ARNES network marking 25th anniversary
Ljubljana, 15 June - The Academic and Research Network of Slovenia (ARNES), the provider of network services to research, educational and cultural organizations, is marking its 25th anniversary this year. Looking into the future, ARNES head Marko Bonač told a ceremony in Ljubljana on Thursday that "we will always follow the wishes and needs of our users".
Ljubljana
Education, Science and Sport Minister Maja Makovec Brenčič addresses the ceremony marking the 25th anniversary of the Academic and Research Network of Slovenia (ARNES), the provider of network services to research, educational and cultural organizations.
Photo: Bor Slana/STA
Ljubljana
Education, Science and Sport Minister Maja Makovec Brenčič and Public Administration Minister Boris Koprivnikar attend the ceremony marking the 25th anniversary of the Academic and Research Network of Slovenia (ARNES), the provider of network services to research, educational and cultural organizations.
Photo: Bor Slana/STA
Ljubljana
Marko Bonač, the director of the Academic and Research Network of Slovenia (ARNES), speaks at a ceremony marking the national academic network service provider's 25th anniversary.
Photo: Bor Slana/STA
ARNES plans to keep up with other developed countries, be as efficient as possible and continue to assist its users, Bonač said.
"We will not only encourage the use of technology but also warn of abuse, help to prevent incidents," he added.
The event was also addressed by Education, Science and Sport Minister Maja Makovec Brenčič and Public Administration Minister Boris Koprivnikar, who praised ARNES for setting the foundations of digitalisation in Slovenia.
ARNES was set up by the government in 1992 to boost internet development in the country.
Subsequently, Slovenia joined very early the group of countries that developed and expanded internet connections for academic and educational purposes, which later spread to business, public administration, media, etc.
Today, its infrastructure connects more than 1,400 research, educational and cultural organisations and some 250,000 users.
"ARNES was the pioneer of internet services in Slovenia and has always kept up with technological development. It also holds a central role in providing for cybersecurity," the president's office said as it honoured ARNES with a medal for services in 2014.
In the past, ARNES was best known by e-mail addresses @guest.arnes.si and the dial-up internet access, while today it offers cutting-edge network services, supercomputer infrastructures, cloud computing, multimedia services, various on-line applications and a connection to the pan-European GEANT network.
ARNES also encompasses the manager of the .si domain, Register.si, and the national cybersecurity centre SI-CERT.
The .si domain celebrated its 25th anniversary in April and the number of pages with the .si domain has reached almost 124,000.
ARNES recently received the Valvazor honorary mention for setting up the optical connections for museums and galleries in Slovenia. As part of the project, 754 educational, science and cultural institutions received high-performance optical connections.
The project will expand this year to some 950 educational institutions, where ARNES will build wireless networks, buy new IT equipment and develop new, advanced e-services.