Freedom From Day-to-Day ResNet Management: Apogee Partner Chronicles ResNet Journey in Campus Technology Magazine

AUSTIN, TX and BIRMINGHAM, AL--(Marketwire - Sep 7, 2011) - Apogee, the nation's largest provider of managed residential network (ResNet) services to higher education, today announced that long-time partner Birmingham-Southern College has been featured in the August edition of Campus Technology Magazine.

The article, written by Jesse McKneely, Director of Infrastructure and Project Management at BSC, details the transformative changes experienced by the college when new CIO Anthoney Hambey fundamentally rethought his department's approach to managing the ResNet.

"In the midst of this perfect IT storm," wrote McKneely, "BSC welcomed a new vice president of IT, Anthony Hambey, who said, 'We will never do this again.' [The recent] network crisis, along with a commitment from the highest level of leadership on campus, provided our department with a new resolve to banish Band-Aid solutions once and for all and finally bring BSC's ResNet into the 21st century."

BSC decided to elicit proposals for managed service after extensive internal discussion and planning. Instead of trying to adapt a standard network implementation to meet their needs, the college simply outlined what they wanted in a ResNet and asked vendors to present a solution tailored to their criteria.

"We carefully considered the bids that did come in, and ultimately chose Apogee because they focused exclusively on the unique needs of higher education and wouldn't be adapting a solution from another industry to fit our campus."

After switching to managed service, the college noted an immediate positive impact across the spectrum of IT support and service delivery.

"[We've] seen economic savings in reduced support costs and help desk staff, and on large projects like our recent metro Ethernet connection, which will pay off over the time by avoiding leasing fees associated with our old connection... Outsourcing our ResNet also helped us provide better wireless coverage on a faster timeline than we could have done alone."

The switch to Apogee ResNet transformed the way BSC responded to day-to-day network issues and enabled the department to focus on larger projects and advance innovative technologies, network security, and technology-based learning initiatives on campus.

"At BSC, the IT department is no longer consumed with the tedious micro-management of ResNet activities like connecting a student's newest gaming console. Today we can focus on work that meets the mission-critical goals of the college."

To view the full article in Campus Technology Magazine, visit http://www.apogee.us/features/bsc-resnet.

About Apogee

Apogee is the nation's largest and most innovative provider of on-campus residential networks (ResNets) for higher education. Partnering with Apogee for ResNet services allows colleges and universities to enhance their network infrastructure while offloading the growing volume of administrative responsibilities associated with managing a student network. This partnership allows IT to focus on the mission-critical tasks of the university, such as growing the enterprise network and facilitating the development and use of e-learning tools and content. For more information about Apogee and its services, visit www.apogee.us.

About Birmingham-Southern College

Birmingham-Southern College is a 4-year, private liberal arts college in Birmingham, Alabama, United States. Founded in 1856, it is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. With an enrollment of 1400 students from 30 states and 23 foreign countries, Birmingham-Southern constantly achieves excellence with its increasingly large enrollment numbers and student prestige. For more information about Birmingham-Southern College, visit www.bsc.edu.