Customer Success Story
Guilford College Graduate to a Modern Cloud Platform
Guilford College is a premier liberal arts school located in Greensboro, North Carolina. The school opened in 1837 with 25 males and 25 females, making it the first coeducational institution in the South.
Overview
| Company | Guilford College |
| Industry | Education |
| Region | Americas |
5 minutes
the average time to get Mist AP up and running
400
Access Points deployed
In 2017, the school was ready to upgrade infrastructure.
“Our primary goal was to provide reliable and measurable Wi-Fi coverage in classrooms, residential buildings, and the student union,” said Chuck Curry, Director Information Technology and Services (IT&S) at Guilford. “However, because we only have two full time networking people, ease of operations and automation was also paramount.”
Guilford evaluated several options to streamline and improve its wireless services, eventually landing on Mist Systems — a company that leverages machine learning and proactive automation to improve user experience and eliminate many operational burdens. In other words, Guilford now has the potential to use Artificial Intelligence to improve and simplify its wireless network.
According to Curry, “The Mist technology breaks free from traditional Wi-Fi conventions. It is the most modern cloud platform on the market, providing unique visibility into the user experience and automation of day-to-day troubleshooting and operations.”
After engaging with the Mist team, Guilford quickly decided to move from a small footprint to full campus-wide deployment. With the help of a few students, the entire Mist network (consisting of 400 AP41s) was deployed in just a couple weeks.
“We were able to install the Mist APs into the existing ceiling mounts and then leverage preconfigured templates for configuration,” Curry explains. “The average Mist AP was up and running in just 5 minutes, which was completely awesome!”
The biggest value of the Mist system, however, came after installation. Service levels were set up to measure key metrics — like coverage and capacity — ensuring that the Guilford campus community has the best service possible. The new technology also allows IT&S to rapidly isolate issues and address other non-wireless problems efficiently.
Going forward, the Guilford team has its eyes on several additional products and programs to further elevate user experience — such as Personal WLANs that will allow for personal computing devices like Chromecast, AppleTV and gaming systems in residences halls to function more seamlessly. In addition, the Guilford team is interested in extending its wireless capabilities outdoors — i.e. beyond the classrooms, residence halls and other buildings to outdoor common areas. The Mist platform also comes equipped with Bluetooth® Low Energy (BLE) for location-based services and analytics to help personalize experiences across the campus.
Today’s digital classrooms need amazing wireless networks that are predictable, reliable and measurable. By choosing the Mist Learning WLAN, Guilford College graduated to a modern cloud platform that uses AI to automate daily Wi-Fi operations, simplify troubleshooting, and most importantly ensure every student has a great mobile experience.
Published June 2018