Case Study: Deutsches Forschungsnetz (DFN) achieves rapid nationwide video conferencing scale-up (5,000+ licenses) with Pexip

DFN enables its staff, research teams, and students to hold secure virtual meetings

The Deutsches Forschungsnetz (DFN), Germany’s national research and education network connecting around 900 institutions, faced a sudden surge in demand for its videoconferencing service during the COVID‑19 outbreak. Working with vendor Pexip (via partner Kinly) to deliver a fused standards‑based and web‑based conferencing platform, DFN’s main challenges were limited on‑premises hardware capacity and an immediate shortfall in Pexip licenses as users shifted from physical meeting rooms to virtual ones.

Pexip, supported by Kinly, implemented a rapid scaling solution: DFN expanded hardware capacity in two weeks (a project that would normally take years) and increased Pexip licenses from an originally planned ~1,000 video ports to over 5,000 (adding more than 3,000 in March and another 2,000 in April). Licenses were activated within one to two days under a flexible licensing plan, enabling DFN to meet peak demand, maintain service continuity, and retain the ability to scale down post‑crisis.

Deutsches Forschungsnetz (DFN)

Christian Meyer

Deutsches Forschungsnetz (DFN)