Customer Story: John Paul College

John Paul College upgrades wireless infrastructure to support a dynamic and collaborative learning environment for teachers and students.

Objective

To deploy a next-generation wireless network to provide high-density coverage, performance and reliability to support 21^st century learning practices.

Approach

To meet the business and technical requirements of the new network, Data^#3 consulted with the customer to better understand their challenges, and recommended a next-generation wireless network solution to provide improved manageability and an overall student experience.

IT Outcome

• A network that supports transformative teaching and learning practices
• Secure environment that’s easy to proactively manage and support
• The ability to seamlessly onboard student devices, guest access, and BYOD
• Improved coverage, performance, and reduced complexity

Business Outcome

• Enables teachers to deliver rich, collaborative classroom learning experiences

The Background

Situated on 36 hectares in Brisbane’s south, John Paul College is an independent co-educational school with over 2,000 students ranging from pre-kindergarten through to Year 12.

The school is renowned for its progressive and dynamic curriculum, which is supported by state-of-the-art learning spaces, modern sports and performing arts facilities, and a community farm.

The Challenge

With a growing student population and the ongoing challenges associated with onboarding and managing over 3,000 College owned computing devices, John Paul College needed to upgrade their wireless network.

It was apparent that the school’s legacy network was unable to cope with increasing demands from staff, students and authorised guests. Wireless coverage across the campus was inconsistent, network performance was near capacity, and guests had limited accessibility – particularly when the school hosted large meetings and conferences.

“Apart from the obvious issues of coverage, performance and access, we strive to deliver an immersive technology experience for our students, and our existing network couldn’t support that ambition in its current form,” says Jan MacNamara, Director – ICT, John Paul College.

“What’s more, we need to give teachers the ability to deliver a rich and collaborative pedagogical experience. This requires technology that supports modern teaching and learning practices.”

As such, John Paul College sought to replace the legacy network with a next-generation wireless solution – a secure, scalable solution that supported a multi-device and multimedia environment with seamless BYOD onboarding and centralised network management.

IT Outcome

After a comprehensive evaluation of multiple technologies and vendor partners, John Paul College chose Data^#3 to help upgrade the school’s wireless environment.

Data^#3 was engaged to consult, design, and deploy the best available solution for the school’s current and future requirements. Following a rigorous evaluation and testing process, Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company, was selected as the preferred solution.

The solution incorporated wave 2 wireless network clusters, and security, to manage the 802.11AC wireless network and the latest Aruba access points. Aruba AirWave was implemented for real-time data insights and enhanced visibility over the network.

Additionally, Data^#3 was responsible for deploying Aruba ClearPass to streamline the secure onboarding of devices such as laptops, tablets and smartphones. Aruba ClearPass also helps John Paul College to identify what devices are being used on campus, how many are being used, and which operating systems are supported.

“Basically, the configured ClearPass solution gives us total control over the network,” says Nick Burton, Network and Systems Manager, John Paul College.

“It enables centralised management, increased security thanks to device identity, improved BYOD policy control, and workflow automation in one cohesive solution.”

Network management has improved dramatically with the new solution. The IT team now has better access to data at a granular level, as well as greater visibility over the network.

This enables more accurate and timely decision-making, plus the ability to proactively identify any issues before they become a major problem. John Paul College’s security gateway was also integrated into the solution for proxy and web filtering services.

Other benefits include improved network security, reduced network complexity, easy BYOD  onboarding, plus the capacity to support continued growth and demand.

Business Outcome

The business benefits of the new Aruba wireless solution to John Paul College are clear.

Network coverage and performance has greatly improved, with users enjoying seamless access from anywhere on the campus. This not only enhances user experience, but also delivers significant efficiency and productivity benefits to educators, students and visitors alike.

The greatest benefit of the new solution is the enhancement of teaching and learning outcomes in the classroom. Having access to fast, secure and reliable wireless technology provides a richer, more collaborative experience for both teachers and students.

Untethered to physical devices, teachers can move freely around the classroom to collaborate more effectively with students, whilst students use the latest technology and devices to learn, explore and innovate.

This helps position John Paul College as a leader in using technology to deliver innovative teaching and learning practices.

The new solution significantly reduces the complexity of the network and provides a high level of management visibility for proactive support. This unlocks time for the IT team and allows them to focus more time on supporting teaching and learning activities.

Further, the solution provides secure and seamless access for authorised guests of the college, particularly during events and conference activities.

Conclusion

By implementing the new Aruba wireless network solution from Data^#3, John Paul College is well placed to meet the evolving technology demands of its students, staff and visitors.

From greater network coverage and improved security, to enhanced data visibility and better device control, the school now has a powerful platform upon which to deliver a seamless wireless experience across the campus.

However, it is the ability of the new Aruba solution to enhance the overall teaching and learning experience that resonates with college staff.

“Our students are our number one priority. Therefore, we looked for a partner that was as interested in providing our students with the best possible technology experience as we are,” says Jan MacNamara.

“Not only did Data^#3 have extensive experience working with other educational facilities,
they recommended and delivered a solution that was a perfect fit for John Paul College.”

Jan MacNamara, Director – ICT, John Paul College

Download the John Paul College Customer Story

To learn more about how Data^#3 can assist your organisation, call 1300 23 28 23 or enquire online.