Customer Success Story
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Illinois Wesleyan University pivots to AI-driven Juniper Mist Wi-Fi to support flexible learning
When the coronavirus pandemic moved students from in-person classes to dorm room Zoom sessions, Illinois Wesleyan’s aging wireless network struggled under the heavier performance demands. The university responded quickly, adding the Juniper® Series of High-Performance Access Points in every dorm room, all driven by Mist AI™.
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6 weeks
to deploy 90% of Wi-Fi 6 network
2x
more devices connected
Student BYOD key to student retention and recruitment
Optimized learning experience from dorm rooms
Aging Wi-Fi network falters under pandemic loads
Illinois Wesleyan, located in Bloomington, IL, is a top-tier national liberal arts college, known for small class sizes and excellent prospects after graduation. But its legacy Wi-Fi sagged under the sudden demands of remote learning, frustrating students and faculty during an already stressful year.
The IT team took quick action, and deployed 90% of its new campus network in only six weeks.
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AI-powered networking easily hits six-week deadline
More than 600 Juniper® Series of High-Performance Access Points were installed and connected to the Mist cloud, built on a modern microservices architecture that enables quick deployment, easy scalability, and streamlined operations. A high-performance Wi-Fi 6 access point is within 8 feet of every dorm resident. Juniper Networks® EX Series Ethernet Switches were deployed for high-performance access and aggregation switching on campus.
Juniper Access Points work in conjunction with the Juniper Mist™ cloud architecture and Mist AI™ to collect and analyze metadata in near real time from all wireless clients to deliver optimized user experiences. A Juniper Mist wireless and wired network also enables rapid problem detection and root cause identification with predictive recommendations.
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BYOD and Wi-Fi performance earn highest marks from students
Students quickly noticed how easy it was to connect their phones, laptops, gaming devices, and smart TVs after a simple registration. Poor Wi-Fi no longer bubbles up as a student retention and recruitment issue.
Trouble tickets have fallen even as the number of connected devices doubled. An AI-driven Juniper Mist network simplifies troubleshooting and speeds problem remediation.
Illinois Wesleyan is exploring innovative network services, such as COVID-19 tracking and wayfinding, and plans to expand Wi-Fi outdoors to athletic facilities. The university has just scratched the surface of what it can do to support students, faculty, and the school’s mission for educational excellence.
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Published April 2021