ENHANCING UNIVERSITY LAN MANAGEMENT AND PERFORMANCE WITH INTENTBASED NETWORKING FOR OPTIMAL EFFICIENCY

Abstract

University Local Area Networks (LANs) serve as critical infrastructures supporting teaching, research, administrative services, and digital learning platforms. However, traditional LAN management approaches in many academic institutions remain manual, static, and device-centric, resulting in inefficiencies, downtime, limited scalability, and increased administrative overhead. This study investigates the application of Intent-Based Networking (IBN) as an intelligent and policy-drivenapproach to enhancing university LAN management and performance for optimal efficiency. A mixed-methods research design was adopted, combining quantitative network performance evaluation with qualitative survey data collected from ICT personnel. A simulated hierarchical campus LAN was implemented using Cisco Packet Tracer and automation scripts to model intent translation and policy enforcement. Performance metrics including latency, throughput, packet delivery ratio, fault recovery time, and policy consistency were evaluated. Results indicate improved packet delivery efficiency (93.13%), reduced latency across traffic types, enhanced fault tolerance,
and consistent policy enforcement with minimal manual intervention. Survey findings further reveal strong institutional readiness and high awareness of IBN among IT staff. The study concludes that Intent-Based Networking provides a scalable and intelligent framework capable of addressing operational limitations of traditional university LANs and recommends phased adoption strategies for educational institutions.