Inspiring the next generation of networking professionals: Reorganization of data center empowers students
Monday, February 3, 2025
This initiative underscores the program’s commitment to bridging the gap between education and industry, equipping students with the skills and confidence to shape the future of technology.
PEOSTA, Iowa–Faculty and students in the Computer Analyst programs teamed up with staff members in the Computer Information Systems (CIS) department at Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) to reorganize a data center on campus to improve students' hands-on learning experiences.
The reorganized data center serves as a cutting-edge training ground where students learn to set up and configure networking equipment, including Cisco switches, an Edge router and robust Dell servers (R740 and R610 models). The center also houses servers dedicated to storage, virtualization and real-world seminar projects. Now the data center has one rack dedicated for students’ Seminar use this semester and another dedicated to providing servers for all classes, particularly for setting up virtual machines. Students enrolled in the College’s Linux and Windows Server classes use virtual machines as part of their learning.
“This semester, students in the Seminar class will have the ability to work on any project using the networking equipment in the student rack. They can decide which services to provide on the servers. The Virtual Machines class will also learn about different virtualization technologies used on the servers in the faculty/classroom rack,” said Maren Larsen, NICC Computer Information, Networking and Cybersecurity instructor.
The data center reorganization at the Peosta campus was made possible through the collaborative efforts of Larsen and members of the CIS team. Their expertise and commitment created a space where students can apply theoretical knowledge to practical scenarios.
The Networking Administration and Tech Support program secured funding this year for three Dell R740 servers equipped to run Nutanix, a leading-edge virtualization platform. These servers will provide students in the Virtual Machines class with hands-on experience in modern virtualization technologies, ensuring they graduate with a competitive edge in the industry.
This initiative underscores the program’s commitment to bridging the gap between education and industry, equipping students with the skills and confidence to shape the future of technology.
"Networking continues to be vital across all career paths. Throughout northeast Iowa, our homes, businesses and even phones are interconnected. This complex infrastructure requires a diverse workforce to maintain and support our community. Connected systems will only become more prevalent in the next five years. It's exciting to see our dedicated NICC team preparing students for this dynamic and evolving job market,” said Greg Moklestad, Dean of Advanced Manufacturing, Industrial Technology and Computer Science.
According to laborshed data for northeast Iowa, computer networking careers are showing strong growth. The average salary for computer networking professionals is $84,400, and employment in the field is projected to grow 5.2% through 2030. For more information about the Computer Analyst: Networking Administration and Tech Support program, visit nicc.edu/networkadministration.