About PERN
Meet the PERN Visionaries
PERN leadership is a team of focused, dedicated, and experienced visionaries and practitioners who are changing the education sector as we know it.
Chairman Higher Education Commission
Executive Director Higher Education Commission
Strategic IT Policy
PERN focuses on enhancing digital infrastructure, connectivity, and technology services for higher education and research institutions across Pakistan. Following are the key components of the same.
High-Speed Connectivity
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Digital Learning & Collaboration
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Cloud & Data Services
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High-Performance Computing (HPC)
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Cybersecurity & Data Protection
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Capacity Building
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History of PERN
PERN’s journey started with 56 Universities connected with PERN receiving 2Mb of international bandwidth at the rate of US$2500 per month in 2003-4. Currently, PERN offers highly subsidized monthly subscription fees with multiple services to almost four hundred Universities and their Affiliated Colleges. Today PERN offers highly subsidized rates and offers the latest technology solutions like data warehousing, cloud computing, high performance computing, network security, and a nationwide learning management system.
- PERN becomes a primary member of Asia-Pacific Advanced Network (APAN) in 2004-5
- Online Lecturing and IP-based in Focus Video Conferencing Tested in 2005
- PERN connects Global Research and Education Networks of USA, Asia-Pacific, Australia, and GEANT2 network of National RENs of European countries with Internet 2 in 2007-8
- PERN implements QoS and proactive Network Management System (NMS)
- HEC-PERN Collaborates with British Council to launch INSPIRE ‘International Strategic Partnerships in Research and Education’ in 2009-10
- PERN 2 brings Campus Management Solutions for HEIs in 2009-10
- PERN 2 includes Microsoft’s SharePoint services in 2009-10
- PERN 2 established PERN Secretariat with UAN Helpline numbers in 2009-10
- PERN 2 initiates Internet Lawful Interception Tools, Spam and Email Security, Network Security Portal in 2009-10
- PERN 2 collaborates with Trans-Eurasia Information Network (TEIN 3) to connect with the NREN of 19 more countries in 2009-10
- PERN 2 empowers Pakistan’s National Center for Physics to collaborate with CERN Geneva Large Hadron Collider in 2009-10
- PERN 2 brings in the concept of Higher Education Management Information System (HEMIS) in 2009-10 for an all-encompassing support for HEIs
- PERN 2 introduces the Turnitin plagiarism checker tool for HEI members in 2009
- PERN 2 initiates to include Affiliated Colleges in the network in 2010-11
- PERN 2 introduces the PingER (Ping End-to-end Reporting) for Internet End-to-end Performance Measurement (IEPM) project led by SLAC, Stanford University to monitor end-to-end performance of Internet links in 2010-11
- PERN 2 utilizes the Solar-Wind Orion Network Management Software as primary Network Monitoring System in 2010-11
- PERN 2 supports the e-Academia ICT strategy of HEC in 2010-11
- PERN 2 offers connectivity to Eduroam network in 2011-12
- PERN 2 offers Turnitin2 with features like ETS e-Rater (Essay Rater), PeerMark and GradeMark in 2011-12
- PERN 2 brings the “Holy Family Rawalpindi” – first teaching hospital on PERN in 2012-13
- PERN 2 forms College Network of Pakistan (CNP) in 2013-14
- PERN 2 enables Pakistan to collaborate with Seoul National University, Korea and Kyushu University, Japan for live surgeries and telemedicine workshops in 2014-15
- PERN2 initiates Smart Education through Smart Universities in 2015-16
- PERN 2 includes Microsoft Premier Support in 2015-16
- PERN 2 offers connectivity to Nuclear Medicine Colleges affiliated with PIEAS in 2016-17
- PERN 2 facilitates Centre for Excellence in Arts & Design (CEAD) and MUET to represent Pakistan in a Tech-Culture Fusion Platform for TEIN Partner Countries in 2017
- PERN 2 enables the first ever Internet Exchange Point (IXP) to localize the internet traffic within Pakistan in 2017
- PERN 3 marks it as an ultra-high-speed backbone network with 40 Gbps core backbone network extendable to 100 Gbps interlinking 50+ cities across the country in 2020-21
- PERN hosted the 51 Asia Pacific Advanced Network (APAN) meeting in Pakistan virtually in 2021
- PERN enables Software Defined Optical Networks (SDON) Training & Research Laboratory in 2021
- PERN plans to extend e-Office connectivity to over two hundred universities by 2021
- PERN offers immersive and intelligent video conferencing technologies in 2021-22
