Florence Unified School District Provides 21st Century Learning Environment with Trillion Broadband WAN Services
District-vendor partnership results in cost savings, fewer IT headaches, and mission critical infrastructure for advanced technology use in the classroom
AUSTIN, Texas (October 8, 2008) – To keep pace with the demand for digital resources and its growing educational technology needs, Florence Unified School District teamed up with Trillion Partners Inc. for a secure, high-speed broadband wide area network (WAN). The partnership with Trillion, the nation’s largest provider of WAN and Voice over IP (VoIP) services to K-12 school districts, has enabled the district to increase its network bandwidth 50 fold and improve IT staff efficiency by 25 percent, while saving more than $100,000 each year (based on staff time, software licensing fees, and travel costs).
The Florence Unified School District, located in Florence, Arizona, one hour outside of Phoenix, covers 955 square miles and serves over 7,000 K-12 students, educators and administrators on seven school campuses. Since 2000, the district has grown at a rate of 385 percent. With such an extensive geographical area and rapid expansion, the district needed a network that could provide dependable, high-level performance and connect its schools to the latest Web-based educational tools and resources. Trillion deployed a high speed licensed microwave network and provides ongoing 24 x 7 x 365 monitoring and management of the network services.
The broadband infrastructure enabled the district to pursue a new initiative to increase the use of digital resources in the classroom. Over the school year, the district implemented online educational software, a learning management system, white boards, and a student response system; installed more than 1,000 new computer workstations; and increased its distance education programs.
“Virtually everything relies on technology today from school business functions to instruction,” said Nicole Steele, the district’s director of educational technology who is responsible for overseeing both instructional and information technology. “Teachers are expected to use technology tools in the classroom on a daily basis to improve student outcomes. Having a secure, reliable, high-speed network is mission critical. Students can learn more, faster.”
Coming from a strong curriculum background, Steele understands the importance of broadband WAN in accomplishing the district’s mission of improved student achievement and 21st century skills. She relies on Trillion’s expertise and ongoing network management to address technical challenges so she can remain focused on educational technology initiatives and classroom technology use. “It’s truly a partnership. I know I can count on continuous support. If I have any technology-related questions, I can call my contact at Trillion to help me. I can continue to put the students first because of the relationship with Trillion.”
Trillion’s network services have helped the district’s IT department improve productivity, enabling timely staff deployment to handle network issues and minimize downtime. Trillion’s Network Operations Center, which provides 24/7 monitoring and management of network services, provides an extension of the district’s IT team. “If a problem arises overnight, Trillion is on it, correcting the problem before the school day starts, so valuable teaching and learning time is not lost,” said Steele.
Trillion is committed to exceptional customer satisfaction. The company uses a third-party research group to survey 100% of its customers on an annual basis, and even backs its service level agreement with financial penalties if specified availability metrics are not achieved. Steele added, “With Trillion’s network in place I don’t have to worry about connectivity, and the company monitors the network around-the-clock, so when the rare issue does arise, Trillion notifies us immediately and corrects the problem.”
Previously, the district’s IT staff had to drive hundreds of miles over the course of a year to go from site to site to deal with issues and backups. After Trillion’s network was installed, the district deployed a data center to centralize servers and district applications to save money on gas, purchase cheaper district-wide licenses instead of multiple site licenses, and significantly reduce administrative time. Seven servers were consolidated into one centralized server.
In addition, the district has been able to offer more distance learning opportunities and can continue to expand its programs. Trillion’s network supports quality of service which prioritizes voice and video traffic to ensure smooth video and clear voice. Among the district’s programs are virtual field trips, video conferencing for teacher professional development and online dual enrollment courses from Central Arizona College for high school students. The district also started a program to “share” classes across the district by broadcasting high school courses and electives to students in multiple schools at the same time.
The network can also easily expand to handle greater bandwidth needs. As part of the district’s education technology initiatives, a new high school, opening in July 2009, will feature a 1-to-1 student to computer ratio.
About Trillion Partners
Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Trillion Partners Inc. is the leading provider of Priority 1, USAC E-Rate-oriented broadband WAN and VoIP services for the education market. Trillion’s WAN services include network design, installation and management using state-of-the-art licensed wireless and fiber technologies to ensure 24/7 availability and performance. Trillion's VoIP services, based on the ShoreTel platform, enable districts to take advantage of the advanced features of VoIP without the responsibility of day-to-day management. Trillion enables 21st century learning by providing districts with the core communications infrastructure required to deliver education technology applications key to student success in the classroom. Serving more than 1,000 schools across the United States, Trillion is one of the largest national service providers for VoIP and broadband WAN services for K-20 education. For more information, visit www.trillion.net or phone (512) 334-4100.
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For more information about the USAC ERate program (SLD) visit http://www.usac.org/sl/.
Media Contacts:
Renaye Thornborrow, Trillion Partners, renaye.thornborrow@trillion.net, 512-334-4076
Kristen Plemon, C. Blohm & Associates, kristen@cblohm.com
