Cisco Cisco Aironet 1240 AG Access Point Guía De Información
Customer Case Study
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Major University Finds Tools to Attract New Students
Texas State University stays competitive with the Cisco Outdoor Wireless Network and
Cisco Unified Wireless Network.
Cisco Unified Wireless Network.
Business Challenge
With nearly 170 buildings spread across 456 hilly acres,
Texas State University—San Marcos is one of the
largest public universities in the state. Fueled by fierce
competition with other state schools, Texas State makes
a point of offering advanced technological tools to its
students, faculty and staff. The brand-new McCoy Hall
uses flat screen monitors rather than bulletin boards, for
instance, and the Mitte Complex contains a high-tech
clean room and microchip fabrication lab for teaching
and research purposes. The school is also expanding its
engineering department in order to draw technically-
savvy students and staff to the campus.
Texas State University—San Marcos is one of the
largest public universities in the state. Fueled by fierce
competition with other state schools, Texas State makes
a point of offering advanced technological tools to its
students, faculty and staff. The brand-new McCoy Hall
uses flat screen monitors rather than bulletin boards, for
instance, and the Mitte Complex contains a high-tech
clean room and microchip fabrication lab for teaching
and research purposes. The school is also expanding its
engineering department in order to draw technically-
savvy students and staff to the campus.
Recently, Texas State has faced an issue that is
increasingly common among universities trying to attract
college-bound students—the expectation that Wi-Fi
access will be available everywhere on campus. New
students no longer see ubiquitous Wi-Fi as just a
convenience or a privilege; they see it as a necessity.
increasingly common among universities trying to attract
college-bound students—the expectation that Wi-Fi
access will be available everywhere on campus. New
students no longer see ubiquitous Wi-Fi as just a
convenience or a privilege; they see it as a necessity.
“Three years ago, students would come to campus and
ask when wireless would be coming to Texas State,”
says Rick Bishop, director of network operations at the
university. “Two years ago the question became, ‘where
are your hot spots?’ Last year, the students did not ask;
they just assumed the university would have hot spot
wireless access.”
ask when wireless would be coming to Texas State,”
says Rick Bishop, director of network operations at the
university. “Two years ago the question became, ‘where
are your hot spots?’ Last year, the students did not ask;
they just assumed the university would have hot spot
wireless access.”
An informal survey of the student body showed a definite
trend toward mobility; many owned a notebook
computer, and numerous others used Wi-Fi-enabled
trend toward mobility; many owned a notebook
computer, and numerous others used Wi-Fi-enabled
devices such as high-end phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs).
Texas State’s IT department stepped up and exceeded the expectations of its students by
expanding their existing wireless network to include ubiquitous outdoor coverage across all 456
acres of the campus. This allowed Texas State to maintain its competitive advantage, and to stay
one step ahead of student expectations.
expanding their existing wireless network to include ubiquitous outdoor coverage across all 456
acres of the campus. This allowed Texas State to maintain its competitive advantage, and to stay
one step ahead of student expectations.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Texas State University—San Marcos
● Higher Education
● San Marcos, Texas
● 28,132
● San Marcos, Texas
● 28,132
Business Challenge
● Meet and exceed student and faculty
expectations for ubiquitous Wi-Fi access
● Stay technologically competitive with other
leading universities
● Help ensure the security of all campus
network communication
● Draw new students to the campus
Network Solution
● The Cisco Unified Wireless network
provides ubiquitous outdoor wireless
network access throughout 456 acres of
green space, and indoor access for 170
campus buildings
network access throughout 456 acres of
green space, and indoor access for 170
campus buildings
● Centralized controllers allow for
uninterrupted user roaming among both
indoor and outdoor access points
● Separate Service Set Identifiers for
students and guests help ensure secure
network access
network access
Business Results
● The promise of ubiquitous Wi-Fi is an
effective marketing tool for the school’s
admissions office
● Maintaining an advanced network keeps
Texas State technologically competitive
with other schools
● Wireless access both indoors and outside
makes the learning experience more
enjoyable for students
● Faculty have access to administration tools,
the Internet, and curriculum materials from
anywhere on campus
● Faculty are more accessible and
responsive to students and staff
● The scalability of the network allows the
university to plan for future services.