Nortel’s Mobility Solution provides secure and integrated access to commonly used applications for more than 6,000 IoE students and 800 faculty and staff, regardless of where they are on campus. The solution was deployed across the Institute’s three sites in conjunction with Nortel's channel partner, Applinet, and includes adaptive WLAN products and security switches.
In keeping with its commitment to the innovative use of technology, the Institute has also deployed Nortel’s Communication Server 1000, enabling a migration path for the Institute’s existing voice network. To ensure a secure solution, Nortel’s Ethernet Routing Switches and Ethernet Switches were also connected to the core of the IoE network to create separate virtual LANs.
"Our new mobility solution has greatly enriched the educational experience at the Institute by extending the learning environment across our entire campus," said David Snewin, computing manager at the IoE. "The wireless network from Nortel is practical and easy to maintain, and its centralised, layered approach to security eliminates any concerns we had about the integrity of wireless communications.”
"UK universities are evolving at a tremendous pace to meet the challenges of a modern, interactive and mobile community of students, faculty and staff,” said Peter Kelly, president, Enterprise Networks for Nortel in EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa). “In this environment, utilising technology to attract the best students and staff while enhancing the learning experience becomes increasingly more important.”
“Mobility Solutions from Nortel are ideally suited to meeting the growing demand for students and faculty to have ‘anytime, anywhere’ access to applications and resources,” Kelly said. “We are extremely pleased to have helped the Institute of Education realise its communication objectives in a timely and cost-effective manner.”
Recognising the cost benefits of extending campus-wide connectivity via a wireless LAN, IoE chose Nortel’s WLAN solution because of its proven performance and ability to offer highly secure wireless access. "Nortel’s Mobility Solution is already significantly enhancing the productivity of IoE students," Snewin said. "By using Nortel systems, our students, professors and staff have immediate access to the academic resources they need, making our campus a cohesive community where learning can take place anywhere at any time."
“Applinet partnered with Nortel at a very early stage of the project definition to help the IoE capture the technical and practical requirements of students and staff,” said Darren Boyce, managing director, Applinet. “Applinet was able to deliver on the IoE's vision of greater access to more stakeholders by developing a highly secure wireless LAN that has become central to the university's day-to-day curriculum."
“We recommended Nortel products because they are so reliable, the quality of software and hardware is exceptional, and the support we get from Nortel is excellent,” Boyce said. “The bottom line is I feel confident that, with Nortel wireless LAN and converged solutions, my customers will get a great return on investment, and the Institute of Education is no exception.”
Wireless LAN provides a foundation for Nortel's ‘Office Anywhere’ mobility solution for the Virtual Enterprise, designed to allow students and staff roaming in different locations to collaborate as effectively as though they were in the same place. With new applications and solutions, Nortel makes it possible for all workers to take their 'Office Anywhere' through reliable, highly secure mobile access to business applications wherever they are working.