Case Study: Lighting the Way for a Texas School District

The Challenge

Located in the beautiful, piney woods of southeast Texas, the Beaumont Independent School District (ISD) with more than 18,000 students, has always taken great pride in creating an inclusive environment for academic excellence while closely adhering to its motto: ”Preparing Our Next Generation.”

Beaumont ISD was faced with an issue that has been challenging educational institutions for the past 25 years―how to successfully address bandwidth demands that fluctuate exponentially. With the growth of e-learning, the need to access cloud applications, instructional videos and online resources, not keeping up with those demands runs counter to the district’s motto that has guided it for generations. And with the COVID-19 pandemic, the need to address this educational issue rose to a level the world has neither seen nor imagined.

The district knew that to continue preparing its students for the future, they needed a WAN infrastructure that would serve as the key, core component that would support their current and future bandwidth needs. They could continue to upgrade their existing WAN and Internet connections with their Internet Service Provider (ISP), but doing so would serve as a reactive, slow, and expensive measure. They needed a better, proactive solution. They needed to handle their bandwidth needs more flexibly. They needed more predictable operational costs. They needed a solution that would support them well into the future.

They Needed Netsync

With almost 20 years of successful experience deploying innovative technology solutions for school districts, higher education institutions, service providers, and an array of leading industries, Netsync’s Optical Solutions practice is supported by the most talented and tenured solutions architects and engineers in the industry. In addition to their technical acumen and expertise, they possess a key skill that many may lay claim to but few deliver―listening.

By fully understanding the district’s precise, desired outcomes, Netsync’s optical professionals knew that a leased dark fiber solution would perfectly handle current bandwidth needs and lay the groundwork for future ones. And it would not only address bandwidth. The solution would satisfy their need to have more predictable costs; in fact, their costs would actually decrease commensurate with bandwidth growth.

Another Organization Discovers Why Netsync is the Leader in Providing Optical Solutions for Education

Aside from designing the perfect solution, Beaumont ISD knew that relying on Netsync to also deploy it made perfect sense. They were fully aware that Netsync has become the go-to IT solutions provider for ISDs who want to enhance their infrastructures and elevate end users’ experience. They were confident that Netsync would deliver on their proposed solution. And, as they have hundreds of ISDs around the country, they did.

Now, the district is enjoying a dark fiber infrastructure that connects its 36 facilities to its data center. Without having to lease bandwidth from a service provider, the district enjoys complete network control, which enables them to quickly scale their bandwidth up or down by simply adding or swapping out the appropriate SFP (small form-factor pluggable) devices. It’s that easy.

“Based on their successful, empirical experience working with independent school districts, selecting Netsync was simply the right decision, “said Toni McPherson, Director of Information Systems and Services. “When you combine that vast educational experience with their impressive lineup of optical professionals, the Beaumont ISD is better positioned to prepare our next generation of thought leaders now and well into the future.”