New Avenues for Learning South Island School uses wireless devices to support learning in a digital world. Reliable Cisco® networks help classes run smoothly. “Through wireless access, teachers connect students with learning experiences from beyond the classroom.” - Victor Alamo, ICT manager, South Island School South Island School is committed to providing the best possible education experiences. Video and interactive applications help teachers bring subjects to life. • Enhance learning experiences with technology Challenges • Upgrade wireless infrastructure to handle heavy loads • Build an infrastructure that will last for years South Island School in Hong Kong is made up of students from around the world with 1,400 students from over 35 countries. One value that sets the school apart is its commitment to using technology in the classroom. For instance, all students have a laptop that they use to access e-books, watch educational videos, and complete homework assignments. Some exams are even taken digitally. With wireless devices used daily by every student and faculty member, a stable network connection is almost as important as pencil and paper in classrooms. South Island School’s existing Cisco network had reached end of life, and the school needed to refresh the infrastructure with a network that could meet bandwidth needs for years to come. “We looked at other vendors, but we were extremely impressed with how the existing Cisco equipment performed over the years,” says Victor Alamo, ICT manager at South Island Schools. “By upgrading to the latest Cisco access points and switches, we’d have an infrastructure that would keep up with our needs.” Case Study | South Island School Size: 1,400 Students Location: Aberdeen, Hong Kong © 2015 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Industry: Education 1 The Cisco wireless network keeps our students and teachers connected with reliable and fast service. Solutions • Updated the wireless network around Cisco access points with IEEE 802.11ac performance • Centralized management with support for converged wired and wireless networks More information and greater control Cisco Prime™ Infrastructure pulls together management of wired and wireless networks in a unified solution. This gives our ICT team greater control so we can adjust bandwidth as needed, such as assigning specific rooms higher priority during exams. The visibility into the networks gives us more information than ever. We can identify classes that have greater bandwidth needs, monitor connections for hotspots, and even track down misplaced laptops. Keeping to the latest standards We were looking for infrastructure that would last us a long time. By fitting Cisco’s access points with IEEE standard 802.11ac radio modules, we’re supporting the latest wireless standard for top performance. If we need greater bandwidth in the future, Cisco’s modular design enables us to upgrade without investing in completely new access points. Enhancing education With stable wireless access, teachers can bring more interactivity, video, and data-heavy applications to the classroom. Students can share work with teachers or classmates, even connecting to projectors wirelessly to share work on a big screen. © 2015 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. 2 • Delivered stable wireless connections for thousands of wireless devices Results • Enhanced classroom work with video, applications, and sharing • Improved network visibility and uptime Reaching out through technology Through services like FileWave and Casper, South Island School is using the increased bandwidth and stable connections to provide remote technical support. “Better network performance means that we can expand our services to the school,” says Alamo. Products & Services Wireless • Cisco Aironet 3700 Series Access Points Network Management • Cisco Prime Infrastructure Routing and Switching • Cisco Catalyst® 4500 Series Switches with Catalyst 4500 Supervisor Engine 8-E • Cisco Catalyst 3850 Series Switches Americas Headquarters Cisco Systems, Inc. San Jose, CA Asia Pacific Headquarters Cisco Systems (USA) Pte. Ltd. Singapore Europe Headquarters Cisco Systems International BV Amsterdam, The Netherlands Cisco has more than 200 offices worldwide. Addresses, phone numbers, and fax numbers are listed on the Cisco Website at www.cisco.com/go/offices. Cisco and the Cisco logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cisco and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. To view a list of Cisco trademarks, go to this URL: www.cisco.com/go/trademarks. Third-party trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company. (1110R) © 2015 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information. 03/15