Networking & Wireless

Calhoun County Schools Outsources Wi-Fi

• By Leila Meyer
• 04/20/15

Calhoun County Schools in Alabama has implemented a district-wide high speed wireless network to support its bring-your-own-device (BYOD) initiative.

Through the district's "Power Up BYOD Learning Initiative," students, faculty and staff can bring their personal mobile devices to school, and students are allowed to use their devices to access digital learning resources under the direction of their classroom teacher. To support this initiative and the resulting influx of mobile devices, as well as the addition of Apple TVs to classrooms, the district needed to upgrade its wireless network infrastructure.

The district selected ProCloud managed service from Adtran. According to information on the company's site, the service includes centralized configuration and firmware management, 24/7 monitoring and alerts and technical support. By outsourcing management of the Wi-Fi network, the district hopes to free up IT staff for other projects.

The district is using the service to provide wireless access to more than 9,300 students, teachers and administrators. The service will support all 16 schools in the district, as well as a technical career center, athletic fields and four administrative offices through a single network.

"Students are really excited about the high-speed connectivity and educational tech tools they can now leverage as a result of the new network," said Jenel Travis, IT director for Calhoun County Schools, in a prepared statement.

Some of those educational tools include the Pearson SuccessMaker digital learning curriculum, Apex Learning digital curriculum, and Google Apps, according to information on the district's site.