A 3 Tier Open ICT Ecosystem Network Design (3TOIEND) to Enhance Utilization of Local ICT Infrastructure VIA Campus WLAN
This research focused on developing of an open ICT ecosystem network design to enhance the utilization of local ICT infrastructure via network, and reduce overdependence on the Internet in the Nigerian campus network environments. A network is used to intelligently share computer infrastructure, and resources by the users involved. The research first surveyed selected tertiary institutions in Nigeria to ascertain the level of utilization, of expensive ICT facilities including, Internet bandwidth via campus LANs, and to discover the causative and prevailing bottlenecks, which hindered optimal utilization of ICT resources via campus networks. The analysis of the findings, alongside the literatures reviewed, revealed that poor network planning and design were the most prominent factors that cause underutilization of ICT resources via a WLAN, in the Nigerian University campus environments. Sequel to the above findings, an intelligent design of an open ICT ecosystem network that will effectively proffer high utilization of ICT infrastructure and resources via a campus network, was developed to improve the overall network performance throughput. In the end, a new network design tagged 3TOIEND (3 TIER OPEN ICT ECOSYSTEM NETWORK DESIGN) grew. The implementation of the new design yielded the integration of bandwidths sources and available ICT infrastructure in a campus environment into a 3-layer/tier open ICT ecosystem to achieve more than 80% improvement in ICT utilization via the campus network.
