Organization: SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
Location: Syracuse , New York , USA
Employees: 350+
Market segment: higher education
Applications: e-mail access, Internet access, course content
3Com Systems:
The Challenge
As the only academic institution in the United States focused on natural resources and the environment, the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) is dedicated to educating its students to become knowledgeable stewards of both "natural and designed environments." Founded in 1911, even before the creation of New York 's university system, Syracuse, NY-based ESF engages students in environmental studies both in the classroom and in the field, where they conduct research with the school's 350 faculty and staff members.
Like other top-tier schools, ESF requires a secured networked infrastructure to support communications and provide online resources. Eventually, it even wants to deliver course content electronically, a capability that will expedite learning and help the school attract and recruit the brightest students.
To meet its goals, ESF already deploys a robust 3Com ® Gigabit Ethernet network. However, it wanted to enhance communications further by providing anywhere/anytime connectivity. Pervasive networking would permit students to collaborate more effectively on research projects and access information when beyond the confines of classrooms. It also would support the school's vision of delivering network-supported course content.
To extend connectivity throughout key sites at its Syracuse campus, starting with its library, ESF required a wireless local area network (WLAN).
"We wanted students to be able to access the network from anywhere in the library with laptops," said Jim Sahm , ESF's computing and network systems coordinator. "Convenient Internet access strongly augments the library's resources and bolsters research. Next, we'll wirelessly link our classrooms and other public spaces so we'll be able to offer a wealth of online information at all venues of learning."
ESF needed versatile, standards-based solutions to support a range of platforms, including Macintosh computers, PC devices, and the handheld systems that students and faculty use to collect data in the field. Moreover, because the WLAN would require multiple access points for sufficient coverage, the college wanted users to be able to roam freely from one access point to another without losing network connectivity throughout the building. The systems also had to provide sufficient security to ensure that only authorized users can access the WLAN.
"Another criteria was ease of administration," said Sahm. "We wanted to centrally manage our access points as a cohesive network, not as individual devices. Systems that were complex to deploy and operate would place a tremendous burden on our three-person IT staff."
To meet these needs, ESF examined wireless solutions from Nortel and 3Com. It found 3Com systems offered the best combination of price and performance.
Why 3Com Solutions
"Since we installed 3Com systems in 1993, we've been very happy with their reliability and speed," said Sahm. "We were convinced that 3Com wireless solutions would offer us the same value."
In August 2005, ESF deployed 15 3Com Wireless LAN Managed Access Point 2750s throughout its Moon Library. The versatile, Wi-Fi-based devices support the 802.11a or b/g standards.
To economize on the deployment, ESF uses the Power over Ethernet ( PoE ) of several of its 40 pre-existing 3Com SuperStack ® Switch 4400 PWR systems. The switches provision the access points with electrical power over Ethernet cabling, avoiding the cost of additional electrical wiring throughout the library.
To integrate the 3Com access points into an integrated WLAN, ESF installed the 3Com Wireless LAN Controller WX4400 and the 3Com Wireless Switch Manager application. These solutions enable IT administrators to centrally configure and manage the entire wireless network.
"Because of the control they provide, these management solutions are the foundation of our WLAN," explained Sahm. "In a few keystrokes, we can easily reconfigure our access points. Additionally, they greatly simplified deployment. For example, we used the Switch Manager's site survey feature to ideally situate the access points for optimal wireless coverage throughout the facility."
The 3Com wireless management systems also enhance networking performance. They automatically adjust radio frequency coverage among the access points to always deliver ideal wireless connectivity. And they offer load balancing to ensure that no one device becomes overloaded with traffic.
Moreover, the security capabilities of the 3Com systems protect the campus network. Using RADIUS authentication, users must enter passwords before they can access the wireless system. For additional protection, administrators can implement another SSID (service set identifier), to segment business resources from student wireless users, further safeguarding this information.
"We also value the scalability of our 3Com wireless switch," said Sahm. "Each WX4400 platform can manage up to 96 access points, enabling us to easily expand our WLAN throughout the campus. If we ever need to expand our WLAN, we can simply add another wireless switch."
To ensure the smooth operation of its WLAN, ESF also acquired the 3Com Guardian Service SM , which provides one year of on-site assistance, telephone technical support, and software upgrades for its wireless systems.
Benefits Summary
Thanks to 3Com, ESF successfully launched its wireless networking strategy. Students and faculty can roam throughout the Moon Library, and soon other locations, while seamlessly maintaining high-speed access to the network. ESF has laid the cornerstone for a wireless infrastructure that will provide learners anywhere/anytime access to course content and other resources.
"Our 3Com wireless solutions provide the pervasive networking we wanted to expedite course work, research, and communications," said Sahm. "From retrieving research data to backing up vital files, students and faculty now use their laptops or handheld devices to access the network rather than rely on the college's wired desktops. What's more, we're providing this performance with hardly any IT intervention, ensuring our systems are simple and affordable to operate."
The 3Com WLAN also provides ideal levels of security. In addition to allowing only authorized users on to the network, the 3Com wireless switch also enables administrators to continually sweep the WLAN for rogue users and devices.
"By scrutinizing our wireless coverage, we've detected unauthorized devices and shut them off," said Sahm. "This security functionality is particularly useful in open, academic environments such as ours. In summary, 3Com has made wireless a practical, affordable alternative to wired systems. By offering this kind of communication technology, we'll remain competitive in terms of maintaining the highest academic standards and recruiting the finest students to our campus."
Copyright © 2005 3Com Corporation. 3Com, the 3Com logo, and SuperStack are registered trademarks of 3Com Corporation. Guardian is a service trademark of 3Com Corporation. All other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective holders.
