Alamo Colleges in San Antonio, Texas, which serves over 65,000 students and 7,000 staff across its five campuses and regional learning centers, has taken significant steps to enhance safety and connectivity. The key initiative was the deployment of Alcatel-Lucent's advanced IT solutions to bridge technology gaps and support a more flexible work environment.
Addressing Safety and Connectivity Challenges
With a focus on maintaining high safety standards and modernizing their network infrastructure, Alamo Colleges faced challenges such as technology disparities among users and the need to transition staff from stationary desktops to mobile platforms. In response, they have installed secure, high-performance Alcatel-Lucent OmniSwitch® platforms, along with OmniAccess® Stellar wireless networking, extending secure Wi-Fi access even to parking lots for remote study opportunities through their "Park and Learn" initiative.
Implementing Alcatel-Lucent Solutions
Security remains a top concern for Alamo Colleges. Their adoption of the Alcatel-Lucent OmniPCX® phone system for emergency communications ensures prompt contact with local authorities, including college dispatch and 911 services. The recent introduction of the Visual Notification Assistant (VNA) enhances this by providing real-time location details from mobile device users, thereby improving emergency response times. These systems are monitored using Alcatel-Lucent OmniVista® Network Management, which offers a centralized view for streamlined operations.
Technical, Financial, and User Experience Advantages
The implementation of Alcatel-Lucent solutions provides several technical benefits, such as reliable network redundancy and high data transfer rates. Campus-wide Wi-Fi consistency is maintained with OmniAccess Stellar technology, while the VNA system ensures efficient emergency communication and alerts.
Financially, Alamo Colleges benefit from reduced service costs and improved operational insights through the Network Management system, which aids in resource allocation and decision-making. From a user experience perspective, enhanced communication features, including messaging and conferencing capabilities, offer robust support during campus emergencies. Additionally, the high-performance network has driven increased interest in eSports among the student body.
Christopher Delgado, Senior Manager of Network Operations at Alamo Colleges, praised the partnership, stating, “The Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise products are reliable and just work. What I like best about the partnership with Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise is they’re always there for us.”
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Alamo Colleges in San Antonio, Texas supports more than 65,000 students and 7,000 staff.
It's five campuses and smaller regional learning centers connect students and staff, expanding the reach of learning for the community.
Colleges' challenge
Alamo’s challenges included leveraging technology to support its high standards of safety and security as a priority for its campuses.
They were tackling a technology gap among users across the diverse landscape of the larger San Antonio area and also wanted to support an effective work-life balance by transitioning faculty and staff from desktop to mobile devices.
Action taken
To ensure accessibility for all, Alamo deployed secure, high-performance Alcatel-Lucent OmniSwitch® platforms
A long-time customer of Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise, Alamo Colleges has stayed focused on providing a secure, reliable, and accessible network for learning.
To ensure accessibility for all, Alamo deployed secure, high-performance Alcatel-Lucent OmniSwitch® platforms and Alcatel-Lucent OmniAccess® Stellar wireless networking across its campuses.
They expanded the reach of the OmniAccess Stellar Access Points to develop Park and Learn, enabling students to connect and complete their studies from the parking lots without the need to physically be on campus.
Alcatel-Lucent solution
Security and safety are of the utmost concern, and Alamo has leveraged its Alcatel-Lucent OmniPCX® phone system to make emergency calls to Alamo Colleges dispatch, 911, and local Bear County authorities. They recently added the Alcatel-Lucent Visual Notification Assistant (VNA) solution, which can pick up a call from a user on a mobile device and provide their location, expediting response time.
To manage all these systems, Alamo uses Alcatel-Lucent OmniVista® Network Management. With one view of all the networks, Alamo’s IT staff can monitor the network during the ongoing construction of centers and provide maintenance remotely across its far-reaching network.
Products and solutions
- Alcatel-Lucent OmniPCX® Enterprise
- Alcatel-Lucent 8128 MIPT handsets
- Alcatel-Lucent OmniSwitch® 6900-X72-F
- Alcatel-Lucent OmniSwitch® 6960E-U28
- Alcatel-Lucent OmniSwitch® 6860E-P48
- Alcatel-Lucent OmniSwitch® 6450E-P48
- Alcatel-Lucent OmniAccess® Stellar AP1101
- Alcatel-Lucent OmniVista® 2500 Network Management System
- Alcatel-Lucent Visual Notification Assistant (VNA)
Results obtained
Technical benefits
- Delivers redundant, reliable networks and high data transfer rates with OmniSwitch layer 3 and chassis solutions.
- Provides consistent and complete Wi-Fi across campuses and parking lots with OmniAccess Stellar wireless network.
- Advanced phone system supports 911 calls and notifies college security and county authorities with Alcatel-Lucent VNA solution.
- Simplifies monitoring with a unified view of the network and visual maps showing the status of switches in all college facilities.
Financial benefits
- Saves on recurring service costs with the ALE solutions.
- Network Management single view shows how many switches and how many ports are in use, which helps in decision-making.
User experience benefits
- Provides messaging notification services, conferencing capabilities, and broadcast alerts during a crisis on campus with VNA connected with Rainbow™ by Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise.
- eSports' popularity with students is growing thanks to high-performance networks.
“The Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise products are reliable and just work. What I like best about the partnership with Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise is they’re always there for us,” said Christopher Delgado, Senior Manager of Network Operations, at Alamo Colleges.
