Broadcom Case Studies SUCCESS STORY - Savannah College of Art and Design

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	SUCCESS STORY - Savannah College of Art and Design Broadcom

SUCCESS STORY - Savannah College of Art and Design

Broadcom

Technology Category	Networks & Connectivity - Ethernet Networks & Connectivity - Network Management & Analysis Software Networks & Connectivity - WiFi
Applicable Industries	Education
Applicable Functions	Facility Management Human Resources
Use Cases	Campus Area Network Infrastructure Inspection Remote Collaboration
Services	System Integration Testing & Certification
Challenge	The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) was facing a challenge of building a campus network infrastructure that could meet the growing performance and reliability requirements of next-generation applications while minimizing operational costs. The college was expanding its network of campuses and needed a network that was both flexible and scalable. SCAD’s flagship location in Savannah, Georgia, currently consists of more than 60 facilities spread throughout the city, with more than 100 miles of fiber linking these buildings. These sites needed to link with the new digital media center in Atlanta. The college was starting to saturate its 300 Megabit Ethernet link between cities due to its large-scale use of rich media, film and video editing applications, and its extensive use of replication in a Brocade SAN environment. Aware of the rising use of mobile devices on campus, SCAD sought to expand its network both at the edge and the core by rolling out 802.11n wireless in tandem with 802.1x security and Power Over Ethernet Plus (POE+). Read More
About Customer	The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) was founded in 1978 to prepare talented students for professional, creative careers in art and design. With multiple locations in the southeastern United States and abroad, as well as online distance education offerings, SCAD offers more degree programs and specializations than any other art and design university. To keep pace with an ever-expanding matrix of campuses, SCAD’s IT network must be both flexible and scalable. For example, SCAD’s flagship location in Savannah, Georgia, currently consists of more than 60 facilities spread throughout the city, with more than 100 miles of fiber linking these buildings. At the same time, these sites need to link with the new digital media center in Atlanta. Read More
Solution	SCAD chose to implement Brocade FastIron CX switches for their superior technology. The FastIron CX supports the PoE Plus standard, and SCAD can power its wireless access points and other power-hungry edge devices. The FastIron CX provided unique stacking capabilities. Because the FastIron CX can split the trunk and the multiple stack members, SCAD has full utilization of the trunk while providing redundancy and fault tolerance inside the stack. This gave SCAD the scalability and flexibility it needed at the edge of its next-generation campus network. The FastIron CX also has provided SCAD with investment protection and ease of integration. As a Brocade solution, FastIron CX has the necessary level of standardization to coexist with SCAD’s legacy network technologies. SCAD can have a switch configured and in production within minutes. And the consistency of the platforms helps SCAD avoid constant retraining. By using Brocade IronView Network Manager in conjunction with other tools, SCAD has been able to centralize the management of its campus network, simplifying administration. Read More Log in to view content
Contents

Technology Category

Networks & Connectivity - Ethernet

Networks & Connectivity - Network Management & Analysis Software

Networks & Connectivity - WiFi

Applicable Industries

Education

Applicable Functions

Facility Management

Human Resources

Use Cases

Campus Area Network

Infrastructure Inspection

Remote Collaboration

Services

System Integration

Testing & Certification

Challenge

The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) was facing a challenge of building a campus network infrastructure that could meet the growing performance and reliability requirements of next-generation applications while minimizing operational costs. The college was expanding its network of campuses and needed a network that was both flexible and scalable. SCAD’s flagship location in Savannah, Georgia, currently consists of more than 60 facilities spread throughout the city, with more than 100 miles of fiber linking these buildings. These sites needed to link with the new digital media center in Atlanta. The college was starting to saturate its 300 Megabit Ethernet link between cities due to its large-scale use of rich media, film and video editing applications, and its extensive use of replication in a Brocade SAN environment. Aware of the rising use of mobile devices on campus, SCAD sought to expand its network both at the edge and the core by rolling out 802.11n wireless in tandem with 802.1x security and Power Over Ethernet Plus (POE+).

About Customer

The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) was founded in 1978 to prepare talented students for professional, creative careers in art and design. With multiple locations in the southeastern United States and abroad, as well as online distance education offerings, SCAD offers more degree programs and specializations than any other art and design university. To keep pace with an ever-expanding matrix of campuses, SCAD’s IT network must be both flexible and scalable. For example, SCAD’s flagship location in Savannah, Georgia, currently consists of more than 60 facilities spread throughout the city, with more than 100 miles of fiber linking these buildings. At the same time, these sites need to link with the new digital media center in Atlanta.

Solution

SCAD chose to implement Brocade FastIron CX switches for their superior technology. The FastIron CX supports the PoE Plus standard, and SCAD can power its wireless access points and other power-hungry edge devices. The FastIron CX provided unique stacking capabilities. Because the FastIron CX can split the trunk and the multiple stack members, SCAD has full utilization of the trunk while providing redundancy and fault tolerance inside the stack. This gave SCAD the scalability and flexibility it needed at the edge of its next-generation campus network. The FastIron CX also has provided SCAD with investment protection and ease of integration. As a Brocade solution, FastIron CX has the necessary level of standardization to coexist with SCAD’s legacy network technologies. SCAD can have a switch configured and in production within minutes. And the consistency of the platforms helps SCAD avoid constant retraining. By using Brocade IronView Network Manager in conjunction with other tools, SCAD has been able to centralize the management of its campus network, simplifying administration.

Impact #1	SCAD has minimized network downtime, improving the quality of service users receive.
Impact #2	Brocade networking solutions have enabled SCAD to grow its network without increasing maintenance requirements. As a result, SCAD can focus existing resources on higher-priority tasks.
Impact #3	SCAD has been able to scale its network while minimizing overhead.

Impact #1

SCAD has minimized network downtime, improving the quality of service users receive.

Impact #2

Brocade networking solutions have enabled SCAD to grow its network without increasing maintenance requirements. As a result, SCAD can focus existing resources on higher-priority tasks.

Impact #3

SCAD has been able to scale its network while minimizing overhead.

Benefit #1	SCAD's network is now five times larger than it was in 2000, but the staff size remains the same.
Benefit #2	The university can now maintain 1600 IP phones with a single administrator.

Benefit #1

SCAD's network is now five times larger than it was in 2000, but the staff size remains the same.

Benefit #2

The university can now maintain 1600 IP phones with a single administrator.

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Overview

SUCCESS STORY - Savannah College of Art and Design

Operational Impact

Quantitative Benefit