By Joanna Young, chief information officer, UNH IT

In 2009, not long after joining UNH, I sat down to meet with a couple of students about what UNH IT could be doing better for them. ”More wireless coverage” was right at the top of the list.  UNH had scant if any outdoor coverage, and indoor coverage was not ubiquitous, particularly in the residence halls (a/k/a dorms).

Like most IT organizations, there was not a pot o’ gold stashed under the raised floor in the data center to address this justified customer demand, but the amazing IT telecommunications team was determined to “make it happen.” We told the students while we couldn’t do everything at once, we could do it in phases and asked them for their priorities – which they eagerly provided. We started with outdoor spaces, then moved to having at least one area (usually a central area like a lounge) in each dorm, then did a group of dorms in their entirety. We also vastly expanded coverage in the Library, a popular place. And on August 21, 2012, we finished all the dorms at UNH.

Yes, it took three years. However, every month, every semester, every year, the coverage grew. We also realized other major advances such as “UNH Highspeed” WiFi and drenching the new Peter T Paul business school in wireless (the building opens January 2013). We also created a stronger partnership with our network vendor, Enterasys, during this time, which led to Enterasys participating in other areas of UNH, like our pre-college UNH Summer Technology Camp.

Sounds simple, and it was. We asked the customer. They told us. We gave them what they wanted, in meaningful chunks so they could get the benefits.

To read more from Young, visit her blog at cio.unh.edu.