ infrastructure that is a critical part of an FE organisation’s operations.

Most institutions claim elements of Zero Trust but few implement it coherently.This session will examine what Zero Trust realistically looks like in higher and further education where openness and collaboration are core values. It focuses on identity enforcement, access segmentation and governance rather than product adoption.

Zero Trust in education - what really works beyond the buzzword?

Most institutions claim elements of Zero Trust but few implement it coherently.

A practical approach to business continuity, showing what really matters for resilience and how AI support can help institutions prepare, respond and recover more effectively.Building resilient networks helps build resilient institutions, but institutions cannot stop there. As dependence on connected digital services grows, institutions must be prepared for disruption.This session provides a practical approach to business continuity for the sector, showing how institutions can link organisational and technical recovery, identify critical activities and understand dependencies to prioritise critical services.We will show how business and IT continuity link together to strengthen resilience and how AI can support core tasks using tools many institutions already have.

Improving business continuity and resilience with AI support

A practical approach to business continuity, showing what really matters for resilience and how AI support can help institutions prepare, respond and recover more effectively.

In an era where AI-driven automation is transforming industries, it's also redefining the threat landscape for web applications.This session explores the growing impact of AI scraper bots - sophisticated crawlers capable of bypassing traditional defences to harvest data at scale - and how to respond using web application firewall (WAF).

Beating the bots: are AI scrapers outpacing web application firewalls?

In an era where AI-driven automation is transforming industries, it's also redefining the threat landscape for web applications.

Large-scale science increasingly depends on the ability to move vast amounts of data quickly, reliably and securely.When projects generate hundreds of terabytes - or even petabytes - network performance becomes critical to research success. In this session, you’ll hear how, when faced with an emergency data transfer requirement, 790TB of research data was copied from the US to Harwell in just 27 hours, achieving sustained throughput of more than 60Gbps over the Janet Network.Dr Matt Pritchard will explain the practical architecture, tooling and optimisation decisions that made this possible, including using Globus and the “Science DMZ” design model. Rob Evans, Jisc’s chief network architect, will give insight into how Janet’s high-capacity national and international connectivity is engineered to support research and education traffic and how Jisc’s collaboration with international partners enables strong end-to-end performance. This session will provide strategic context and practical lessons for organisations managing data-intensive research.

High performance Janet Networking: How CEDA moved 790TB of data in 27 hours from the US to Harwell

Large-scale science increasingly depends on the ability to move vast amounts of data quickly, reliably and securely.

In this closing plenary, we will hear from two large-scale, international science projects for which Janet is a vital enabler to ensure their significant petabyte-scale data transfer requirements can be met.Neil Shewry, director of networks at Jisc, will introduce this session, describing Janet’s current capacity and international research and education connectivity for supporting high profile, data-intensive science collaborations, and how Jisc will ensure Janet scales to meet the demands of our science communities.Dr. Katy Ellis will introduce the CERN experiments and associated Worldwide Large Hadron Collider Computing Grid (WLCG) infrastructure, which spans over 150 sites in some 40 countries, including the Tier-1 site at RAL and other participating universities here in the UK. Katy will focus on the CMS experiment, its data transfer requirements, and give insights into the upcoming Data Challenge 2027 and transition towards the High Luminosity LHC phase which will see data rates rise significantly in 2030.Dr. James Walder will conclude the session by presenting the work to date on developing SRCNet, the worldwide infrastructure for data movement for the relatively new Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project, which will be responsible for distributing data captured by radio telescopes in South Africa and Australia to sites including RAL and others in the UK. James will report on the status of the project and testing to date on SRCNet.Delegates will take away an appreciation of the capacity of the Janet Network, its international research and education connectivity, and how two significant international science projects conduct petabyte-scale data movement over our network.

The WLCG and SRCNet: towards exabyte-scale data movement over Janet

In this closing plenary, we will hear from two large-scale, international science projects for which Janet is a vital enabler to ensure their significant petabyte-scale data transfer requirements can be met.

Join Jisc CEO, Heidi Fraser-Krauss, offering closing thoughts from this year's Networkshop.

Join Jisc CEO, Heidi Fraser-Krauss, offering closing thoughts from this year's Networkshop.

Day two closes

Networkshop 2026

About Networkshop 2026

Networkshop 2026 tickets and booking information

Networkshop 2026 programme

Networkshop 2026 keynote speakers

Networkshop 2026 exhibitors

View the programme for Networkshop 2026, which took place on 23 and 24 June 2026 at Nottingham Trent University and online.