Atlanta Public School’s Infrastructure Upgrade
Over the last few years, it became increasingly apparent that the Atlanta Public School District
was lagging in digital learning due to problems arising within its outdated networking
infrastructure. This created brief stability issues across 93 schools for staff and students. The
district’s high standards for education prompted a thorough investigation into what the best
infrastructure upgrade would be for them.
The Atlanta Public School system also recognized that its historic architecture might be
ineffective in safeguarding student and staff data and privacy.
The Atlanta Public School District recognized that the best solution would be to develop a more
secure and efficient IT infrastructure while also automating IT processes to decrease network
maintenance costs. Due to the size of its network (over 75,000 users and growing), the Atlanta
Public School system knew that they wanted a future-proof and flexible solution.
Lockstep Technology Group has been a long-standing trusted advisor and because we
understand network infrastructure for educators is never a one-size-fits-all option, we were
chosen for the upgrade.
We consulted with the Atlanta Public School District to understand their exact requirements and
then custom-tailored Aruba technology specifically for their network. The result was a highly
effective, semi-automated, and personalized network solution that will continue to support digital
learning long into the future.
What Needed To Change
The Atlanta Public Schools had three main requirements for their infrastructure upgrade.
-A strong and secure network that could support up to 75,000 users and reduce long-term
network costs
-A future-proof solution that supports virtualization and cloud-based services
-A secure, zero-trust solution to verify every user device and automatically keep our malicious
and suspicious actors
With a strong network, Atlanta Public Schools can better serve their students and faculty, both in
the computer lab and at home. A future-proof network would open up possibilities of utilizing AI
and virtual reality learning. Finally, a secure zero-trust solution would give everyone in the
network confidence that their data is safe – even if bad actors manage to steal credentials.
These changes would require a solution that was very different from Atlanta Public School’s
current network, and Lockstep Technology was eager to take on the challenge.
Lockstep Technology and Aruba Network’s Next-Gen Solution
There were many options on the table, but ultimately only one would meet all of the needs of
Atlanta Public Schools. Lockstep Technology Group recommended a next-generation network
powered by Aruba Networks and Aruba ClearPass.
Aruba’s next-generation network switches are designed for high performance and flexibility to
support a variety of users, devices, and applications. They are also cost-effective and easy to
manage, which is important for a large school district like APS.
Implementing Aruba ClearPass was a critical component of the solution because it provides
network access control and security. It verifies each user and device on the network, so you can
be sure that only authorized users have access to sensitive data.
APS was able to build a high-performing network that can meet the district’s online education
objectives today, yet it is flexible enough to allow the school system to employ new digital
learning tools and technologies that may emerge in the future.
Thanks to Lockstep and Aruba, Atlanta Public School System experienced a significant boost in
network stability and security after switching to the new architecture. With ease, the district can
now support over 75,000 end users while also being able to quickly deploy new applications and
services without risking compatibility issues.
Lockstep as a Strategic Technology Partner
At Lockstep Technology, we pride ourselves on being the leading provider of IT solutions and
services that optimize educational institutions and their technical teams. We collaborate with our
clients to make sure they have effective technology solutions in place to support everything from
their mission statement to networking requirements.
We design our solutions and services to individually match the needs of every education system
because we know that a cookie-cutter approach doesn’t work here. Instead, we collaborate with
each school district to build a solution from scratch that will achieve their specific goals.
Are you interested in improving, securing, and futureproofing your network? Lockstep
Technology Group is your solution for navigating the ever-changing education technology
landscape. Speak with an expert advisor today to discuss your specific needs!
