Middlesbrough College goes wireless

Dell has worked with Middlesbrough College to introduce a new wireless infrastructure that supports the use of mobile devices throughout the College. Recently celebrated for its 98 percent A-level pass rate, Middlesbrough College prides itself on its ability to offer an innovative and progressive learning environment that supports student success.

“The demands on the College’s IT infrastructure are huge, particularly from the lecturers who are continually looking to push the boundaries in terms of how they use technology in the classroom. A robust wireless infrastructure is absolutely crucial in supporting the move to mobile learning and the expectation from staff and students that devices can be used anywhere within the College’s buildings,” explained Andrew Low, facilities manager for IT, Middlesbrough College.

The original wireless system was unable to support changing demands, new technologies or quick access, requiring users to log on multiple times in one day to access the internet on their mobile devices. The new solution from Dell combines Dell Networking W-series ClearPass Access Management System and Dell SonicWALL SuperMassive 9200 Next-Generation Firewall technologies and provides a seamless user experience for students, staff and guests.

Visitors to the College can now access the Internet through a self-service registration portal that is both secure and easy-to-use. For students and staff, the IT team simply has to register a device on the system once and users are then connected after one upfront request. This process used to take the IT team up to an hour - time they now spend on other priority tasks and future projects.

The proliferation of mobile devices has required the College to consider the security implementations of its new wireless solution. The integration of the Dell SonicWALL Supermassive 9200 Next-Generation Firewall helps protect the College’s network from the potential security risks associated with users connecting to the network from external devices.

“By working with Dell, we now have a feature-rich wireless network that delivers on throughput, capacity and piece-of-mind. We also benefit from one-to-one support through Dell ProSupport, for a high proportion of the network infrastructure, which helps with the implementation process as well as with our on-going needs. This ensures that the tools and devices that our students and staff use in and out of the classroom are supported at all times,” said Low.

“There is an increasing demand for efficient wireless solutions that support mobile learning environments within educational institutions. Both students and employees are increasingly expecting the seamless speedy connections and advanced security that their home networks can already offer. To ensure that Middlesbrough College can offer this level of service on campus, we worked closely with them to develop a combination of software and services, resulting in increased time saving for students, staff and the IT department,” said John Bailey, director of education, Dell UK.