Challenge
An influx of more than 13,000 new devices at the beginning of each year was bringing the wireless network of a Midwestern university to a halt, causing dissatisfaction among students.
As personal mobile devices put more and more strain on the network, the university's IT service desk began receiving increasing complaints as well as students taking to social media regarding slow internet connectivity and accessibility.
With a poor wireless design and aging WLAN, the campus' network simply couldn't keep up with student demand. The university turned to WWT for a much-needed upgrade that could handle mobility at scale.
Solution
WWT and Cisco provided the university with multiple tech briefings and design sessions on Cisco Wireless Infrastructure and 802.11ac technology.
After the tech briefings, the university decided to proceed with replacing their wireless network, first in academic buildings by installing 8510 Controllers, Mobility Services Engine (MSE), Prime Infrastructure and 1,000 2702 Access Points. This upgrade also included replacing their radius servers with Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) for wireless authentication.
Results
After a successful network upgrade in the university's academic buildings, WWT was tapped to provide the hardware for a second network upgrade deployment in all of the dorms on campus. This approval came 6-9 months earlier than originally scheduled based on the success of the upgrade to the academic buildings and includes an additional 1,500 2702 Access Points.
