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Background:

Needed refresh of the outdated firewall and Xirrus access points with a centrally managed cloud based solution that provides centralized visibility, management, and troubleshooting wireless and wired network, switching equipment, and the network firewall appliance. Half of the campus access points were disparate and managed from one management interface while the other half of the campus access points were managed through a separate network management interface. KDC Technologies was awarded the contract through a competitive Federal government bid process.

Solution:

Phase I: Complete Existing Sonicwall NSA security appliance was replaced with cloud managed Cisco Meraki MX security appliance with advanced features including: 3G/LTE failover and layer 3 and 7 traffic shaping, content filtering, safesearch, intrusion prevention, and advanced malware protection. Outdated access points were replaced with Cisco Meraki 802.11ax access points, optimized for heavy classroom use. Unified cloud based dashboard allows the school IT department visibility, control, monitoring, and troubleshooting of the entire network. Phase II: Complete The Legacy Cisco CSG200 access switches for 9 IDF campus closets were replaced with Cisco Meraki cloud managed switches. The data center MDF C3750 fiber switch was replaced with Cisco Meraki fiber switch. The data center UPS units were replaced with new UPS units. UPS units were installed in all IDF closets. Additional WIFI 6 access points were added to the campus and for the school theatre currently under construction.

Benefits:

Secure cloud visibility and management of wireless and wireless network infrastructure, with real-time diagnostics, monitoring, and reporting. Automated network alerts, troubleshooting tools, zero-touch provisioning, and intuitive management dashboard significantly reduced IT staff time needed to administer and troubleshoot the network. Single pane, secure cloud management of the network router and firewall, all switches, and school wide wireless LAN.

Background:

With a total student count of over 2200 students, operates two charter schools, a TK-12 college-preparatory program with a STEAM emphasis, and the second campus, TK-8 Spanish/English Dual Immersion model school with a STEAM emphasis. The school needed to overhaul its network at both campuses based on aging Cisco routers and outdated Juniper access points. KDC Technologies was awarded the contract through a competitive Federal government bid process.

Solution: 

A multi-vendor solution composed of Ruckus ICX 7150 modular switches, next generation HPE Aruba AP-515 WIFI 6 802.11ax access points, and FortiGate 600E Series were selected in consultation with KDC Technologies and vendor system engineers. Fortigate 600E next generation firewall was selectected for both campuses.  

Benefits:

In consultation with KDC Technologies, selected Aruba Clearpass as the management and security platform for wireless and wireless networks and devices.  HPE Aruba Clearpass allows the school IT department to enforce role based network access enforcement, provide self-service device onboarding (BYOD), customized guest access, and the ability to secure and manage multi-vendor wired and wireless networks. HPE Aruba AP-515 access points utilize 802.11ax technology to deliver high performance access for mobile and IOT devices, efficiently and simultaneously to classrooms, auditoriums, and high density areas. The Fortigate firewall provides high firewall throughput,  security features including data packet inspection, policy management, protection against malware, ability to detect unknown threats, and secure SD-WAN for  both campuses.

Background:

Prepares students for the academic rigors of college or for a career, through an individualized educational experience woven together with a focus on the social-emotional well-being of each individual. The school opened a new campus in Los Angeles and needed a network infrastructure to be built from the ground up. KDC Technologies was awarded the contract through a federal competitive bid process.

Solution: 

The project involved the installation and configuration of next generation Watchguard firewall appliance, HPE Aruba 802.11 AC Wave 2 access points, HPE Aruba layer 2 switches, and Aruba Central, a cloud managed dashboard for management of Aruba wired and wireless equipment. Firewall rules were configured including intrusion prevention service, content filtering, application control, and gateway antivirus and spam filtering. Client received ongoing technical support, monitoring and maintenance of the network firewall, wireless and wireless network, and cabling.

Benefits:

Seamless wireless coverage throughout the campus. Cloud-based monitoring and management of network switches and access points. Advanced analytics and assurance. Alerts, reporting, and troubleshooting. Automated mobile and IOT device security. Streamlined network operations through zero touch provisioning and mobile installer app. Next Generation firewall keeps the school network secure through enterprise-grade network security services.

Background:

Needed upgrade of outdated network infrastructure including the  wireless and wired equipment.  KDC Technologies was awarded the contract through a federal competitive bid process. 

