Riverstone Networks K-12 User Manual

Thought Leadership Profile | Alcatel•Lucent

What’s NEXT in Secure K-12
Learning Environments

Introduction

As K-12 networks grow and more schools and districts
move toward one-to-one computing programs, the need
has never been greater for secure learning environments.
Security in schools and administrative offices is a concern
for K-12 school districts, from both physical and network
standpoints.

Districts need reliable security and incident warning
systems, as well as safeguards that keep data from being
altered, destroyed or accessed by unauthorized parties.
Districts also need to monitor their networks and protect
them from attacks and unmanaged access points, includ-
ing infected laptops and rogue access points.

Alcatel-Lucent offers extensive knowledge and expertise
for protecting network and school system infrastructures
and information. Alcatel-Lucent’s security solution helps

schools and districts understand their security require-
ments, identify vulnerabilities and reduce risk, as well as
defend against and respond to attacks.

Alcatel-Lucent’s security consulting and integration
services help districts improve their security policies,
practices and use of technologies. In addition, Alcatel-
Lucent helps customers address threat and vulnerability
management through 24/7 security monitoring and crisis
management capabilities.

In addition to network security, physical security is also
necessary in today’s learning environments. Networks pro-
vide an ideal medium for sharing information, including
dispersing time-sensitive voice and video traffic network-
wide. District-wide communications include district alerts,
text messaging, paging, conferencing, E911 and support for
school lockdown procedures.

Cheltenham Township School District — Enhancing
Student Safety

Cheltenham Township School District in Pennsylvania
was looking for a way to enhance the educational environ-
ment and security for the school district’s 4,700 students
and more than 600 staff members. Cheltenham needed
to establish district-wide communications capabilities,
which included installing security with text messaging,
paging and conferencing and incorporating E911.

The district realized during security drills that even
more phones were needed as well. The additional phones
would be used in classrooms to ensure directions were
received from the principals or the superintendent. New
phones also allowed teachers and staff to communicate
during emergencies. To meet that need, “Alcatel-Lucent
provided inter-building communications solutions, secu-
rity and text messaging that could function across the new
infrastructure,” explains Gary Bixby, director of facilities
and support services for the district.

Cheltenham added an Alcatel-Lucent IP network and,
using the flexibility of IP, the district has integrated other
campus systems, both in and out of the classroom, for
unified messaging and communications across the voice
and data network and multiple devices.

Today, computers and phones work together to pro-
vide links among school facilities and local public safety
personnel, improving communications and security for
students and teachers. “The district has a long-term plan
to infuse technology into classrooms,” said Christopher W.
McGinley, superintendent of the district. “In addition to
advancing our educational goals, this new platform enables
the district to ensure the safety of our students and forge
stronger communications between teachers and parents,”
McGinley added.

Cheltenham looked at a variety of equipment providers,
but the choice was clear. “Alcatel-Lucent was the only
vendor who was willing to develop a solution unique to
[our] district needs,” says Bixby.

Using Alcatel-Lucent’s K-12 education district alert
application, Cheltenham is able to simultaneously send
every classroom in the district instant notifications regard-
ing weather, news, events or specific security concerns.

The Alcatel-Lucent security application broadcasts mes-
sages to alert administrators and teaching staff via phone or
computer. In the event of emergency or disaster, additional
information and instructions are delivered via voicemail
box or computer popup screen. Alcatel-Lucent’s education
applications developed specifically for K-12 strive to enable
school districts to share knowledge and information, deliver-
ing enhanced educational resources and security.

“All aspects of the new solution from Alcatel-Lucent
have demonstrated greater results than projected for our

day-to-day business and operations,” said Bixby. “We now
have more ‘open’ communication and the technology pro-
vides the district with tools [that] make us more productive,
efficient and successful … The impact is very significant!”
Bixby notes the new communications capabilities and its
effects were not possible with previous systems.

After implementing Alcatel-Lucent’s solutions,
Cheltenham now enjoys discreet messaging, parent access
to classroom information and fully-integrated communica-
tions including voice, data, system controls, security and
video conferencing. “Alcatel-Lucent met our specifications
without compromise,” according to Bixby. He added that
Alcatel-Lucent’s solutions provide “immeasurable benefits”
and “enhanced educational programs with no limitations”
to the district.

Ridley School District — Improving Communications,
Safety and Security

Ridley School District in southeastern Delaware
County, Pa. serves Ridley Township and the boroughs of
Ridley Park and Eddystone. The district contains more
than 5,900 students in one high school, one middle school
and seven elementary schools.

Ridley School District has invested in a variety of security
measures, both hardware and procedures, to help main-
tain a safe school environment for students. Next to daily
instruction, much of the district’s daily energy is focused on
keeping its children safe.