DURHAM PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Durham Public Schools Turns to Time Warner Cable Business Class for Reliable Internet Service

Located in the heart of the Research Triangle, Durham Public Schools is the seventh largest school system in the state of North Carolina. The school system is comprised of 46 schools serving 31,719 students from pre-kindergarten through the twelfth grade. Durham Public Schools employs 4,600, including 2,500 teachers.

Challenges

The network the school system was using experienced frequent network downtimes and was in need of an upgrade. Network failures several times a month caused individual schools to lose Internet connectivity.

Reliable connectivity is a necessity for a school system for several reasons. Without network access the existing VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) system could not operate. Downtime also impacted the administrative staff’s ability to function efficiently. Also of importance, Internet access is required for use in research and instruction throughout the network, but is most critical for those students taking web-based courses.

Solution

Frustrated by service interruptions and bandwidth limitations, Durham Public Schools sought an upgraded connectivity solution to best serve its staff and students. As a beneficiary of E-Rate, a federally funded program that provides telecommunications discounts to eligible schools and libraries, Durham Public Schools was required to evaluate providers based on experience working with school systems, experience with the E-Rate program, personnel qualifications, management capabilities, competitive pricing and environmental objectives.

Time Warner Cable Business Class offered the school system the best value proposition, earning the maximum score on a 100-point scale. “Time Warner Cable rated the highest among the vendors we looked at,” said Charles Douglass, Director of Technology Services at Durham Public Schools. While Time Warner Cable offered the most competitive pricing, which is a key component of the E-Rate process, they also outscored their peers all-around. Douglass added, “Due to the E-Rate program, we first and foremost have to consider price, but we also have to take into consideration success and experience on other E-Rate projects, as well as technical factors. Time Warner Cable simply out-scored the competition.”

The Time Warner Cable Business Class solution implemented upgraded the school system’s existing connections to a 5 MB Metro Area Network (MAN) Ethernet fiber optic connection to each school and a 25 MB connection to the Internet, enabling all Internet based applications to run quicker and with more reliability.

Installation of the fiber optic service took place during June and July of 2004. Time Warner Cable Business Class ran the necessary fiber optic cables, allowing the school system to bring up each site (school) during the summer months while the majority of students and staff were on break. Year-round schools were the first to transition to the new system, with very little downtime. “The transition was seamless,” said Douglass. “We were able to get the process down to two to three hours per site, successfully changing over each of our (46) schools.”

Results / Accomplishments

“Time Warner Cable Business Class has provided Durham Public Schools with a quality network product at a reasonable price,” stated Douglass. “We were even able to successfully merge our new Internet service with our existing phone system. The connection is so reliable we don’t have to think about it anymore.”

In addition to creating a highly reliable network, the customer has benefited from network performance data available to them through Time Warner Cable Business Class. The online data monitoring tool, provided to all Metro Ethernet customers, helps Durham Public Schools in resolving issues and determining future growth plans. Using the tool, the school system’s IT staff has real time information on its bandwidth consumption.

Durham Public Schools has also been very pleased with the support it has received. “Customer service has been excellent,” said Douglass. He added, “Time Warner Cable Business Class has allowed us the flexibility to increase bandwidth on the network when necessary, without having to send out a technician, saving time and hassle. That type of flexibility is not something that can be offered by just any provider or on just any connection.”