Hutchinson USD Adopts Converged Access to Drive Network Performance

The Hutchinson Public Schools, located in Hutchinson, Kansas include 11 Elementary, Middle and High schools. The Hutchinson Public Schools adopted Converged Access for their wired and wireless solution, increasing the performance of their network for their staff, teachers and students.

Each of Hutchinson’s Public schools utilize the network and technology as part of the learning experience.  When it came time to upgrade their infrastructure, the Hutchinson School District chose Converged Access comprising Catalyst 3850 and 3650, Cisco 5760 Wireless LAN Controller and Cisco Wireless 3700 Access Points.  Catalyst 3850 switches are deployed in the High Schools, and Catalyst 3650 switches are deployed in the Middle and Elementary Schools.

A total of 41 switches were deployed with approximately 10 Access Points connected per switch.  While Catalyst 3850 and Catalyst 3650 are used as a Mobility Agent, Cisco 5760 WLC is used as a Mobility Controller. Converged Access was selected for its management capabilities for both the wired and wireless traffic and because the Catalyst 3850 provided investment protection whereby uplink network modules can be changed based on future networking needs.

The results were immediate.  According to Scott Johnson, Network Administrator at Hutchinson USD, “Not only did students, teachers and staff notice a faster wireless network, but also the IT management has been simplified.  There is a significant decrease in the number of complaints for networked related items and the ease of troubleshooting has been simplified with the application visibility features offered through Converged Access.”

The Hutchinson Public Schools have successfully deployed Converged Access to upgrade their networking infrastructure.  By way of merging the wired and wireless accesses, a desirable network simplification has been achieved while also meeting the growing needs of the staff, teachers and students.

For more information visit the Product website for Catalyst 3850, Catalyst 3650 and 5760 WLC.