U Tulsa Implements Campus-Wide Enterprise WLAN
The University of Tulsa (TU) has
upgraded to an enterprise-class wireless local area network (WLAN), which will
provide ubiquitous wireless coverage across two campuses and other distributed
buildings.
The university needed to upgrade its WLAN to meet the increasing
bring-your-own-device (BYOD) demands of students and staff. "BYOD is a very
large issue, and wireless is no longer a convenience — it's expected from our
students and staff," said Tricia Moreland, CTO at University of Tulsa, in a
prepared statement. "Previously, we had many complaints about coverage because
our wireless was unable to handle the increasing demands."
After evaluating several solutions for performance, scalability, cost
effectiveness and ease of use, the University of Tulsa selected an
IdentiFi Wireless
solution from Extreme Networks.
The university implemented S-series module switches for its core network and
C-series stackable switches at the edge. So far, it has implemented 775 IdentiFi
access points (APs), and it plans to deploy a total of 2,400 APs across 95
academic, administrative and residential buildings on two campuses, as well as
in other distributed buildings.
TU will also use Extreme Networks'
NetSight
management suite with Mobile IAM. According to the company, NetSight is an
integrated management suite that will provide the university with increased
visibility of the entire wired and wireless LAN, and Mobile IAM will provide
"the limited networking staff of four a way to manage the proliferation of
devices coming onto the network."
The university anticipates that the new WLAN will support its future mobility
growth, including increasing BYOD, online learning and wireless coverage for
athletic venues.
About the Author
Leila Meyer is a technology writer based in British Columbia. She can be reached at [email protected].