Case Study: Academic and Research Network of Slovenia achieves a secure, centralized nationwide Wi‑Fi rollout with Fortinet

ARNES Deploys a Secure, Nationwide Wi-Fi Network —on a Fast Track

The Academic and Research Network of Slovenia (ARNES) is a public institution that plans and runs national data networks and internet services for Slovenian research, education, and cultural institutions, connecting more than 1,500 organizations and 250,000 users. For its SIO‑2020 program ARNES set out to deliver Wi‑Fi to all primary and secondary schools—about 22,000 access points across 950 sites—requiring a scalable, low‑TCO solution with centralized management, zero‑touch provisioning, virtualized controllers and group policy controls.

ARNES selected a Fortinet-based solution (FortiAP 221E/223E with virtual FortiGate controllers and support from the Fortinet Developer Network) delivered by partners Rezultanta and Iskra. After lab validation, ARNES has deployed roughly 11,000 APs to date—about 1.5 institutions per day—using automated provisioning and a central REST API-driven management model. The rollout cut operational complexity and staff time, provided full central visibility and control, and rapidly expanded secure Wi‑Fi access to tens of thousands of students.

Academic and Research Network of Slovenia

Avgust Jauk

Chief Technology Officer