Peralta's four sites upgrade with HP's adaptive-campus network

University Business, June, 2004

The district's operational issues were the result of running 12 separate networks and incompatible email systems

The Peralta (CA) Community College District, comprising the district office campus and four college campuses, took a hard look at its IT infrastructure as one of the potential ways to improve IT services district-wide, reduce technology ownership costs, and provide an adaptive next-generation network that satisfies student demands for Web and distance learning.

Dr. Charles A. Taylor, Senior Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance/Chief Operating Officer for Peralta Community College District (PCCD), explains, "Originally, as the district formed, it lacked a centralized IT management strategy and as a result, we ended up with solution-specific platforms as each college purchased whatever equipment it needed without consideration for interoperability. For example, we had 12 disparate networks, and each campus had different UNIX[R]-based or mainframe-based email systems. The district ended up suffering from operational issues caused by dated technology, a lack of standardization, application instability and weak security."

A new adaptive infrastructure for the future

The district's team took a step back to assess the present situation, he adds, and prepare for the future with a flexible, adaptive IT plan that would serve its current needs but remain flexible enough to adapt to future technology demands.

Laura Gonzales, Peralta Community College District's Client Services Coordinator, adds, "The legacy core applications were home-grown and running on an IBM mainframe. The people that created them had left, causing the knowledge base to dwindle. In addition, there was a growing demand for the colleges to offer distance learning courses by utilizing Web-enabled classes."

To meet the district's needs, HP proposed a next-generation network infrastructure that could provide the adaptive qualities Peralta needed for the future. The new solution offered a simplified, streamlined and optimized network infrastructure, to make it more agile and able to adapt dynamically. Taylor explains, "We did have other competitive bids, but HP's proposal ranked highest in all categories."

"HP Services moved quickly from the assessment phase to architecting the design and ordering components. The equipment was prestaged at an HP facility in Fremont, California, where it was configured and asset tagged. From there it was moved to our warehouse and distributed to campus destinations. HP managed the local contractors through the installation of this equipment," says Taylor. HP helped to accelerate the project phases, putting the team six months ahead of schedule.

The next-generation network is based on Cisco AWID (Architecture for Voice, Video and Integrated Data) technology--providing the framework for Internet business solutions--and incorporating Cisco switches and routers, with a Mitel digital telephony and Voice-over-IP implementation. To provide a consistent messaging platform, HP is overseeing the third-party migration from homegrown systems to Microsoft Exchange[R] and Active Directory for 1500 users. Over 30 HP ProLiant servers, including models DL580 and DL380, are being deployed district-wide as application, Web, network management and database servers.

The Peralta Community College District is so pleased with the way HP has handled the entire network consolidation. The District is also working with HP to expand the scope to include a complete overhaul of Peralta's Web site, and a plan for a comprehensive printing solution.

"It should be easy to measure the success of this project when it is complete because one of the first things that we'll have is a highly secure and stable network," explains Taylor. "The consolidated network infrastructure will enable all of the district's activities to be more efficient and occur fasten At the same time, our risks and operational technology costs will be reduced, and it will position us to do many new things down the road. For example, the network will serve as the foundation for our new enterprise resource planning system and enable the creation of new innovative Web-enabled classes offering collaboration for distance learning."

Another key component, he says, "is the HP team has blended into the Peralta culture really well. It's one of the most difficult things to do--bring a team of diverse people and skills together and make it instantly effective. They have gained the trust and support of the staff, all of the other consulting organizations and the local vendors. We have a strong team with everyone pulling in the same direction, which is helping deliver our consolidated network infrastructure ahead of schedule. As a result of HP's understanding of the education market and our needs, we can deliver solutions and support to address the needs of the campus today as well as position ourselves to provide for to-morrow's students and faculty."