Comprehensive BYOD Management at SDSU

With 34,000 students, 9,600 faculty and staff, and guests on its 300-acre campus, California’s San Diego State University (SDSU), a nationally ranked research university renowned for academic excellence, must accommodate tens of thousands of wireless and mobile devices accessing its network each day, many of these personal devices. Given that volume of devices, SDSU needed a comprehensive access and policy management solution that could easily scale while improving the security of the wireless network.

SDSU 

San Diego State University’s deployment of the ClearPass Access Management System will provide robust, reliable and secure network access for all of their users — students, faculty, staff and guests.

SDSU selected to deploy the Aruba ClearPass Access Management System, a new solution that will allow it to manage network policies, securely onboard and manage devices and admit guest users — all from one platform.

Combined with SDSU’s existing Aruba Networks Wireless LAN (WLAN), ClearPass will allow the university to address the challenges associated with the exponential growth in wireless and mobile devices resulting from the growing bring-your-own-device (BYOD) trend on campus. The new solution will give SDSU’s IT department visibility into exactly which users and devices are registering onto the network, enabling SDSU to better manage, track and give appropriate access to the devices accessing the network, which will ensure a more secure, consistent network experience for all of the university’s users.

“With our old access management system, we weren’t able to access the necessary information from devices to properly prioritize and manage traffic,” says Kent McKelvey, director, Telecomm and Network Services, SDSU. “With ClearPass, we will be able to view and manage all of that detailed information, and restrict or block access if necessary. ClearPass will provide us with the flexibility to manage a user base comprised of known and unknown users and will allow us to quickly and easily adjust how we determine levels of access.”

Aruba Networks
www.arubanetworks.com

This article originally appeared in the College Planning & Management August 2013 issue of Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • NWEA Report Recommends K–12 Natural Disaster Recovery Strategies

    The Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA), a K–12 assessment and research organization, recently announced the release of a new playbook for schools and communities recovering from extreme weather events, according to a news release.

  • Rhode Island Boarding School Completes Student Dorm Renovations

    St. George’s School in Middletown, R.I., recently announced the completion of a $26-million renovation project on Arden-Diman-Eccles Dormitory, according to a news release. The school partnered with Voith & Mactavish Architects (VMA) on the new space, which places a new focus on collaborative community spaces open to both boarding students and day students.

  • Academy of Classical Education Breaks Ground in Louisiana

    Charter Schools USA (CSUSA) recently announced the groundbreaking of a new public charter school in Covington, La., according to a news release. The Academy of Classical Education at Covington will enroll students in grades K–8 and is scheduled for completion in August 2026, just in time for the new school year.

  • South Carolina District Starts Construction on $50M Middle School Renovation

    The Aiken County Public School District in North Augusta, S.C., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the $50-million renovation and expansion of North Augusta Middle School, according to a news release. The project’s funding comes from the 2024 renewal of a one-cent sales tax approved by local voters.