The summer season is in full swing – and so is Prismworks Technology’s busiest time of the year.
For many Prismworks customers, summer is the prime time for completing IT projects. This was the case for an education institution in Dauphin County that needed a fresh technology infrastructure for a new building.
As a managed IT service firm with over two decades of experience in the education sector, Prismworks was a prime candidate for the job.
“Prismworks has been working with educational institutions since 2002 and has been part of numerous large-scale rollouts and implementation,” said Adam Reese, Prismworks Technology IT Consultant & Engineer. “We know how crucial it is to understand the customer’s vision and what they need from the network so we can design with their required elements in mind.”
Beginning in September 2023, Prismworks began work for the education institution with a wireless predictive assessment based on architectural drawings and network design. Since then, Prismworks designed the wireless network; installed 41 access points throughout the campus; implemented wired network infrastructure through 10 switches and two high availability failover firewalls; deployed a VoIP phone system connecting 66 devices; and installed four UPS battery backups protecting all equipment. When the project concludes at the end of the summer, Prismworks will take first responsibility for management, administration, and support of all systems through a five-year managed service contract.
Collaboration was key to completing the work successfully. From clear and concise communication with the customer throughout the design and implementation process, to working with manufacturers to provide the best solution possible to meet customer needs, to Prismworks engineers and technicians heatmapping and installing hardware, Prismworks prioritized working as a collective group to ensure the project moved smoothly and exceeded expectations.
The campus covers 50,000 square feet of space and will host about 80 employees and 150 students. With 12 classrooms, 22 offices, 8 meeting rooms, and a variety of other spaces, implementing a solid IT network was crucial to ensuring the school’s future success and efficiency.
“This project is going to allow staff to provide exceptional educational experiences to the students by providing a stable, secure, and reliable network,” said Reese. “The network has been designed and implemented with redundancy so there is not a single point of failure. Network security is critical now for educational institutions, so we spent a lot of time creating a security framework that will keep students and staff secure.”
With so many moving parts, large-scale projects like this are rarely easy. But Prismworks Technology’s experience and expertise helps make the race to the finish line a lot smoother.
“These projects are exciting because you begin with a blank canvas for the design. You see the process from the initial plan on paper, to physical building construction, to future expansions,” said Reese. “We enjoy problem solving along the way to offer alternatives when necessary and taking the stress off the client. Educational organizations like this do so much for our community, and it’s wonderful to see them grow and know we had a small part in their success.”