Customer Case Study
Schools Deploy Wireless to Enhance Academic
Experience
Johnson City Schools install Cisco wireless networks for BYOD environments that
deliver enhanced technology to classrooms.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Business Challenge
With 11 schools and approximately 900 teachers and staff, the
Customer Name: Johnson City Schools
Industry: Education
Johnson City School System serves 7500 students from pre-k to 12
th
Location: Johnson City, Tennessee
grade in Johnson City, Tennessee. The school system prides itself
Number of Employees: 900
on academic excellence, consistently testing within the top 10
Number of Students: 7500
percent in Tennessee. Keeping the student experience at the
BUSINESS CHALLENGE
● Improve academic experience for students
through increased use of technology
● Add full-coverage wireless networks to all
Johnson City Schools that support Bring Your
Own Device (BYOD) environments
● Establish integrated network that can be
managed easily by small staff
forefront of its goals, Johnson City Schools works to help all students
NETWORK SOLUTION
● Build high-performance, high-capacity
wireless networks using Cisco wireless
solutions and control features that support
BYOD initiatives for staff, students, and
guests
better curriculum to detailed resources. The school system realized
BUSINESS RESULTS
● Helped enable flexible access to online
teaching and learning resources for teachers
and students in classrooms
● Improved access to applications that enhance
communication between administration,
faculty, and parents
● Improved IT team productivity through easy
management of wireless solutions that
minimize downtime
“Johnson City Schools are already high-performing, but we knew that
to achieve excellence in learning, social responsibility, and selfworth.
Johnson City Schools was willing to do whatever it took to give its
students the best education possible: from excellent teachers to
that modern technology could bring new experiences and vivid
information through video, references, and endless information on
any available topic to the classroom.
with improved access to learning resources, our students could do
so much more,” says Melony Surrett, technology coordinator at
Johnson City Schools. “Technical excellence could only fuel
academic excellence.”
© 2013 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information.
Page 1 of 4
With wired Internet access readily available in schools, Johnson City Schools took a first step into wireless access
in its elementary schools. Flexible access to networks encouraged teachers to use laptop computers in
classrooms, stream online video, and adopt testing applications that used iPods, tablets, or other mobile devices.
However, the schools’ networks had limitations: security measures prevented access for students and guests, and
most importantly, middle and high schools did not have access to wireless networks.
These limitations particularly affected the high school. High school curriculum requires these students do more
research and also a greater need for some type of device. Limited access to computers or other types of devices
continued to be an issue. At the same time, older students are more likely to have their own devices that could be
used to take notes, research information, or run helpful applications. With about 2300 students at the high school,
cost and capacity were high on the list of concerns.
“The school system developed a five-year technical strategy, and Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) access is one of
the top goals,” says Dennis Holmes, director of mobility and infrastructure solutions for Cisco Gold Partner
Internetwork Engineering, the Cisco Partner chosen by Johnson City Schools to provide the new Cisco Aironet
®
2600 Series Access Point solution. “Johnson City Schools wants the best academic experience for students. That
makes access to technology and information increasingly vital.”
“The results of comparative tests were clear: older Cisco models
performed better than newer Aruba models. We knew that with nextgeneration Cisco models, we would be getting truly remarkable
performance boosts.”
— Melony Surrett, Technology Coordinator, Johnson City Schools
Network Solution
®
Johnson City Schools are long-time Cisco customers, implementing Cisco Catalyst 2960 and 3750 series
®
switches in the schools’ networks. Initially, most of the elementary schools implemented Cisco Aironet 1000
Series access points, but recently, schools tested Aruba devices at one location. The school system decided that a
single, consistent wireless brand would reduce the cost and labor associated with network management.
As the vendor with the state contract for wireless, Aruba was an immediate competitor, but reliable performance
from Cisco wireless in elementary schools encouraged Johnson City Schools to consider the Cisco wireless
solution. Aruba pitted its latest models of wireless devices against the existing Cisco wireless devices. “The results
of comparative tests were clear: older Cisco models performed better than newer Aruba models,” says Surrett. “We
knew that with next-generation Cisco models, we would be getting truly remarkable performance boosts.”
