Leading Technology School Chooses Aruba over
Cisco and Mist to Enable New Educational Capabilities and Support
Its Innovative Culture
Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company (NYSE: HPE), today
announced that Mitchell Technical Institute (MTI) of South Dakota,
a leading technology institute preparing students for the global
workforce, has chosen an Aruba network infrastructure to enable
modern, collaboration-based experiences and build upon its
innovative culture for students and faculty.
This press release features multimedia. View
the full release here:
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200204005207/en/
Secure and reliable Wi-Fi from Aruba
helps students at Mitchell Technical Institute of South Dakota
collaborate and learn using new applications and software-based
learning programs that enhance the classroom experience. (Photo:
Business Wire)
Recognized by Forbes for its contributions toward making
Mitchell, South Dakota an elite “Smart City,” MTI has served as a
regional leader in training the global workforce for over 50 years.
MTI is helping to transform its area’s traditional, agricultural
economy into a center for information communications technology. To
that end, the institution knew that it needed to transform its own
network infrastructure to meet the growing expectations of students
and faculty and to continue its reputation as an education
innovator.
A key driver for MTI’s network transformation was the need for
high-performing, reliable Wi-Fi to enable classroom applications
and software-based learning programs that eliminate pen and paper
and afford student mobility. In addition, the institution sought a
solution that could be easily integrated with its Microsoft Teams
and Intune systems, and could segment and secure devices on the
wireless and wired network – be they student-owned mobile devices,
the school’s security cameras and HVAC systems, or other IoT
devices that MTI might want to deploy.
MTI’s IT team evaluated solutions from incumbent vendor, Cisco,
as well as Mist Systems before determining that Aruba could best
meet all of the school’s current needs and prepare them for future
expansion.
To create a network that is in line with its focus on
innovation, MTI deployed a combination of Aruba Wi-Fi 6 Access
Points, Mobility Controllers, Aruba access switches, AirWave
network management, and ClearPass. According to MTI’s Director of
Technology, David Boos, the added features of Aruba’s Wi-Fi
CERTIFIED 6™ APs, and Aruba’s Dynamic Segmentation – which allows
MTI to keep user and device traffic on their wired and wireless
networks separate and secure, regardless of application or service
– were key factors in the decision to select Aruba.
“We were most impressed with the fact that Aruba’s Wi-Fi 6 APs
go beyond the 802.11ax standard to deliver powerful capabilities
like AI-powered optimization and energy savings with Green AP mode,
smart traffic control and integrated Bluetooth and Zigbee for
IoT-readiness,” Boos noted. “Futhermore, Aruba Dynamic Segmentation
lets us assign roles on-the-fly to wired ports, maximizing our
switching resources while significantly reducing manual
configuration and administrative overhead.”
Boos also noted that the seamless integration between Aruba’s
ClearPass for policy and role-based access control, and MTI’s
Microsoft applications such as Intune, for mobile device management
(MDM) and mobile application management (MAM), was a critical
decision factor for the institution.
“Combining ClearPass with Microsoft Intune simplified everything
for our team, dramatically increasing reliability and gaining
better insights on our wireless network,” he said, adding that MTI
plans to transition their wired network to ClearPass in the near
future.
The Aruba infrastructure is helping MTI enable crucial
applications that meet the institution’s goals of innovation,
collaboration and global workforce preparation. For example, MTI
instructors utilize Microsoft Teams for sharing their screens with
students’ devices during courses that teach the design, building
and repair of engineering automation controls known as Supervisory
Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA). Since a key part of these
programs is learning to manage the SCADA electrical, water,
environmental and security controls remotely, a reliable,
high-performing network is crucial.
“The Aruba Wi-Fi has delivered this increased performance and
quality so instructors and students can collaborate and work
together without any of the lag time we experienced previously,”
Boos explained.
This high level of performance and reliability now allows MTI’s
students to use their mobile devices to log into the school’s
learning management systems to complete coursework and tests, as
well as the school’s ERP system, Jenzabar, to manage financial aid
and other academic and business processes. The network and in
particular, Aruba Dynamic Segmentation, has also proven beneficial
for campus events like MTI’s VEX robotics tournament, providing the
secure access required by the tournament managers and participants.
In addition, with MTI at the forefront of the nationwide transition
to constructing more energy-efficient, amenity-rich modular
buildings, the network is helping students collaborate and
communicate easily, and utilize sophisticated CAD to design and
prototype their structures.
Boos foresees continued demand for higher performance
connectivity, but also a proliferation of IoT devices in areas like
HVAC, smart thermostats and more. Regardless of the device or
application, Boos says MTI feels confident they’re prepared with
their new Aruba infrastructure in place.
Additional Resources:
- Blog: Smart Strategy: Aruba’s Dynamic Segmentation & Wi-Fi
6
About Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company
Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company, is a leading
provider of secure, intelligent networks that enable customers to
thrive and deliver amazing digital experiences in the mobile, IoT
and cloud era. We are changing the rules of networking to make it
simple for IT and organizations to bridge the physical and digital
worlds at the Edge.
To learn more, visit Aruba at http://www.arubanetworks.com. For
real-time news updates, follow Aruba on Twitter and Facebook, and
for the latest technical discussions on mobility and Aruba
products, visit the Airheads Community at
http://community.arubanetworks.com.
View source
version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200204005207/en/
Kathleen Keith Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company
+1-707-529-4507 kathleen.keith@hpe.com
Jennifer Miu Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company +1
650-236-9532 jennifer.miu@hpe.com
Hewlett Packard Enterprise (NYSE:HPE)
Historical Stock Chart
From Jun 2024 to Jul 2024
Hewlett Packard Enterprise (NYSE:HPE)
Historical Stock Chart
From Jul 2023 to Jul 2024