As K-12 students become more and more digitally connected, the way in which classroom learning is conducted continues to evolve. From personal devices to in-school technologies, there’s a real need for K-12 institutions to cultivate a highly connected, optimized and secure network infrastructure. But a school network requires a much different IT approach than implementations in most other industries. There are very specific needs to be addressed, and identifying the right solutions can be difficult.
It’s more important than ever to ensure that your K-12 network infrastructure can meet the demands of today’s education environment. That means selecting the best products to deliver a seamless and safe network experience. Of course, every solution has its expense, and schools are often hindered in this area by budgetary constraints. Do you know how to choose options that get your school the biggest bang for its buck? Are you finding it challenging to optimize your K-12 network infrastructure with the most dynamic and cost-effective solutions?
Check out some of the following options to help choose the right approach for your network.
If you need to increase the number of devices capable of accessing the network …
A large network user base affects your ability to satisfy bandwidth and coverage. If you’re not implementing the right products, you can end up frustrating students and staff with problems accessing your network. Even worse, you risk deteriorating the entire learning experience and educational outcomes. Therefore, it’s critical to make sure that your school’s network infrastructure fully supports the magnitude of connected users and their devices.
802.11ac Wave 2, the latest WiFi standard, features key advances that can accommodate a high capacity of user devices:
- Supports multi-user multiple input/multiple output (MU-MIMO), which allows access points to simultaneously transmit data to and from multiple devices, ensuring that all devices get their fair share of the available WiFi service
- Promotes theoretical speeds of 6.9 Gbps, catering to bandwidth-hungry applications
- Offers access to more than 30 additional channels over traditional 2.4 GHz networks, in the 5 GHz frequency, in order resolve conflicts created by RF interference
It’s also important to consider the type of connection you’re utilizing and decide whether it’s sufficient to handle your expected device load. One possible option is increasing fiber and switch speeds. Of course, it’s wise to complete a thorough network assessment before making any of these cost-impacting changes.
If you need to improve connectivity and speed throughout your building(s) …
Students and faculty should be benefiting from sustained, reliable connectivity that doesn’t fail them or impede their academic objectives. So if your users are experiencing lags, outages, accessibility issues or other performance and speed failures, network improvements are essential. Unfortunately, there’s a wide gamut of reasons that can be behind your network complications, so the solution may not be easy to pinpoint right away.
Your smartest course of action here is to have an assessment performed by a team of experienced, skilled network specialists. A network assessment utilizes sophisticated tools and expertise to determine the vitality of your network and make sure your technology is poised to carry your institution into the future. Your assessment team should provide a thorough report, detailing what the current network is capable of managing and making recommendations to optimize performance.
Only with this detailed level of insight will you be equipped to choose a network product or solution that can maximize connectivity throughout your K-12 facility.
If you need an IT closet overhaul …
When your networking equipment has all the characteristics of a tangled mess, it’s time for an overhaul. Over time, network closets, racks and switches can become so jumbled that they hinder your troubleshooting and diagnostic efforts. They can even present network susceptibility due to trip or snag hazards from dangling cables, as well as fiber optic cable breakage due to improperly run and terminated fiber. Plus, many networks have more ports in inventory than are necessary, which results in excessive yearly maintenance expense.
Arrange for a professional IT closet overhaul that includes:
- Cleaning up the networking closet
- Getting patch cords color coded
- Finding and fixing single points of failure
- Right-sizing the network based on your current and future needs
- Identifying limitations of your copper and fiber cabling
An IT closet overhaul should also be conducted in tandem with a network assessment to determine any existing bottlenecks and identify any equipment that’s nearing end of life. After all, old hardware doesn’t just cause performance issues; it can also lead to security vulnerabilities for your institution.
If you need added security …
Protecting student and staff information, as well as the continuous functioning of your school’s technology, must be a high priority. It’s vital to ensure that your school’s network has the proper safeguards in place to thwart cyber threats like ransomware and other dangerous intrusions. If you need to ramp up your security measures, begin with firewalls.
Start by making sure the firewall settings are adequate, as these commonly get turned off during troubleshooting sessions and forgotten afterward. Apply firewall policies across the entire wired and wireless network to protect against intrusions, and perform updates on a regular basis.
Many advanced wireless networks have bi-directional communication with next-generation firewalls in order to allow advanced actions to be taken. For example, a user who violates a firewall policy can have that information passed to the WLAN, and the user can be deauthorized at the access point. This type of action prevents the user from attempting any other malicious activity.
Consider utilizing a security platform like Palo Alto to safely enable the use of all applications, maintain complete visibility and control, confidently pursue new technology initiatives like cloud and mobility, and protect the organization from known and unknown cyber attacks.
You don’t have to overcome your school’s network challenges alone. For expert insight on choosing a provider that can help address your unique network infrastructure needs, download your free guide now.
