Rate My Professor Young Cho

Young Cho serves as the Senior Manager of Network and Telecommunication Services at the University of Otago, New Zealand's oldest university. Holding a Bachelor of Engineering degree from Hallym University, he has held the position of Manager Network Services within Information Technology Services since 1996. In this capacity, he oversees the network infrastructure supporting around 22,000 students and 4,500 staff across more than 280 buildings spanning campuses in Dunedin, Wellington, Christchurch, Invercargill, and Auckland. His purview includes wired and wireless networking, data centers, security, and collaboration services for a sprawling 400,000 square meters of campus space.

Cho has spearheaded transformative projects enhancing connectivity at the university. In 2023, he led a comprehensive Wi-Fi upgrade, personally involved in installing new wireless access points. This was complemented by the rollout of outdoor Wi-Fi in 2024, broadening coverage to external areas. A pivotal advancement under his guidance is the adoption of Cisco Catalyst Center with AI-Enhanced Radio Resource Management (RRM). Previously, managing nearly 6,000 access points via 12 independent wireless LAN controllers resulted in 10 to 20 daily wireless support tickets, especially in dense venues like the Central Library (serving 2,000-2,500 students at peak) and lecture theatres. The AI-RRM system now monitors and optimizes the radio frequency environment every 20 minutes, enacting changes off-peak to avoid disruptions. This has slashed wireless complaints to about one per month, enabling proactive operations and boosting student satisfaction in surveys. Residential accommodations, featuring over 3,500 rooms across 30 diverse buildings each with dedicated access points, now deliver reliable service amid fluctuating occupancy. Future initiatives include a Wi-Fi 7 upgrade for the Central Library and expansion to new colleges, targeting over 6,800 access points by early 2026, cementing Otago's status among New Zealand's premier higher-education Wi-Fi networks in partnership with Cisco.