INTRODUCTION

Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences (SIMATS), Chennai, India has become a beacon of outstanding medical education. This large university, spread over a huge campus and with an impressive array of facilities, depends on and deserves excellent, reliable network technology to support its thousands of students and facilty staff and ensure the smooth running of daily operations. NETGEAR has helped meet these needs through high-performance WiFi 6 access points, switches and NETGEAR Insight. The results are interrupted, campus-wide wireless connectivity and simplified network management for SIMATS’ IT support team.

BACKGROUND

Over the past three decades, SIMATS has evolved from its roots as a dental college into one of India’s leading medical, scientific, technology and engineering universities, pivotal in delivering multi-disciplinary education to thousands of students each year while supporting patients in the local community. Consistently ranked among the top 50 universities in the country, faculties today include nursing, occupational therapy, physiotherapy and much more, including a fully equipped general hospital with 1700 beds and extensive R&D facilities.

The numbers give a sense of the scale of this impressive institution, for instance: 655 labs, 1157 classrooms and seminar halls, over 7,000 computers, and 125+ cafeterias, spread across campuses covering more than 200 acres. The dental college alone serves 3000 patients per day. SIMATS also strongly emphasises using advanced technology to support the learning experience for its thousands of students

THE CHALLENGE

So, it is no surprise that this impressive university depends on efficient network connectivity, and wireless technology is critical for flexible, site-wide connectivity. However, the previously WiFi 5-based access point installed across the university delivered inconsistent performance and high renewal costs demanded by the provider. Consequently, the university decided to look at alternatives, and had some clear criteria:

• A cost-effective yet scalable wireless solution – able to address the university’s varied needs
• Seamless roaming and uninterrupted connectivity – for both faculty, staff, and students
• Centralised management of multiple campus locations – to help the IT team simplify and ensure a reliable, fast user experience.

THE SOLUTION

NETGEAR was given the chance to show how it could match those requirements. It proposed advanced WiFi 6 access points at a competitive price and within budget while delivering superior performance, including excellent coverage and support for large numbers of concurrent users. NETGEAR also provided multi-gig network switches for flexible connectivity, including PoE capabilities.

Plus, the solution included NETGEAR Insight for simplified network set-up and administration, accessible from anywhere and providing centralised network management, troubleshooting and configuration, making it easier and faster for IT support to respond to requests and reducing the need for site visits. Fast responses to customer requests across the NETGEAR sales, pre-sales, and support teams were also essential in being awarded the first project with SIMATS.

INSTALLATION

Starting with the dental college, NETGEAR initially deployed 26 access points. Following positive feedback about product performance and the quality of NETGEAR’s support, the installation was extended to cover all other SIMATS campuses, including the engineering and hospital campuses. In total, NETGEAR 1000 access points have been installed so far.

Strategic placement of access points ensured strong signal coverage and reliable connectivity in every corner of the vast site. Roaming capabilities were maximised to allow users to move seamlessly from place to place without experiencing any drop in connectivity. In addition to the wireless access points, NETGEAR provided smart network switches to support a new fibre-based high-speed backbone infrastructure.

RESULTS

Today, successfully deploying over 1000 WiFi 6 access points across SIMATS means that students and staff can be confident of high-speed, uninterrupted connectivity, whatever they are doing or wherever they are on campus. Plus, IT teams can monitor and manage all access points from a single interface, significantly reducing operational complexity and support time.

The installation at SIMATS is a model showcase of how NETGEAR can work with leading educational institutions to provide seamless, flexible wireless connectivity that is easy to manage, even on a large scale.

BOX OUT

WiFi Access Points:

• 900 x WAX615
• 7 x WAX610
• 3 x WAX610Y (outdoor AP)

Switches:

• 28 x GS728TP
• 19 x GS728TPP
• 13 x GS724TPP
• 2 x XSM4324
• 1 x XSM4216F

Management:

• NETGEAR Insight Cloud Management

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