Cox Business Wins Technology Leadership Award for Mesa Public School District Implementation

Cox Business recently won the Best Application of the Year from the Metro Ethernet Forum, a global alliance comprising more than 220 organizations – including telecommunications service providers, cable companies and others – for the company’sMesa (AZ) Public School District implementation.

Ethernet is the preferred data networking technology among businesses and non-profit organizations that require efficient, reliable and secure routing of information. The MEF is the defining body and driving force behind the global market for Carrier Ethernet. MEF’s flagship work is CE 2.0, including specifications, operational frameworks, certification programs for services, equipment and professionals (MEF-CECP 2.0). An industry alliance consisting of more than 225 member organizations, the MEF operates through a powerful collaborative framework of service providers, network solutions suppliers to achieve its CE 2.0 development and globalization objectives.

The award, announced at the MEF Gen14 conference, recognized the Mesa Public Schools’ recent Ethernet network implementation – a move necessary to support the school district’s real-time applications such as VoIP and video, as well as provide a technology platform on which to build education-enhancing applications.

Mesa Public Schools, Arizona’s largest district, includes approximately 80 schools that range from Pre-K to 12th grades, withnearly 64,000 students. The district has future plans to supply each student with a handheld device, enabling them to access assignments, communicate with teachers and receive a more personalized learning experience. In addition, the district needed a new technology infrastructure to address “bring your own device” demands for a trial program at selected high schools.

“Being able to execute these goals required a significant upgrade to our existing infrastructure and the need for faster speeds, manageable bandwidth and a scalable solution beyond what we had in place,” said David Sanders, director of Information Systems for Mesa Public Schools. “With Cox Business’sEthernet solution, we have greater technology capabilities and our district has saved more than $1 million, which means more of our funds can go to back to supporting and growing other student programs.”

Another benefit was the fast implementation time – something Cox Business was able to accomplish in less than four months. This, in turn, meant Mesa Public Schools could focus on necessary software upgrades and deploy 3,600 laptops to its teachers.

Mesa’s middle and elementary schools’ remote locations (including material distribution centers and non-educational facilities) are serviced by a 1-gigabit  Ethernet access ring with a UNI utilizing a 1000Base-SX port. Six high school locations are serviced by a 10-gigabit access ring. The administration building, which houses the district’s application servers, has a 20-gigabit handoff and diverse fiber paths for maximum resiliency.

“Cox Business takes the extra steps necessary to ensure we exceed customers’ expectations,” said Senior Vice President of Cox Business Steve Rowley. “More Mesa Public School District students now have the critical technology they need to excel at their fingertips, while teachers have the technological support and tools to improve collaboration and better engage with students.”