Extreme Helps K-12 Schools Across the Globe Modernise Learning

Extreme Networks unveiled a number of global primary and K-12 schools which rely on Extreme solutions to deliver technology-based curricula that enable students to gain experiences that will prepare them for both secondary education and future careers. In addition to enhancing student experiences, Extreme’s solutions also help streamline staff efficiency, through a combination of automation, cloud network management and network security.

U.S. schools including Aldine Independent School District and Tornillo Independent School District in Texas, Forsyth County School District in Georgia, Green Bay Area Public School District in Wisconsin and Jefferson County Public Schools in Kentucky, as well as global schools including the American School of Dubai in UAE, Chinese International School in Hong Kong and West Lothian Council, the largest local school authority in Scotland, trust Extreme to provide a critical foundation for next-generation learning and a simple, flexible, scalable network for IT and administration.

Key Facts

• Increased Bandwidth, Network Speeds with Wi-Fi 6E: The expansion of IoT devices, online testing and other digital resources in classrooms has put a strain on school networks. Any interruption has a negative impact on student learning. Forsyth County School District will deploy Extreme Wi-Fi 6E access points, enabling them to significantly increase network bandwidth so they can continue elevating student experiences with technology including 4K video streaming and AR/VR experiences, as well as improve the performance of existing in-classroom devices.

• Fabric Strengthens Network Security, Minimises IT Workload: Aldine Independent School District, Jefferson County Public Schools and Green Bay Area Public School District rely on Extreme’s network fabric solutions to simplify network management, improve network security across every building and automate network configuration and provisioning, significantly reducing IT team manhours spent on new deployments. Extreme Fabric Connect enables customers to manage their entire network, across multiple buildings or locations, through a single dashboard. Keeping traffic separated provides IT teams with more control and prevents lateral movement on the network, which in turn reduces the potential impact of a cyberattack.

• Improved Network Control for Uninterrupted Learning: As busy school IT teams are tasked with managing far-reaching networks across multiple buildings, forward-thinking districts like Tornillo Independent School District and West Lothian Council are turning to the cloud to simplify management and give IT greater visibility into network activity. The ExtremeCloud IQ platform gives schools complete control over every network device from a single dashboard, enabling teams to quickly identify and diagnose issues that could hinder network performance and resolve them before users are impacted, as well as remove access for unapproved devices.

Executive Perspectives

Matthew Clarke, IT Network Technical Team Lead, West Lothian Council

“Previously, teachers could tell me the strength of the Wi-Fi signal in a given room based on where the students would sit. With ExtremeCloud IQ, the digital learning team already has significant insight around the applications that the students are using, the bandwidth, and numbers or differences between our individual learning sites. The management information and insight can be used to evolve the digital learning process and perhaps introduce more standardised methods and practices across the West Lothian teaching estate.”

Paul Mathew, Network Engineer, American School of Dubai

“The American School of Dubai is committed to delivering challenging, inspirational and purposeful learning and opportunities for our students to design, develop and deliver for public purpose. We engaged with Extreme Networks to make sure our students were supported by robust networking and infrastructure to engage with Dubai, the UAE, and beyond. Our implementation of Wi-Fi 6 E infrastructure and ExtremeCloud IQ now underpins a safe, reliable and responsive technology ecosystem for our learning community where students and educators have seamless access to essential resources and the IT team has enhanced insights into network utilisation.”

Curt Godwin, Network Operations Coordinator, Forsyth County School District

“Forsyth County Schools has been a technology leader for many years and has a high standard for the equipment we use. The newest models of Extreme products not only continue to be best-in-class but exceed our expectations. Forsyth has one of the largest K-12 networks in the nation, with high-density environments being the norm. Extreme’s solutions not only meet the district’s current needs but also ensure Forsyth can continue to provide exceptional services to students and staff for years to come.”

Norman Rice, Chief Operating Officer, Extreme Networks

“School districts, like organisations in all industries, are constantly being challenged to adopt more technology that will ultimately make them more efficient and drive better outcomes. The network is critical to supporting every new solution, from smart whiteboards and 1:1 student devices in schools to barcode scanners in retail stores to automated machinery in manufacturing warehouses. With Extreme, these organisations can leverage intelligent network solutions that can fully support their technology stack while making it easy for IT teams to optimise network performance.”

Did You Know?

• Sleeping Giant School, part of Steamboat Springs School District, is the first and only school in Colorado to have power over ethernet. The school leverages Extreme’s network switches to deliver power and data to each light source, improving operational management and cost efficiency.
• K-12 schools and public libraries in the U.S. can work with Extreme to identify E-Rate eligible solutions, which include Wi-Fi 6E access points and ExtremeCloud SD-WAN.