Solution: 

Network Upgrade 

The outdated network firewall was upgraded with a next generation firewall security appliance with a full suite of security features including: intrusion prevention service, content filtering, application control, and gateway anti-virus, and spam filtering. After conducting a predictive and onsite wireless survey, Ubiquiti access points were deployed in all classrooms and administrative offices. Category 6 cabling was installed as for the wireless access points. Ongoing managed IT services were put in place including network monitoring, desktop technical support, asset management, helpdesk services, CIO services, IT planning and consulting.

School Move

The school, with approximately 350 students, outgrew the existing space. As a result, the school board members made the decision to relocate to two separate campuses until a permanent campus can be found. KDC Technologies in close collaboration with the client, planned and designed the wired and wireless network infrastructure from ground up for both campuses. Upon client approval of the network design and project scope, KDC Technologies successfully built-out the MDF, IDF closets and installed category 6 network cabling for both campuses. High speed internet links were installed at both campuses. Next generation firewall, network switching and wireless networks were installed, configured, and tested at both campuses under a tight time-line to accommodate the school open dates. Firewall policies and rules were implemented to meet school security and compliance needs including intrusion prevention service, gateway antivirus, URL filtering, application control, and spam blocking were put in place. AC wave 2 access points were installed in every classroom and in the administrative offices for seamless wireless coverage. Ongoing managed IT services were put in place including network monitoring, desktop technical support, asset management, helpdesk services, CIO services, IT planning and consulting.

Benefits:

High speed internet connection provides the internet capacity to accommodate the increasing bandwidth needs of the school and allows the school to implement digital education curriculums without being limited by internet bandwidth bottleneck. Next generation Firewall appliance and rules mitigates cyber-attacks meeting CIPA (Children’s Internet Protection Act) and other compliance requirements. The wireless network provides seamless WIFI coverage throughout the campus and provides capacity for digital curriculum bandwidth demands.

Background:

KDC Technologies was obtained to fix the outdated and disorganized computer network. The existing computer network was a piece-meal network that evolved without long term IT planning. The tangled web of unlabeled network cabling made troubleshooting very difficult. Written IT policies and procedures were non-existent. Windows and Mac desktop computers and laptops were not protected with up-to-date malware protection. Workstations were not being backed up. The existing Cisco router was outdated and did not provide the network security protection and web filtering required to meet CIPA(Children’s Internet Protection Act) standards. The school did not have a structured and organized system to service and track technical support requests and there was no asset tracking system in place.

Solution: 

Phase I: Technology Assessment A thorough technology assessment was performed including network infrastructure, network security, wired and wireless LAN. An inventory of all network-related hardware and software assets was put together including vendor information and network-specific information. A network diagram was created to visually represent the school network infrastructure with related technical information. An audit of the workstations was performed to expose vulnerabilities such as outdated windows patches, antivirus, and backup software. Based on the results of the assessment, a well-organized presentation outlined the immediate problems, long-term issues, and a phased approach was recommended to fix the immediate issues and bring stability, address long-term IT needs, address security, and bring organization and structure to the school IT environment.

Phase II: Next-Generation Firewall
  • A next-generation firewall was installed with unified threat management including intrusion prevention, gateway anti-virus, and a spam blocker to protect against network threats.
  • Web content filtering and URL filtering was implemented to restrict access to harmful or obscene content over the internet meeting Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) standards.
  • Wireless LAN SSIDs and guest access portals were configured by VLANs to secure network traffic for faculty, students, and guest users.
  • The existing cable connection was switched to a fiber connection.
  • Network subnets were reconfigured to increase available IPs for client devices.
Phase III: Network closet (MDF and IDF) Reorganization and Network Cabling
  • The cluttered and disorganized network closet was reorganized and labeled.
  • Existing Patch cables were replaced with color-coded and proper length patch cables.
  • Additional cabling and network closet IDF installed as needed for the new building addition.
Phase IV: Asset Inventory Tracking / Ticketing System / Video Surveillance System
  • An asset inventory system was introduced to track and keep current information on all hardware, software applications, software licenses, and vendor contacts.
  • An online ticket system was implemented to track, service, and organize help desk requests.
  • A contractor was obtained to install a new surveillance system.
Phase V: Advanced Malware Protection and Backup
  • Windows and Mac workstations and laptops were updated with advanced malware protection.
  • Backup critical workstations and laptops to the cloud.
Other Solutions:
  • A large screen digital signage was installed and managed cloud-based through Google G-Suite console and signage app.

