Atlanta Public School’s Infrastructure Upgrade
Over the last few years, it became increasingly apparent that the Atlanta Public School District was lagging in digital learning due to problems arising within its outdated networking infrastructure. This created brief stability issues across 93 schools for staff and students. The district’s high standards for education prompted a thorough investigation into what the best infrastructure upgrade would be for them.
The Atlanta Public School System recognized that its historic architecture might be ineffective in safeguarding student and staff data and privacy.
The Atlanta Public School system also recognized that the best solution would be to develop a more secure and efficient IT infrastructure while also automating IT processes to decrease network maintenance costs. Due to the size of its network (over 75,000 users and growing), the Atlanta Public School system knew that they wanted a future-proof and flexible solution.
Lockstep Technology Group has been a long-standing trusted advisor and because we understand network infrastructure for educators is never a one-size-fits-all option, we were chosen for the upgrade.
We consulted with the Atlanta Public School District to understand their exact requirements and then custom-tailored Aruba technology specifically for their network. The result was a highly effective, semi-automated, and personalized network solution that will continue to support digital learning long into the future.
What Needed To Change
The Atlanta Public Schools had three main requirements for their infrastructure upgrade.
- A strong and secure network that could support up to 75,000 users and reduce long-term network costs
- A future-proof solution that supports virtualization and cloud-based services
- A secure, zero-trust solution to verify every user device and automatically keep ur malicious and suspicious actors
With a strong network, Atlanta Public Schools can better serve their students and faculty, both in the computer lab and at home. A future-proof network would open up possibilities of utilizing AI and virtual reality learning. Finally, a secure zero-trust solution would give everyone in the network confidence that their data is safe – even if bad actors manage to steal credentials. These changes would require a solution that was very different from Atlanta Public School’s current network, and Lockstep Technology was eager to take on the challenge.
Lockstep Technology and Aruba Network’s Next-Gen Solution
There were many options on the table, but ultimately only one would meet all of the needs of Atlanta Public Schools. Lockstep Technology Group recommended a next-generation network powered by Aruba Networks and Aruba ClearPass.
Aruba’s next-generation network switches are designed for high performance and flexibility to support a variety of users, devices, and applications. They are also cost-effective and easy to manage, which is important for a large school district like APS.
Implementing Aruba ClearPass was a critical component of the solution because it provides network access control and security. It verifies each user and device on the network, so you can be sure that only authorized users have access to sensitive data.
APS was able to build a high-performing network that can meet the district’s online education objectives today, yet it is flexible enough to allow the school system to employ new digital learning tools and technologies that may emerge in the future.
Thanks to Lockstep and Aruba, Atlanta Public School System experienced a significant boost in network stability and security after switching to the new architecture. With ease, the district can now support over 75,000 end users while also being able to quickly deploy new applications and services without risking compatibility issues.
Lockstep as a Strategic Technology Partner
At Lockstep Technology, we pride ourselves on being the leading provider of IT solutions and services that optimize educational institutions and their technical teams. We collaborate with our clients to make sure they have effective technology solutions in place to support everything from their mission statement to networking requirements.
We design our solutions and services to individually match the needs of every education system because we know that a cookie-cutter approach doesn’t work here. Instead, we collaborate with each school district to build a solution from scratch that will achieve their specific goals.
Are you interested in improving, securing, and futureproofing your network? Lockstep Technology Group is your solution for navigating the ever-changing education technology landscape. Speak with an expert advisor today to discuss your specific needs!
