Intelligent CIO Middle East Issue 22 | Page 39

COUNTRY FOCUS: UAE “We were eager to introduce eLearning and iPad-based course delivery. We also wanted to save our students the trouble of having to carry a five to 6 kg bag to school each day.” in particular, Aruba is highly cost effective and we found its solutions cost up to 50% less than competitive offerings for the enterprise market. The balance between features, value, future- proof architecture and cost, as well as the return on investment potential of the Aruba solution, made it the most viable choice,” Piriyattiath stated. the hands of each student, for which an enterprise-grade, high-density solution was required. Cost-effectiveness of the new solution was an important criteria as well, since Al Masah Group is an investment organisation. Working through a comprehensive evaluation process, Piriyattiath and his team selected Aruba as the company offered a solution that not only met each of the School’s technical criteria but also proved to be extremely attractive from a budget standpoint. “As a large group, we have deployed Wi-Fi solutions for a number of our subsidiaries. For the education segment www.intelligentcio.com Sabari Indian School deployed 59 Aruba Instant 220 access points (IAP-220) in its classrooms and indoor facilities, while just four Aruba Instant 215 outdoor access points (IAP-215) were sufficient to provide complete coverage of the football, volleyball, basketball facilities, cricket nets, and other outdoor areas. In just five months, the teams completed planning, design and implementation across the entire campus. Both the access point ranges feature Aruba’s ClientMatch technology which automatically transitions devices between APs as users roam, giving them a seamless roaming experience. With the high-performance Wi-Fi network in place, Sabari Indian School rolled out its eLearning initiative, moving to iPad-based learning and a ‘curriculum in the cloud’ model where students no longer carry heavy textbook-filled bags to school, but instead rely on their devices to access all educational material. “It was incredible to see just how excited students, and even staff, were about the new approach to education,” said Piriyattiath. “We have managed to make learning more interactive, intuitive and fun than ever before. It is a fine example of innovative technology being leveraged to revolutionise education.” “The success of this model however, is entirely depended on reliable high- speed wireless connectivity. Aruba has given us the confidence we need to make the move to cloud-hosted educational services,” said Piriyattiath. “The feedback from students and staff has been overwhelmingly positive. Each Aruba AP easily supports over 40 simultaneous connections so we no longer face performance issues even though students and staff are essentially connected from the time they enter the premises till the time they leave.” As a result of the critical role that the technology will play in improving the school’s KHDA rating, Piriyattiath expects that the ROI for the wireless infrastructure will be achieved in less than two years. “Students and staff are essentially connected from the time they enter the premises till the time they leave.” INTELLIGENTCIO 39