INDUSTRY WATCH
The University of Bahrain embarked on an ambitious strategy – the IT team needed to ensure that over 26,000 students and 1,800 staff had seamless campuswide wireless Internet access . Aruba has been UOB ’ s vendor of choice right from when the University first decided to invest in a Wi-Fi solution back in 2008 . At the time , a mere 60 Aruba 802.11a Access Points ( APs ) were sufficient to meet requirements .
With a campus that sprawls over 5 sq . km in area and up to 10,000 simultaneous users on the Wi-Fi network , high-density , security , ease of installation and configuration , and rapid troubleshooting were key requirements for success . With expert support offered by Kanoo IT , Aruba ’ s integration partner in Bahrain , the IT team decided to undertake the overhaul of the University ’ s wireless infrastructure .
One of the biggest challenges during deployment was the sheer scale of the project . Over 80 buildings had to be included for coverage , and access to these could be hampered by security policies , university operational hours , and other such factors .
To overcome this , Kanoo IT proposed the use of Aruba ’ s 7200 series mobility controllers . Utilising these would allow the University ’ s engineering teams to simply install the APs as per their
ONE OF THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES DURING DEPLOYMENT WAS THE SHEER SCALE OF THE PROJECT . OVER 80 BUILDINGS HAD TO BE INCLUDED FOR COVERAGE , AND ACCESS TO THESE COULD BE HAMPERED BY SECURITY POLICIES , UNIVERSITY OPERATIONAL HOURS , AND OTHER SUCH FACTORS
convenience , while the IT team could then remotely manage the setup and configuration .
The integrator ’ s expertise in design has also enabled UOB to realise the true potential of the powerful Aruba mobility controllers . By implementing the two controllers in Active / Standby mode rather than the traditional Master / Slave mode , Kanoo IT has enabled the University to maintain the same level of control over its wireless network even in the rare case of active controller failure .
Easy to install APs keep deployment on track The coverage and high-density
www . intelligentcio . com INTELLIGENTCIO 69