Network infrastructure vendor 3Com has announced that it has upgraded the high performance network at Gateshead College to link all four of its campuses with a secure, high-speed communication network.
The College was faced with a main campus move during term time, meaning that network access for 700 staff, partners and over 13,000 students had to be maintained as the College migrated to a new high performance converged network across all four College sites.
3Com installed 1,500 devices across the College in two weeks, while no downtime was experienced. The project features a fibre-based network core with 70 network switches and 20 wireless access points.
Robert Cooper, ICT manager at Gateshead College, said: “We needed to be able to power technology such as CCTV and IP phones, and provide wireless access points in the new building.”
“We now have a future-proof IP-based network across all four sites, offering us reliability, stability, increased speed and enhanced capabilities. Because it is fully VoIP-enabled we can now run our multi-campus video screens over the network.”
Cooper added that the College encountered very few issues during installation and they now have peace of mind regarding the safety of their network.
“Our additional 3Com wireless network capabilities mean we can offer ‘safe’ network access to staff, students and visitors without any security concerns. The move was seamless and we could literally just plug-and-go.”
Gary Newbold, 3Com UK Country Manager, says, “More and more organisations like Gateshead College are recognising that they no longer have to pay a premium for high-performance core and edge network infrastructure solutions. They deserve high-quality solutions and ultra-responsive support at a lower price point, particularly in today’s economic environment.”
