At Emily Carr University of Art + Design (ECU), technology sits quietly behind every bold idea.
It supports digital studios, collaborative design work, media production, and the day-to-
day learning experiences that shape the next generation of artists and designers. When the university’s network began to struggle under growing demands, the impact was felt across campus.
By partnering with Compugen as a trusted Technology Ally, ECU modernized its network foundation, restoring reliability and creating the performance headroom needed to support creative work at scale.
ECU’s learning model is hands-on and practice-based. Students move large media files, collaborate in real time, stream high-resolution content, and experiment with new digital tools. All of this depends on strong, consistent connectivity.
Over time, parts of the campus network were nearing the end of their lifespans and becoming harder to maintain. IT teams were spending more time stabilizing aging infrastructure than advancing the digital experiences that mattered most to students and faculty. Performance bottlenecks began to show up in everyday work, from slow file transfers to lag in collaborative tools.
The environment was also complex to manage. Legacy equipment, manual configurations, and fragmented responsibilities made routine operations harder than they needed to be. The effort required just to keep systems running continued to grow, along with the risk of disruption to teaching and studio work. It became clear that continuing with short-term fixes would only deepen the problem. A structured refresh was no longer optional.
With provincial capital funding available and executive alignment on the need for renewal, the university had a clear opportunity to reset its approach. The opportunity was not only about replacing aging hardware. It was about building a stable, modern foundation that could support long-term academic and digital priorities. that could support long-term academic and digital priorities.
Leaders saw the chance to simplify operations, align infrastructure with lifecycle planning, and create a network that could keep pace with the evolving needs of a creative institution. A reliable, high-performing environment would allow IT to shift focus away from constant maintenance and toward supporting innovation, collaboration, and new forms of digital expression.
Compugen worked side by side with ECU’s IT and infrastructure teams to assess the existing environment and design a modern, resilient network architecture. From the beginning, the engagement was grounded in clear options, transparent planning, and close collaboration.
The new design introduced a unified, cloud-managed Cisco network built to support high-bandwidth creative work and future growth. Licensing and support were aligned with existing enterprise agreements, reducing administrative complexity and enabling the university to plan more effectively over the long term. Compugen also brought additional operational strength through 24/7 network monitoring, giving the University greater confidence in the stability of its core infrastructure.
A defining moment came during the switch refresh. Roughly 130 switches needed to be replaced across campus, but classes and studio work could not be interrupted. Compugen and university staff planned the change in detail, using repeatable deployment playbooks and automation to preconfigure equipment and reduce risk. The cutover was completed in a single weekend, with no disruption to teaching schedules. For students and faculty, the transition was seamless. For IT leadership, it reinforced trust in a partner who could deliver under pressure without sacrificing quality.
Today, ECU operates on a stable, high-performing network that better reflects the demands of a modern creative campus. Fast file transfers, smooth real-time collaboration, high-bandwidth streaming, and secure access for experimental work are now supported by an infrastructure designed for reliability. Connectivity has become dependable and largely invisible, allowing creativity to take centre stage.
Operationally, the IT team has moved away from constant firefighting toward a more predictable and manageable environment. Centralized management and improved monitoring reduce the risk of classroom disruption and free up time to focus on strategic initiatives. This strong technical foundation supports the learning experience that has helped ECU earn global recognition in art and design education. . Centralized management and improved monitoring reduce the risk of classroom disruption and free up time to focus on strategic initiatives. This strong technical foundation supports the learning experience that has helped ECU earn global recognition in art and design education.
With its network refresh complete, ECU is better positioned to support ongoing digital transformation and student-centred service design. IT leaders can now plan with confidence, focusing on resilience, user experience, and how students are using digital tools across campus.
Compugen continues to be involved in roadmap discussions, helping ensure that technology decisions align with long-term academic goals. The network is no longer a limiting factor. It is a platform that supports new tools, new ideas, and new possibilities for creative education.
What started as a focused infrastructure project has grown into a broader partnership. University leaders value Compugen’s understanding of higher education environments, its structured and disciplined approach, and its ability to work as an extension of the internal team.
The relationship has also been shaped by strong leadership at Emily Carr University. Sandeep Sidhu, Chief Information Officer at ECU, brought a clear strategic vision to the university’s technology direction. Her ability to navigate the changing realities of higher education, combined with a deep understanding of long-term partnerships, helped ensure this transformation was not just a technical upgrade but a meaningful step forward for the institution. Her focus on strengthening the digital foundation that supports creative education kept the work aligned with both immediate operational needs and the university’s future goals.
Of the relationship with Compugen, Sandeep says: “Our strategic managed service partnership is a catalyst for shaping the future — empowering creativity, driving innovation and building a digital ecosystem that inspires limitless possibilities for our students.”
Rather than acting as a transactional supplier, Compugen continues to serve as a Technology Ally, contributing to planning conversations and helping connect technical investments to meaningful outcomes for students and faculty. That ongoing collaboration is now part of how ECU plans for the future.
Connect with Compugen’s Higher Education experts to explore how a modern, resilient network can improve performance, reduce risk, and deliver experience by design across your campus. Let’s help you realize new possibilities.