Newton County Schools Turn to 3Com for Expansive Network Upgrade

Business Wire, Feb 26, 2003

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 26, 2003

Voice, Data and Wireless Solutions Extend Technology-Based Learning for Fast-Growing Georgia County's Soaring Student Population

As Atlanta's sprawling suburbs extend eastward into Newton County, the enrollment in the county's 18 public schools has grown substantially. Today, with more than 13,700 students, Newton's schools are growing eight percent per year, and the county opened two new schools and an administrative center in the last two years. To ensure each student receives the highest quality education, the Georgia school district also deployed a powerful new communications infrastructure based on voice, data and wireless network solutions from 3Com Corporation (Nasdaq: COMS).

Today, using a 3Com(R) Gigabit Ethernet backbone network, Newton County Schools speeds advanced multimedia learning software, student records and other critical data to students, faculty and staff. 3Com Fast Ethernet LANs at each school and wireless solutions in 25 temporary classrooms across the district extend connectivity to every classroom and computer lab, enabling students to use the Internet for research, learn computer-aided drafting and more. In addition, 3Com networked telephony solutions provide business-class telephone features to Newton's new administrative center and two nearby schools at a fraction of the cost of a traditional phone system.

"3Com is giving us practical, high-value solutions that deliver fast, reliable connectivity to our schools," said Gary Shattuck, director of technology, Newton County School District. "Moreover, converging voice traffic over the data network at three locations will save us $6,000 a year in phone maintenance costs and eliminate the need for separate phone wiring in new buildings. Our goal is to expand the voice over IP concept to the other buildings in the future."

Previously, Newton schools relied on a hodgepodge of multi-vendor networks, operating as slowly as 10 megabits per second (Mbps) in some schools. Most schools lacked enough network ports to connect every classroom, and portable classrooms built to ease overcrowding didn't have any network access. In addition, the obsolete Meridian PBX system in the district's central office had reached its capacity and began to falter.

After examining products from multiple vendors, Newton County Schools standardized its new communications infrastructure on 3Com solutions because of their outstanding price/performance. A demonstration by its valued-added reseller, Infinity Network Solutions, convinced the district that 3Com's IP-based telephone solution was the simplest and most cost-effective voice system for its new administrative building.

Fast Connections, Clear Conversations

Newton County Schools' new network is based on the 3Com Switch 4050, which delivers a Gigabit Ethernet backbone over both fiber and copper, allowing the district to take advantage of existing wiring. At individual schools, LANs based on 3Com Switch 4005 and SuperStack(R) 3 Switch 4400 switches provide Fast Ethernet connections to PCs and servers equipped with 3Com network interface cards (NICs), boosting network speeds at many smaller schools 10-fold. The Switch 4400's ability to classify and prioritize voice and data traffic delivers improved voice call quality while preventing students from using classroom computers to play games or download music.

In addition to supporting email, file sharing, and other administrative applications, the 3Com network delivers a wide range of educational applications to classrooms throughout the district. In elementary schools, it powers programs like Accelerated Reader, a multimedia reading package, and Orchard, which builds students' basic reading and math skills. In middle schools, the network supports computer labs where students practice math and language arts as well as classroom computers used for online research. At the high school level, in addition to word processing, email, and Web browsing, students in Newton County's vocational education program enjoy high-speed access to computer-aided design, desktop publishing, and other bandwidth-intensive applications, such as aerodynamics.

Applications arrive at some desktops inside school buildings via 3Com's "in the wall" NJ100 Network Jack switches, which cost-effectively transform single Ethernet wall jacks into four fully-functional ports with no additional cabling. In portable classrooms, 3Com 11 Mbps Wireless LAN Access Point 8000s linked to OfficeConnect(R) switches and wireless Building-to-Building Bridges provide secure Ethernet links to school LANs, allowing teachers to connect multiple computers without using exposed cable.

In addition, a 3Com SuperStack 3 NBX(R) networked telephony solution delivers premium quality telephone features - including automated attendants, hunt groups and voice mail - over the network to Newton's new administration building and in two nearby schools. Linked to SuperStack 3 Switch 4400 switches, the NBX solution also enhances student safety via Caller ID, which the district uses to trace threatening calls, and Enhanced 911, which cuts response times for emergency calls by pinpointing the phone used to summon help.