Johnson City Schools decided to standardize on Cisco Aironet 2602 access points, with 145 devices covering just
the inside of the high school. With high-speed connections based on the 802.11n standard, Aironet 2602 access
points are developed with three spatial streams for higher capacity and reliability. These access points also include
®
Cisco CleanAir technology to continuously identify and automatically prevent radio frequency interference on
networks. This self-healing network technology is a major benefit for Johnson City Schools, which operates with a
small, five-person network team.
© 2013 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information.
Page 2 of 4
Despite the great performance, functionality, and CleanAir technology, the Cisco Aironet 2602 access points still
represent a large cost savings compared to Aruba. “With greater power and range, Cisco Aironet 2602 access
points give us comparable capacity and coverage with fewer access points,” says Surrett. “Every saved penny is
appreciated, since it means more money that we can spend on additional resources for students.”
In addition to Cisco access points, Johnson City Schools is deploying Cisco 5508 wireless controllers, upgrading to
Cisco 5508 in areas where the Cisco 4402 wireless LAN controllers are currently in use. With support for up to 500
access points and 7000 clients, the Cisco controllers are made for BYOD environments with the capacity to
support even the high school’s network.
Cisco Prime Network Control System (NCS) makes management of the networks easy for the small networking
team. With an end-to-end management solution for all Cisco network devices, NCS helps staff easily configure,
monitor, and troubleshoot networks to keep teachers and students connected. It also provides visibility into the
wireless network, providing vital information about capacity, users, and issues in the network. According to Surrett,
the staff leverages templates that help enable them to quickly and easily configure and manage switches.
With the emphasis on BYOD, Johnson City Schools are also in the process of migrating to Cisco Identity Services
Engine (ISE). The school previously worked with third-party solutions, but identification and profiling were
performed at the group level. With a context-aware, identity-based platform, ISE helps enable reliable compliance
enforcement and enhanced infrastructure security. Says Surrett, “ISE gives us the ability to distinguish between
faculty, students, and guests on an individual level. We can give each device the appropriate level of access, which
helps us balance network freedom and security concerns.”
Business Results
With wireless networks improving connectivity at Johnson City Schools, productivity is on the rise inside and
outside the classroom. Anywhere, anytime access improves communications between administrators, faculty, and
staff who can send notes, check emails, or log in to applications from anywhere on campus. Increased use of
network-connected applications can also help faculty communicate with students and teachers.
For example, Johnson City Schools uses a solution called PowerSchool that allows teachers to log grades,
attendance, and assignments. But more importantly, parents as well as students can access the same application
from home or as guests on the schools’ networks to check progress in real-time. “Applications like Pearson’s
PowerSchool make it easier to get parents involved, helping teachers and parents work together to push students
further,” says Surrett.
With greater access to online resources, technology is transforming students’ learning experience. Teachers can
incorporate technology into lesson plans, such as streaming video and running interactive lessons from the
Discovery Education website. Students can use personal devices to research information for classes, interact with
lessons, or even take tests.
Network visibility and speedy troubleshooting are vital to Johnson City Schools networks; any delays can interrupt
the classroom and waste teaching time with technical troubleshooting. The streamlined management from Cisco
Prime Infrastructure reduces maintenance time and helps enable network staff to work more efficiently without
needing to hire extra staff. This leaves more funds in the budget for additional school programs.
© 2013 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information.
Page 3 of 4
Johnson City Schools is looking to the future for more ways that its BYOD environment can transform the learning
experience for students. One possibility is an electronic textbook initiative, which will do away with traditional
printed texts and allow students to read, take virtual notes, and view new types of media on personal devices.
Another local initiative is the Jumpstart program, which will connect high school students to local colleges and
provide the opportunity for students to take college courses before graduating high school.
“Students are asking for resources that will really give them a leg up on their education and their future,” says
Surrett. “By bringing technology into the classroom, we can open doors and give students experiences that simply
aren’t possible with textbooks, experiences that will help form the basis for a successful future.”
PRODUCT LIST
For More Information
To find out more about the Cisco wireless solutions, go to:
Wireless
● Cisco Aironet 2602 Series Access Points
● Cisco 4402 Wireless LAN Controller
● Cisco 5508 Wireless Controller
Routing and Switching
● Cisco Catalyst 2960 Series Switches
http://www.cisco.com/go/wireless.
To find out more about Internetwork Engineering (IE), go to
http://www.ineteng.com.
● Cisco Catalyst 3750 Series Switches
Network Management
● Cisco Prime LMS
Printed in USA
© 2013 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information.
C36-722889-00
01/13
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