IBM > Case Studies > Enhancing the educational experience in the White Plains School District

Enhancing the educational experience in the White Plains School District

Customer Company Size

Large Corporate

Region

America

Country

United States

Product

IBM Global Technology Services
Gigabit Passive Optical Network (GPON)

Tech Stack

GPON technology
Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)

Implementation Scale

Enterprise-wide Deployment

Impact Metrics

Cost Savings
Productivity Improvements
Digital Expertise

Technology Category

Networks & Connectivity - Ethernet
Networks & Connectivity - Network Management & Analysis Software

Applicable Industries

Education

Applicable Functions

Business Operation

Use Cases

Campus Area Network
Infrastructure Inspection

Services

Cloud Planning, Design & Implementation Services
System Integration

About The Customer

The White Plains School District is a suburban community located north of New York City. The district serves more than 7,000 students and employs more than 1,100 staff members. The district's Management and Information Systems (MIS) group supports over 4,000 networked devices across the district's nine schools and three office locations. The district's local area network (LAN) plays a crucial role in supporting the variety of technologies used in schools, including tablets, PCs, projectors, and HVAC systems. The district was looking to enhance its wifi network to improve mobile connectivity and needed to refresh or replace the LAN.

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The Challenge

The White Plains School District, serving over 7,000 students and employing more than 1,100 staff members, was facing a challenge with its outdated copper network. The district's local area network (LAN) was crucial in supporting a variety of technologies used in schools, from tablets and PCs to projectors and HVAC systems. However, the district was struggling with the need for a robust, reliable network infrastructure that could provide the bandwidth for these technologies plus a growing number of devices and applications. The district wanted to enhance its wifi network to improve mobile connectivity. But before doing so, the MIS group needed to refresh or replace the LAN. Upgrading the existing copper-based network was going to be too costly, and the district needed a new approach that could deliver scalability, reliability, and security while avoiding the high costs of a copper upgrade.

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The Solution

The district turned to IBM Global Technology Services (GTS) to design a new network based on Gigabit Passive Optical Network (GPON) technology. GPON technology offers several advantages over upgrading a copper-based LAN. It uses less equipment than a copper network, reducing installation costs and avoiding expenditures for switching, cooling, and battery equipment. Using fiber also gives better flexibility and scalability. Making changes or increasing bandwidth does not require replacing fiber, just changing the equipment at either end. The IBM GTS team led the district through each phase of the project, including connecting with the right vendors, designing the network, and setting up a proof of concept in a high school classroom. This new technology was new to the district, so having an experienced, knowledgeable team to help oversee the project was critical.

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Operational Impact

The new network enables the district to save money, streamline administration, improve availability, and tighten security while providing the scalability for a full range of current and future uses.
The district anticipates significant cost savings from implementing the new network. Installing a fiber network requires far less work than a copper network, reducing construction costs. With less equipment, the district can reduce capital costs as well as ongoing electrical and cooling costs.
The new network should help streamline administration. There is less equipment to manage, and the staff can now configure and manage the entire network from a single console.
The new network should also help improve availability and security. With a decentralized architecture, the network can keep running even if one classroom or one building goes down. GPON also uses the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), enabling the district to comply with student data privacy policies.

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Quantitative Benefit

Expected savings of 30 to 50 percent in construction costs alone.

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