Coleg Gwent builds state-the-art Wireless infrastructure to attract bright new talent

Coleg Gwent, the largest further education college in Wales, has turned to Surrey-based specialist systems integrator LAN2LAN to expand its wireless network and provide technically enhanced, secure connectivity to thousands of staff, students and guests across their five campuses.

LAN2LAN has also been awarded Elite partnership status by Juniper making it one of three Wireless LAN (WLAN) specialists in the UK. These announcements reflect the long-standing relationships LAN2LAN has with both Coleg Gwent and Juniper. At the same time, they underline the company’s commitment to the education sector and its position as a leading provider of enterprise-level, wireless network security solutions.

Coleg Gwent has been a customer of LAN2LAN since 2008 when the college first decided to deploy a new wireless network, based on Trapeze technology (now part of Juniper), for use by thousands of staff and students at campuses in City of Newport, Crosskeys, Ebbw Vale, Pontypool and Usk. Over the past few years, Coleg Gwent has recognised the growing expectation of staff, students and guests to the college to carry out their work duties and studies in a more flexible way via a variety of mobile devices away from a traditional fixed broadband environment.

To accommodate this need, the college approached LAN2LAN at the beginning of 2011 to provide consultancy for the design and build of an expanded wireless infrastructure that would replicate the success of the original network but allow additional and secure access to guests of Coleg Gwent. Since that time, LAN2LAN has worked with Juniper to supply more than 100 additional access points and move towards upgrading the whole network to the latest, high-performance version of the wireless standard 802.11n.

Evan Smith, Assistant Head of IT at Coleg Gwent, commented, "The Trapeze wireless solution has proved itself to be resilient and flexible. We have increased our Wireless Network from just 2 Access Points in a single location to over 150 Access Points across 5 campuses. This has been achieved by building on the initial investment with the help of LAN2LAN who have shown excellent technical ability and outstanding support."

Students and staff can now access Coleg Gwent’s network securely by means of authentication technology that integrates with the institution. Staff and Students can also use their own devices to gain access to resources via the wireless network. LAN2LAN’s implementation at Coleg Gwent brings together the company’s capabilities in the areas of wireless networking and security. LAN2LAN Elite partnership status with Juniper positions them as one of the most trusted partners with the ability to scope out complex, large-scale wireless networks that deliver tangible business advantages. To obtain this status, LAN2LAN had to demonstrate its commitment to meeting specific sales volumes in addition to providing excellent technical support and training capabilities. It is working with Juniper to develop a joint business plan to move business forward.

Gary Duke, Director of LAN2LAN concluded, "Today’s students view mobility as an expectation rather than a privilege. They want choice about where they can do their work on the campus environment with the flexibility to use their various handheld devices away from the traditional lecture theatre or common room. Wireless has fast become the primary connection method for a network in both the education and commercial sector.

As a result, educational establishments like Coleg Gwent which offer excellent wireless connectivity have a distinct competitive advantage over other colleges. Vendors such as Trapeze, now Juniper, understand this perfectly. Together, we can combine our technical expertise in wireless LAN technology and network security with our proven track record in the education sector to help schools, colleges and universities build the best wireless network solutions that will attract the brightest new talent in the future."

Date: 31/01/2012