Hosted at Nottingham Trent University and online, Jisc Networkshop 2026 brought together people from higher education, further education, research and industry to share what they’re seeing, what they’ve learnt and how they’re preparing for future demand.

The conversations covered cyber threats, AI, cloud connectivity, automation, sustainability and tight budgets. Although these may sound like separate issues, they all point to the same challenge: how do you build a network that can keep up without becoming more expensive, complex or difficult to manage?

Here are six practical steps we took away from the event:

1. Plan ahead to avoid capacity problems

Start by looking beyond what the organisation needs today and consider how cloud adoption, AI, research workloads, hybrid learning and connected devices could change traffic patterns over the next few years.

It’s worth asking:

• Where are the current capacity limits?
• Which services are growing fastest?
• Where could a single dependency create a bottleneck?
• How quickly could you add capacity if demand increased unexpectedly?
• Can new services be introduced without disrupting what’s already running?

The aim isn’t to forecast everything perfectly. It was clear at Jisc Networkshop 2026 that you need to build enough flexibility into the network so your team can respond without having to start again.

That might mean designing infrastructure in modular stages, simplifying how cloud and on-premises systems connect or improving visibility so you can spot pressure before users are affected.

2. Build resilience in to keep critical services running

Identify the services your organisation can’t afford to lose. That could include identity systems, learning platforms, research environments, communications tools or core administrative services.

Once you know what matters most, focus protection around it:

• Use identity-based access so people only reach the services they need.
• Segment the network to limit how far an attacker can move.
• Apply Zero Trust principles to users, devices and connections.
• Improve real-time visibility across traffic, access and unusual behaviour.
• Give response plans clear owners and decision points.
• Test recovery processes rather than assuming they’ll work.

3. Prepare for AI now

One message from Networkshop was clear: understand what AI will ask of your network now, and you’ll be better placed to protect performance, plan capacity and manage risk as adoption grows.

Begin with the use cases your organisation is exploring. An AI research environment will place different demands on the network from a student support tool or an administrative assistant.

For each use case, consider:

• Where will the data sit?
• How much data will need to move?
• Will workloads run on campus, in the cloud or across both?
• What performance will users expect?
• Who should have access?
• How will sensitive information be protected?

It’s also worth establishing a performance baseline now. If you understand current capacity, traffic patterns and bottlenecks, it’ll be much easier to see where AI is adding pressure.

4. Improve connectivity to create a better user experience

Looking at connectivity through the eyes of users can help you remove barriers, reduce frustration and make digital services easier to access.

A traditional coverage map won’t tell you the whole story. A building may appear connected while people still struggle with slow logins, dropped sessions or poor performance in busy areas.

To understand the real experience, follow the journeys people take through the day:

• How easy is it for a student to move between teaching spaces?
• Can staff connect just as reliably from home as they can on campus?
• Can researchers reach shared data without delays or unnecessary steps?

It also helps to measure performance around the services people are trying to use, not only the network itself. That means looking at application response times, authentication, roaming, device compatibility and the consistency of access across locations.

5. Link investment to outcomes that matter

Connecting network investment to clear benefits makes it easier to prioritise spending and build a stronger case with senior stakeholders.

We know network teams are under pressure to do more with less. Specialist skills can be difficult to find, ageing infrastructure takes more time to support and expectations continue to rise.

Under that pressure, it can be tempting to delay upgrades. But that often shifts the cost rather than removing it. Older infrastructure may increase risk, demand more manual work and make future change harder.

Instead of starting with the technology, start with the outcome.

Ask:

• Will this reduce risk?
• Will it improve performance or resilience?
• Will it save the team time?
• Will it simplify the environment?
• Will it improve the experience for users?
• What happens if we delay it?

These questions make it easier to compare priorities and explain why an investment matters.

Networkshop made it clear that answer won’t always be a full replacement. You might simplify overlapping technologies, automate manual processes or extend the life of equipment that’s still performing well. Managed services can also add specialist capacity without the cost of permanent headcount.

6. Use automation to give your team time back

One of the clearest messages from Jisc Networkshop 2026 was that technology should make life easier for network teams, not create more work. Start with automating tasks that are frequent, rules-based and time-consuming. These might include routine configuration, compliance checks, software updates, traffic monitoring or initial incident diagnosis.

Avoid automating a process simply because you can. If the process is unclear or inconsistent, automation may only make the problem happen faster.

Before automating, make sure:

• The task has a clear and repeatable process
• The data it relies on is accurate
• Someone owns the outcome
• Your team can see what the automation has done
• There’s a simple way to step in or reverse a change

A sensible approach is to start small. Choose one process that takes up too much time, test the automation in a controlled environment and measure the difference it makes.

Building strong foundations for what comes next

Jisc Networkshop 2026 showed how closely today’s infrastructure challenges are linked. Security has to be part of network design, AI depends on reliable connectivity and automation only delivers value when teams have the visibility and control to use it well.

At Block, we work with education and research organisations to turn complex network challenges into a practical plan. From strategy and design to implementation, security, automation and ongoing support, we’ll help you build a network that’s easier to run, stronger under pressure and ready for what comes next.

Whether you’re planning a full network transformation or troubleshooting a specific issue, we’re happy to talk. No pitch and no pressure, just a straightforward conversation about what your network needs to do.

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