Getting the most out of your National Research and Education Network

However, as attendees of Networkshop (and TNC) will know, there’s more to the Janet Network than just your typical IP connection.

Practically limitless, highly secure connectivity is now a reality for the UK's 900-plus FE, HE and research institutions - thanks to Janet Network, our National Research and Education Network (NREN).

Every day the Janet Network is responsible for everything from student esports tournaments to massive research data transfers from institutions like CERN or the Royal Observatory Edinburgh.

Jisc members and customers on the Janet Network have access to unrivalled levels of protection from our round-the-clock security operations centre (SOC), which monitors traffic across the network in real time to provide proactive threat detection and rapid incident response.

It’s a tremendous capability to have at your disposal.

Why is attending a face-to-face event so important for getting maximum value from your Janet IP connection?

Get involved at Networkshop

Networkshop brings together IT decision-makers and practitioners for two days of talks, training and practical workshops, led by sector and industry experts.

If you’re a senior IT leader, network professional or HE/FE technologist, there are three good reasons to attend Networkshop.

Firstly, you’ll get guidance, advice and updates on the Janet Network. Here at Jisc, we’ve been busy putting together a programme that reflects the very best practice and expert perspectives on how you can optimise and secure your network infrastructure.

You’ll get to find out about everything from non-standard protocol implementations in cloud environments, through to hot topics like observability and the latest smart campus strategies. In amongst all that, we’ll be introducing and walking you through new products and services we’re developing to make the Janet Network even more valuable to its users.

There’ll also be more than 50 Jisc-approved hardware, software and service vendors on hand in our exhibition hall, providing opportunities to explore, engage and ask questions about the latest technologies and tools designed specifically for education and research.

Secondly, Networkshop’s programme also offers a training strand. These practical workshops are designed to provide hands-on learning opportunities for attendees with a particular technical interest – for example, network troubleshooting, cloud configuration, or specific tools such as Defender XDR.

Finally (and for many attendees, this is the most important part of Networkshop), the two-day event gives you the chance to share your experiences and find out how other organisations are tackling the same challenges you face. These peer-to-peer conversations are a highly effective informal learning opportunity, allowing you to explore the tools and approaches, failures and successes of other institutions.

For Jisc, events like Networkshop provide a vital opportunity to engage face-to-face with a wide variety of stakeholders, and gather intelligence about the needs and experiences of our members and customers allowing us to make sure our work is aligned with what our community needs.

We’re also really excited to have hosted another very special event – the TNC conference.

Building the global education and research network

This year, we were proud to host the annual TNC (‘The Networking Conference’) conference in Brighton.

We saw more than 900 representatives from over 70 countries, representing NRENs from all over the world, along with technology providers, schools and universities, and many of the world’s most exciting scientific research projects.

In an era characterised by rapid geopolitical shifts and instability, it’s more important than ever before to nurture our international links and strengthen academic and research communities across borders.

Organised by GÉANT, TNC allows NRENs to engage, collaborate, and find ways to share best practice and address barriers to international cooperation.

Across sessions, workshops and lightning talks, we've explored issues like security governance and compliance, AI applications for NRENs, procurement, and infrastructure orchestration.

We have been very proud to host the conference, and help GÉANT build an information ecosystem of infrastructure and services to advance research, education, and innovation on a global scale.

The Janet Network is an incredibly powerful resource. However, its value lies in what we can collectively achieve with it. Events like Networkshop (and TNC) give you the chance to join the conversation, and help us understand what you really need from your NREN.

If you’d like to join us at Networkshop 2025 in Nottingham on the 24 - 25 June, there’s still time. Book your place today.

Find out more about TNC25.

Explore more about the Janet Network.