Harmony Public Schools Upgrades to Fiber

Harmony Public Schools (HPS) in Texas plans to upgrade all 46 of its campuses and the HPS Central Office to dedicated fiber optic Internet service with managed security services to provide each school with Internet access speeds of one gigabit per second (Gbps).

Harmony Public Schools are K-12 college preparatory charter schools with a focus on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education. Rather than being located within a single geographic district, HPS's schools are located in Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio, El Paso and other areas of Texas. "Since we have schools located throughout the state, it's imperative that we have reliable service that is secure," said Edward Caglar, chief information officer of Harmony Public Schools, in a prepared statement.

To provide its schools and central office with high speed connectivity, HPS selected Dedicated Internet Access (DIA) service from Time Warner Cable Business Class (TWCBC). The service runs on a redundant and private end-to-end fiber network and provides HPS with symmetrical connectivity. Many Internet connections are asymmetrical, meaning they allow downloads at higher speeds than uploads. Symmetrical connectivity means both downloads and uploads can run at the same speed. Students and teachers at Harmony Public Schools will be able to use the fast connection speeds to communicate and use online educational resources.

As part of the network upgrade, HPS plans to implement TWCBC's Managed Security, which includes a firewall, anti-virus, anti-spam, remote access and content filtering. According to the company, its Managed Security service "helps customers proactively address security risk management rather than react to threats and vulnerabilities as they arise." Because the service is managed by TWCBC, HPS's IT staff will be able to focus more of its time on other priorities.

About the Author

Leila Meyer is a technology writer based in British Columbia. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • AI toolbox containing a wrench, document icon, gears, and a network symbol

    Common Sense Media Releases Free AI Toolkit, AI Readiness & Implementation Guides

    Common Sense Media has developed an AI Toolkit for School Districts, available to educators free of charge, that provides guidelines and resources for implementing AI in education.

  • elementary school building with children outside, overlaid by a glowing data network and transparent graphs

    Toward a Holistic Approach to Data-Informed Decision-Making in Education

    With increasing access to data and powerful analytic tools, the temptation to reduce educational outcomes to mere numbers is strong. However, educational leadership demands a more holistic and thoughtful approach.

  • three silhouetted education technology leaders with thought bubbles containing AI-related icons

    Ed Tech Leaders Rank Generative AI as Top Tech Priority

    In a recent CoSN survey, an overwhelming majority of ed tech leaders (94%) said they see AI as having a positive impact on education. Respondents ranked generative AI as their top tech priority, with 80% reporting their districts have gen AI initiatives underway, or plan to in the current school year.

  • AI-powered individual working calmly on one side and a burnt-out person slumped over a laptop on the other

    AI's Productivity Gains Come at a Cost

    A recent academic study found that as companies adopt AI tools, they're not just streamlining workflows — they're piling on new demands. Researchers determined that "AI technostress" is driving burnout and disrupting personal lives, even as organizations hail productivity gains.