Transcript Why outsource ResNet?

Why outsource ResNet?
Company
LOGO
BSC
 Private, 4-yr. Liberal Arts
College
 Located in Birmingham, Al
 Founded 1856
 Enrollment: 1,500
 Labeled, by U.S. News and
World Report as one of
the most efficiently
operated schools in the
nation.
Enrollment: 1500 students
Faculty ratio: 12:1
Students on ResNet: 1,000
BSC
Residence Hall Network
 Phased in over 3 years in early to mid
1990’s
 “One port per pillow”
 Today – 16 buildings with1,000 ports total
 Mixed cat 3/5
BSC
ITS Provided Network
 Flat network, 10/100 Mbps to the desktop
 “Free” no charge to the students
 Shared main college Internet connection
• ResNet bandwidth allocated as a percentage of
main connection
• Eventually allocated bandwidth by time of day
BSC
ResNet Pressures Build
At first…
It was all about
support to get
student
machines
configured &
connected
By 2000 it was
about…
• Support
• Bandwidth
• P2P Management
And then…
• File Sharing (RIAA)
• Bandwidth
• P2P Management
• Security – Viruses &
Worms
BSC
Bandwidth Allocated to ResNet
1998
.75 Mb
1999
1.5 Mb
2000
1.5 Mb
2001
1.5 Mb
2004
35 Mb
BSC
Residence Hall Network
 Viruses, worms and other self-propagating
nasties – significant impact on network
performance
 RIAA, MPAA, ESA…
 Insatiable bandwidth desires
 Debate regarding purpose of ResNet and use
of our resources – what is the appropriate use
of ResNet – games, P2P, etc.
 Staff needed for other projects
BSC
Fall 2003 – Worms!
 August 2003 – Blaster and Nachi strike
infecting many machines
 ResNet turned off to prevent further
infections…
BSC
ResNet Frustrations Rise
 RIAA, MPAA complaints increased significantly
 Continued to experience huge drain on support,
network and staff – many projects were put on
hold.
 Bottom-line: Fall 2003 ResNet performance
was sporadic and ITS stretched thin.
BSC
Something had to change
 To continue to support ResNet ourselves, we
would need to:
• Significantly change and upgrade the network
• Install better traffic monitoring and compliance
systems
• Provide additional network and support staff
 However – we were concerned about the
funding and staff resources for the long term
BSC
Students – and Parents - React
 Beginning of semester issues – took too long to
setup student machines
 Parents did not feel comfortable with privacy
issues (IT setting up a student machine)
BSC
Thoughts turned to outsourcingInitial requirements:
Tiered service plan
including a base no-cost
option for the students
Robust network that could
withstand viruses, trojans
& worms
On-site support
Increased bandwidth
A true partner interested in a collaborative relationship and
who understands the unique needs of higher education
BSC
Specialty ResNet Provider
 Agreed to meet all of our requirements
• Tiered service options
• On-site support
• Increased bandwidth/network redesign
• Understood residence hall networks and the
academic culture – CEO very effective at
talking with the students about their concerns
and issues
• Interested in a partnership-type relationship
BSC
Outsourcing Concerns
 Cost/Value
 Loss of control and visibility
 Would students get the support they need
BSC
The Reality of Outsourcing
 IT Staff now able to focus on core objectives
 Predictable and stable costs
 Better service and support
 Fully scalable networks
 Network and virus management
 No equipment costs
BSC
Selected Apogee
 We felt they were the best overall fit for us and
would be able to meet all of our needs.
BSC
What we outsourced…
 Redesign of the Residence Hall Network
 Network monitoring, troubleshooting, repair and
replacement
 Custom service levels and prices that met our
particular needs and budgets
 Management of the account sign-up process
 Student billing
 Marketing and PR
BSC
What we outsourced…
 A call center open 7 days a week
 An on-site technician for troubleshooting
student network issues
 The ISP of record for DMCA and other
complaints
• Work collaboratively with the college for
responding to DMCA complaints
• College gets copies of all notices and the still
may impose judicial sanctions.
BSC
Apogee – The Network
 Redesigned our residence hall network and “over built it”
• Provide much larger Internet pipe and guarantee
availability of bandwidth-regardless of student use
• Replaced network components
• Installed system to control network traffic and bandwidth
allocation
• Gigabit backbone network
 Give the students what they want - Students allocated
bandwidth based upon their service level – could be
used for whatever they wanted (any “legal use”)
BSC
Apogee Service Plans
Cost per
semester
On
campus
resources
Download
Speed
Upload
Speed
Basic
Free
High
Speed*
1.5 Mbps
128 Kbps
Gold
$49.95
High
Speed*
3.0 Mbps
384 Kbps
High
Speed*
4.0 Mbps
512 Kbps
Fall 2006
upgrade
@$9/mo.
$49.95
@$9/mo.
*High Speed=10/100 Mbps to all bsc.edu resources
Apogee increases available speed each year – investing in
the future of the school and the students.
BSC
Future Apogee Services
 Wireless (Wifi)
Already added common area coverage to
dorms- no additional service cost
Looking at wall-wall expansion
 Video Over IP - enabling students to view
available television broadcasts using a personal
computer via the Apogee residential network
BSC
Apogee Service Costs
 The College pays Apogee a base fee per month
to cover:
• 10 Mbps dedicated administrative Internet service
• “Free” 1.5 Mbps basic level Internet service for all
students
• Apogee help desk support for ResNet students
• **Future upgrades to keep the students happy
BSC
On-line Activation Process
 A student plugs their computer into a
ResNet port.
 Automatically directed to Apogee login
page.

Includes a link to the account sign-up
page if needed
 Student activates computer using Apogee
supplied username and password.
 Only need to do this once per semester.
BSC
Fall - Up and Running
 A few scattered equipment problems (bad core
router)
 New service/way to connect required lots of
communication with returning students so
they’d start calling Apogee first
 Overall, things went well
BSC
How’s It Working?
 ITS has had time to focus on other things
 Students like the service
“Apogee completely resolved our problems with
ResNet. We have been absolutely satisfied.
Service and reliability of the network is
unmatched.”
Anthony Hambey, Associate Vice President for IT
BSC
ResNet Implementation
 Transition work
 Support Procedures
 Technical/Interconnectivity issues
 Weekly meetings
 Good communication with students by Apogee
and ITS
Bottom Line: Good preparation by both Apogee
and BSC made for a smooth transition and
good first year
Questions or comments?