Case Study   Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (Scotland, UK)   Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama Applauds the Performance of 3Com Enterprise Networks Organization: Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama Location: Glasgow, Scotland Employees: 600, 700 students Market segment: Higher Education Applications: Sibelius music-creation application, Sage business management software, proprietary registration system, MS Office suite, Inspiration, Groupwise, Classical Music Library, Naxos Music Library, International Index to Performing Arts, Ingenta Connect, SCRAN 3Com® Solutions: 3Com XRN® Technology Read more here 3Com Network Director Read more here 3Com Wireless LAN Switch WX1200 Read more here 3Com Wireless LAN Managed Access Point 2750 Read more here 3Com Wireless Switch Manager Read more here The Challenge Although it dates back to 1847, the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (RSAMD) is hardly stuck in the past and relies on modern technologies to educate 700 students from five continents in music, theater, film, and television. One of the world's most prestigious schools for the performing arts and with the Royal Patronage of HRH the Prince of Wales, the Glasgow-based academy has integrated computer networking into almost every course. Whether becoming expert in the violin or researching Shakespeare's plays, students rely on the network for a range of applications, such as registering for courses using a sophisticated in-house system, composing music with the Sibelius music-creation solution, or simply exchanging email with their instructors. They also access online databases like the Classical Music Library and Naxos Music Library, which offer music downloads, Ingenta Connect, which provides e-journals on the performing arts, and SCRAN, which features images from galleries and museums. Additionally, the academy's faculty and administrators depend on the network to track and monitor students, deliver coursework, and conduct business affairs. RSAMD's network, however, had begun to fail to support activities. Comprised mostly of legacy Cisco switches, the system often crashed, undermining students' access to learning applications and their productivity. Also vexing, the Cisco devices were difficult to manage, forcing RSAMD to pay third-party technicians substantial fees every year to administer the switches. Additionally, student access to the network was limited to just 40 wired desktop computers sparsely located in RSAMD's three-story facility, which features over nine acres of classrooms, offices, performance halls, rehearsal spaces, and dressing rooms. To support students and faculty, the academy had to make the network available throughout the building, not just in selected locations. Why 3Com Solutions With the ethos that "the show must go on," RSAMD decided to replace its Cisco systems and provide students and faculty with a high-performance wireless network. After considering products from Cisco and 3Com, the academy chose 3Com solutions because of their greater value and simplicity. "Unlike Cisco products, 3Com systems don't require considerable training to operate," said Aiden Curran, IT manager, RSAMD. "3Com also offered better support, like being able to reach a live person easily when we call for assistance. Additionally, 3Com solutions were more affordable. All of this translates to a substantially lower cost of ownership." Moreover, 3Com offered RSAMD outstanding resiliency with its patented eXpandable Resilient Networking (XRN) technology, which interconnects multiple XRN-enabled 3Com Gigabit switches so they behave as a single network entity. Should a link between the devices fail, or even if a switch is removed from service, the network will continue to function. To attain such resiliency, RSAMD installed two 3Com Gigabit switches and deployed multiple links between them via XRN technology, creating a redundant, four Gigabit Ethernet backbone. The robust, 24-port switches deliver multi-layer, highly-available performance thanks to fault tolerant features like modular load-sharing and hot-swappable power supplies and fan trays. To link its servers to the network, RSAMD deployed two 3Com stackable 10/100/1000 solutions that connect to the core at Gigabit speed. RSAMD distributes the network to users with seven 3Com stackable traffic prioritization edge switches. The academy's IT administrators use 3Com Network Director to easily manage the entire network from a single computer. The powerful software allows them to map and control all network devices, perform bulk configurations, and rapidly detect and correct any issues, simplifying management while improving control of the entire infrastructure. "The browser-based management of Network Director makes controlling the infrastructure intuitive and certainly easier than Cisco solutions," said Curran. "By eliminating the need to outsource administration, 3Com has given us ownership of our networking services." This ease of management also extends to RSAMD's wireless connectivity. The academy deployed eight 3Com Wireless LAN Managed Access Point 2750 systems throughout its facility. These versatile solutions support 802.11 a or b/g. and deliver speeds up to 54 Mbps, enabling students to access the network without compromising network performance. The systems receive their power from standard power over Ethernet cabling, freeing electrical outlets for other devices. To manage its access points, the academy linked them to the 3Com Wireless LAN Switch WX1200 and installed 3Com Wireless Switch Manager software. These solutions enable administrators to control the access points and all wireless networking services. They can centrally configure the systems, change parameters, optimize their coverage, and even detect rogue devices. Moreover, users can roam throughout the academy's facility with their laptops, seamlessly moving from one access point to another while maintaining network connectivity. "Our 3Com wireless solution is a major asset to Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama," said Curran. "Students can instantly access online resources and applications at all venues of instruction without delay, enabling them to complete their studies significantly more efficiently." Benefits Summary Powered by its 3Com solutions, RSAMD today offers students and staff dependable, high-speed networking services they require. Additionally, the academy has simplified the maintenance of its networking services, eliminating outsourcing costs and conserving IT resources. Administrators can maximize the performance of both the wired and wireless domains of the network, ensuring access is always configured for student and faculty needs. "3Com modernized our communications," Curran concluded. "They gave us the high resiliency we demanded, but without complexity. In the process, we simplified IT and reduced our operating costs, gaining a rapid return on an investment that is dramatically enriching the education of our students." Copyright © 2005 3Com Corporation. 3Com, the 3Com logo, and XRN are registered trademarks of 3Com Corporation. All other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective holders.