Every Wi-Fi connection counts when students are learning

Islamic College of Melbourne (ICOM) is the largest private school in Tarneit, a fast-growing suburb of Melbourne, and offers an excellent academic program based on Australian and Islamic values to over 1,800 students from foundation to year 12.
 
The co-educational school chose the Juniper AI-Native Networking Platform to deliver an exceptional learning experience to students, faculty, and IT staff as the school expands to accommodate growing enrollment.
 
To find out more about the college visit www.icom.vic.edu.au

Overview


Company Islamic College of Melbourne
Industry Education
Products used AP45EX4100EX4400Wireless (Wi-Fi) AssuranceWired AssuranceMarvis VNA
Region APAC
Islamic College of Melbourne Image
Outcomes

2,200+

Assured experiences

Students and staff have reliable Wi-Fi connectivity for learning

0

Free up IT staff

Network issues since deploying Juniper AI-Native Networking

80%

Proactive operations

Less time managing the network

Challenge

New branch offices needed reliable networks fast

“We can’t afford issues with our network,” says Bakr Dennaoui, IT Manager, Islamic College of Melbourne.

But the school’s decade-old wireless network had become an obstacle to learning. The Wi-Fi connectivity was unreliable, and learning was often disrupted. Complaints were growing, but the IT staff lacked visibility into the user experience to effectively troubleshoot.

ICOM wanted to upgrade its network to Wi-Fi 6/6E and needed campus switching that would deliver 10Gbps capacity and plenty of PoE power. It also sought out AI for IT operations to simplify network management and free up the IT team.

ICOM chose the Juniper AI-Native Networking Platform for its ability to deliver advanced AI for IT operations (AIOps) to enable exceptional digital experiences for students, staff, and visitors. With more than nine years of AI and ML delivered from a microservices cloud, the Juniper AI-Native Networking Platform makes every connection more reliable, measurable, and secure for every device, user, and application.

Abstract line connections with an aerial view of city night background
Solution

AI-Native Networking puts the student experience first

ICOM uses Juniper AP45 Wireless Access Points to deliver high-performance Wi-Fi 6/6E to connect laptops and tablets in classrooms, the library, canteen, and gymnasium. The network supports the school’s growing number of devices and high-bandwidth video and digital learning applications. The Juniper Mist Wireless (Wi-Fi) Assurance service automates troubleshooting and operations while providing near-real-time visibility into user service levels.

ICOM uses Juniper EX4400 Switch and Juniper EX4100 Switch for a 10-Gbps access network and to provide plenty of PoE to connect printers, security cameras, wireless access points, desktop PCs, and other wired devices. The Juniper Mist Wired Assurance service brings Mist AI to the access-layer switches, enabling AI-native operations and automation.

Juniper AP45 Wireless Access Point

Juniper EX4100 Ethernet Switch

Juniper EX4400 Ethernet Switch

Juniper Mist Wireless (Wi-Fi) Assurance

Juniper Mist Wired Assurance

Juniper Marvis VNA

Network Topology Diagram of M-Theory Customer Case Study
OUTCOME

A smarter network for a growing school

“With Juniper, we don’t worry about the network anymore,” says Dennaoui.

That’s because a Juniper AI-Native Network is predictable, reliable, and measurable— with a user experience that is continuously assured. The intuitive Mist portal made it simple to configure and deploy wireless access points and switches using templates. New features and updates are delivered from the Juniper Mist AI microservices cloud without downtime for simplified network operations.

  • Best student, educator, and staff user experiences
    With Juniper networking in ICOM’s classrooms, students can stay focused on their studies—everything from the fundamentals of reading to upper-level chemistry.
  • Speed up issue resolution with Mist AI
    Juniper’s Marvis Virtual Network Assistant adds conversational AI to empower the IT team to speed issue resolution with the ability to proactively identify and resolve issues before they impact the end-user experience. “Now we can be proactive about the network before people complain,” says Dennaoui.
  • Future-proofed network for growth
    ICOM is looking ahead to the construction of new buildings on its current campus and opening a secondary school campus to allow thousands more students to benefit from the school’s multicultural, academically rigorous, and nurturing environment.
Skyscraper towers skyline of city night and light vertical laser lights
“Our Juniper network is rock-solid. We haven’t had any issues with Wi-Fi connectivity since deploying.”
Bakr Dennaoui IT Manager, Islamic College of Melbourne

Published August 2024