Galway Roscommon Education and Training Board selects Agile Networks to deploy wireless internet access and bring global information sources to its classrooms
Dublin, Monday, 30th August 2021: Independent network integrator and cloud services provider, Agile Networks today announced its selection as technology partner for the deployment of wireless internet access for Galway Roscommon Education and Training Board (GRETB).
The project opens up a new world of learning for 22,000 students, bringing reliable, high-speed internet access to the classroom and with it, a pool of global information resources to enhance the education experience.
Management and ongoing maintenance of the wireless network has also been substantially improved with user-friendly dashboards and intuitive troubleshooting, which provides a more consistent wireless service for students and staff.
Spread across 60 different locations and serving a population of over 324,000, GRETB is the country’s second-largest ETB in terms of geographical area.
Commenting on the project, John O’Donnell, IT lead with Galway Roscommon Education and Training Board said:
“Standardising on a single vendor for the provision of our network was the pre-cursor for easy network management. Having a single interface to view, manage and troubleshoot devices significantly reduces IT administration and support costs.
“Our services are growing and we needed an access solution that could be managed remotely from head office or delegated to some of the more experienced members of staff.”
At second-level Clarin College in Athenry, Co Galway for example, an access point has been installed in every classroom. Teachers and students can network smartphones, laptops, tablets and even projectors meeting everyone’s expectations to harness the power of the internet as they make their way through academic life.
Recruitment interviews can be conducted remotely or in the same building in a different room, allowing for safe social distancing, while staff throughout the campus can use wireless printing to send print jobs to the device which is closest to them.
The network is based on Aruba Networks’ wireless access points, Ethernet switching devices and Aruba Central management software.
“We instinctively knew that Aruba with its AI technology would allow staff with limited technical knowledge to easily troubleshoot network issues and resolve them quickly,” said Sean Nolan, business development manager with Agile Networks.
“Portal access has also been extended to local schools so they can get full visibility of the number of devices connected and profile of traffic on the network, much of which is now video-based in the form of YouTube. This feature is proving exceptionally helpful in informing the school of network usage in a non-technical way,” he said.
Customers across 1,500 sites with over 1.8 million end users rely on networks built and supported by Agile Networks.
Galway and Roscommon ETB (GRETB) provides full-time educational services in Colleges of Further Education, Post Primary Schools and in Community National Schools. The organisation also operates extensive Further Education and Training programmes including Youth services. Information Technology is recognised as a cornerstone of providing the type of responsive, real-world educational and support programmes that the region demands.
ENDS
Pic l-r: Ray O’Connor, Ireland Country Manager, Aruba Networks, Sean Nolan, business development manager, Agile Networks and John O’Donnell, IT, Galway Roscommon ETB
