Networking & Wireless
Ramsey School District Upgrades to Private Fiber Network
Ramsey School District in New Jersey has upgraded to a 100 percent fiber network to support several bandwidth-intensive education initiatives.
The
district has standardized on Google Apps for Education, which requires
a reliable Internet connection for students and teachers to access
online resources. Ramsey SD also deployed more than 2,000 iPads
recently and offers a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) program, two
initiatives that require robust Wi-Fi access. And the Online PARCC assessments require a strong, reliable Internet connection.
Ramsey School District has been a customer of Lightpath Ethernet-based communication services for 15 years, and decided to
stick with the same service provider for this upgrade. The
district implemented Lightpath's managed Private Fiber Service, with 10
gigabit-per-second (Gbps) connections between several key locations,
including the middle and high school, and 1 Gbps connections to each of
the district's three elementary schools.
The network upgrade
doubles the district's Internet bandwidth and increases connection
speeds between key locations by 10 times, according to a news release.
Lightpath is part of the New Jersey Middlesex Regional Education Services Commission (MRESC) purchasing cooperative, which aims to coordinate cost-efficient
purchasing opportunities for educational institutions. Ramsey School
District took advantage of this opportunity to save money on the
network upgrade.
Ryan Kenny, director of Ramsey School District's
technology department, said he anticipates that the private fiber network will
serve the district's increasing bandwidth needs in the years to come.
"While a 1G Internet connection serves our needs today, we'll likely
have to double or triple that in just the next couple of years," he
said in a prepared statement.
About the Author
Leila Meyer is a technology writer based in British Columbia. She can be reached at leilameyer@gmail.com.