Cisco Cisco Aironet 1240 AG Access Point Prospecto
Customer Case Study
solution they recommended, was instrumental in helping us pass the DIS security design review,”
says French.
says French.
The Department of Ecology deployed 150 Cisco Aironet
®
access points and two Wireless Service
Modules throughout six of its main buildings. After completing some initial CSSC installations and
testing, the IT team finished deploying the services client on the Department’s laptops using the
Cisco System Management Server (SMS). The CSSC enables users to boot up their laptops
wirelessly and authenticate through the controller and the Cisco Secure Access Control Server.
Once authenticated, users have complete access to their mapped drives, applications, and printers.
“Because the CSSC authenticates against our active directory, we didn’t have to build a separate
user database, which was a huge time savings for us,” says Gary Maciejewski, Network and
Desktop Section manager.
testing, the IT team finished deploying the services client on the Department’s laptops using the
Cisco System Management Server (SMS). The CSSC enables users to boot up their laptops
wirelessly and authenticate through the controller and the Cisco Secure Access Control Server.
Once authenticated, users have complete access to their mapped drives, applications, and printers.
“Because the CSSC authenticates against our active directory, we didn’t have to build a separate
user database, which was a huge time savings for us,” says Gary Maciejewski, Network and
Desktop Section manager.
Today, the IT team installs the CSSC client on every new laptop. “With the CSSC in place,
employees don’t have to do anything unusual to log in securely,” says French. If a staff member
boots up wirelessly, the CSSC automatically associates to the wireless network. The client enables
employees to move smoothly from wired to wireless networks while keeping all of their applications
running. “The Department’s network remains secure at all times, and employees can continue
working without having to shut down when they move to and from their docking stations,” he says.
employees don’t have to do anything unusual to log in securely,” says French. If a staff member
boots up wirelessly, the CSSC automatically associates to the wireless network. The client enables
employees to move smoothly from wired to wireless networks while keeping all of their applications
running. “The Department’s network remains secure at all times, and employees can continue
working without having to shut down when they move to and from their docking stations,” he says.
For the Department’s mobile workforce, the Cisco Unified Wireless Network facilitates working at
multiple sites. Employees moving between headquarters and field offices can easily access the
production network at any Department site. “We no longer have to set up a physical work space for
visiting employees,” says Maciejewski. “They can sit and work anywhere in our offices.” Using the
guest access capabilities of the network, the Department also provides secure Internet access for
visiting contractors, legislators, vendors, and local government partners. Each guest is granted a
unique Service Set Identifier (SSID) by the wireless network, enabling users to connect securely to
their external VPNs via the Internet.
multiple sites. Employees moving between headquarters and field offices can easily access the
production network at any Department site. “We no longer have to set up a physical work space for
visiting employees,” says Maciejewski. “They can sit and work anywhere in our offices.” Using the
guest access capabilities of the network, the Department also provides secure Internet access for
visiting contractors, legislators, vendors, and local government partners. Each guest is granted a
unique Service Set Identifier (SSID) by the wireless network, enabling users to connect securely to
their external VPNs via the Internet.
“…our success in implementing this wireless network
helps everyone recognize the value of technology
instead of seeing it as just another organizational
expense.”
helps everyone recognize the value of technology
instead of seeing it as just another organizational
expense.”
—Gary Maciejewski, Network and Desktop Section manager
Results
Although the Department initially deployed the wireless network for employee convenience, speed
and stability have made it the solution of choice among staff. “We run more than 120 different
bandwidth-intensive applications in the Department, including water- and air-sampling software and
Geospatial Information Systems,” says French. The network provides continuous connectivity, even
when roaming between access points. French recounts that he’s walked a quarter of a mile within
the headquarters building while streaming bandwidth-intensive applications from his laptop, without
experiencing any packet loss. “Because the Cisco Unified Wireless Network works so smoothly, we
receive infrequent helpdesk calls, and employees often forget that there is a wired network they
can use,” he says.
and stability have made it the solution of choice among staff. “We run more than 120 different
bandwidth-intensive applications in the Department, including water- and air-sampling software and
Geospatial Information Systems,” says French. The network provides continuous connectivity, even
when roaming between access points. French recounts that he’s walked a quarter of a mile within
the headquarters building while streaming bandwidth-intensive applications from his laptop, without
experiencing any packet loss. “Because the Cisco Unified Wireless Network works so smoothly, we
receive infrequent helpdesk calls, and employees often forget that there is a wired network they
can use,” he says.
© 2009 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information.
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