SUNNYVALE, CA--(Marketwired - Jul 31, 2013) - Meru Networks, Inc. (
"Bringing in the Meru solution was the first step in our implementing a BYOD policy at the school," said Brian C. Mashburn, PhD., director of technology for Arkansas Baptist. "That program is critical to us, in that it actually changes the learning experience for each of these students in a real way, in a way that they live today. It gives them access to any information, anywhere, all the time. We need them to be able to pursue this academic process whether they're in the classroom, the hallway, or on vacation, and the Meru network helps us ensure that they can."
The school selected Meru due to the effectiveness and simplicity of the Meru Mobile FLEX architecture. Its optional single-channel, virtual cell implementation helps ensure that mobility is maintained between access points, with none of the "sticky client" or "call-dropping" issues that traditional multi-channel implementations can impose. The simplicity and efficiency of the Mobile FLEX architecture also made it very easy for the school's small IT staff to install and manage the network, enabling full coverage at both its lower- and upper-school campuses.
Meru's MEG solution is designed to solve educational institutions' BYOD issues and support their learning-essential applications. MEG starts with three simple steps:
1. On-board quickly with BYOD provisioning and secure wireless access mapped to IT policies. 2. Connect all BYOD devices reliably anywhere on campus. 3. Learn by deploying validated learning and teaching applications on BYOD devices over the MEG wireless solution.
Meru Identity Manager for BYOD Provisioning The Wi-Fi deployment came alongside the school's decision to implement a comprehensive BYOD program, through which students purchase and bring a wide variety of mobile devices to class for use in their daily coursework. In addition to dual Meru MC1500 wireless controllers and multiple Meru AP320i access points deployed at each campus, the school's IT department deployed Meru's Identity Manager BYOD and guest-access solution, greatly simplifying on-boarding of the student-owned mobile devices. These devices include smartphones, laptops, tablets and notebook computers from all of the major manufacturers; securely on-boarding these devices manually would be impossible for the school's very small IT team, and fast connectivity means maximizing classroom instruction time.
"Identity Manager was a big selling point," said Mashburn. "It basically kept me from having to touch client machines. Most critically, all of our non-technical personnel and even the students themselves can walk through the setup and have a device securely provisioned on the network in just a matter of minutes."
Support for Apple® Bonjour® Many classrooms at Arkansas Baptist are equipped with large-screen displays for classroom viewing and screen mirroring, connected to teachers' laptops and tablets via AppleTV® units powered by the Apple® AirPlay® service. Meru's Bonjour gateway support, integrated into the Mobile FLEX architecture, helps ensure that transmitting devices and the displays connected to AppleTV units are appropriately coordinated on a per-classroom basis, to avoid interference and confusion. Meru's access points and controllers dynamically manage the service.
"Arkansas Baptist Schools is using Wi-Fi to truly transform its campus and strive for uninterrupted learning," said Sarosh Vesuna, vice president and general manager of the education and healthcare business units at Meru. "The flexibility, ease of use and ease of management that the MEG solution provides will help ensure that students, faculty and staff will have the information they need, when they need it, no matter where they are or what device they are using."
Additional information about the Meru MEG solution is available here: http://bit.ly/15vW5Oh .
For more information about Meru Mobile FLEX , visit the Mobile FLEX launch landing page on the Meru web site: http://bit.ly/ZNqPEc .
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Press Contact: Wilson Craig Director of Public Relations Meru Networks +1 408 516 6182 wcraig@merunetworks.com