Benefits:

The school’s disparate networks were combined into a single network connecting to high-speed fiber internet, deployment of a next-generation firewall, and reorganization of the network racks and patch panels reduce protects against evolving threats, meets compliance, and provides easy troubleshooting and management of the network. School is protected from inappropriate content from both HTTP and https encrypted websites meeting CIPA requirements.   Segmented WIFI traffic VLAN separates network traffic and ensures network security for students, faculty, staff, and guests. Cyber attacks are mitigated and the computer network is secured through multi-layered security from Firewall to the endpoint (workstations, laptops, Chromebooks, and mobile devices). School data is protected through encrypted cloud backup and a disaster recovery system is in place to restore data that meet recovery requirements. Workstations and laptops are protected from malware such as zero-day malware and ransomware through advanced endpoint detection and response systems. School receives ongoing employee security training as part of overall effort to educate employees from cyber risk such as targeted phishing emails.  Dark web scans are performed on a regular basis to detect comprised accounts and passwords. Wanted spam and phishing emails are blocked. Digital signage provides a dynamic, efficient and cost-effective method of providing timely and valuable information to students, faculty, and parents.  

Background:

Needed refresh of the outdated firewall and Xirrus access points with a centrally managed cloud based solution that provides centralized visibility, management, and troubleshooting wireless and wired network, switching equipment, and the network firewall appliance. Half of the campus access points were disparate and managed from one management interface while the other half of the campus access points were managed through a separate network management interface. KDC Technologies was awarded the contract through a competitive Federal government bid process.

Solution:

Phase I: Complete Existing Sonicwall NSA security appliance was replaced with cloud managed Cisco Meraki MX security appliance with advanced features including: 3G/LTE failover and layer 3 and 7 traffic shaping, content filtering, safesearch, intrusion prevention, and advanced malware protection. Outdated access points were replaced with Cisco Meraki 802.11ax access points, optimized for heavy classroom use. Unified cloud based dashboard allows the school IT department visibility, control, monitoring, and troubleshooting of the entire network.
Phase II: Complete The Legacy Cisco CSG200 access switches for 9 IDF campus closets were replaced with Cisco Meraki cloud managed switches. The data center MDF C3750 fiber switch was replaced with Cisco Meraki fiber switch. The data center UPS units were replaced with new UPS units. UPS units were installed in all IDF closets. Additional WIFI 6 access points were added to the campus and for the school theatre currently under construction.

Benefits:

Secure cloud visibility and management of wireless and wireless network infrastructure, with real-time diagnostics, monitoring, and reporting. Automated network alerts, troubleshooting tools, zero-touch provisioning, and intuitive management dashboard significantly reduced IT staff time needed to administer and troubleshoot the network. Single pane, secure cloud management of the network router and firewall, all switches, and school wide wireless LAN.

Background:

Charter school based out of Los Angeles, focusing on specializing in individual learning and meeting social/emotional needs, and moving students out of the cycle of poverty, opened a second location in Los Angeles to serve middle school students. The school needed a network infrastructure from ground up including internet, cabling, network room build out, network infrastructure equipment, wireless, wired, and security camera system.

Solution:

After a discovery meeting and conducting site walk, a detailed project proposal was submitted and approved.

Phase I: Installation of Spectrum fiber internet circuit.
Phase II: Network rack buildout and network cabling.

Phase III: Installation and configuration of Cisco Meraki Firewall, switch, access points, and cloud based security cameras. The network was segmented into VLANS, content filtering, and network malware protection, and firewall rules put in place. The charter school had a tight deadline to complete the project before the start of school. The project was completed as scheduled.

Benefits:

  • Cisco Meraki solution provides
    • A secure, cloud based management troubleshooting, analytics, and reporting of the entire network including the firewall, switches, and WIFI access points.
    • Complete next generation firewall and content security.
    • Application visibility and control, malware protection, Google safe-search
  • Cloud-managed security camera system provides complete indoor and outdoor security designed to help:
    • Keep students safe
    • Detect vaping
    • Deter theft, mischief, vandalism, car theft, and potential threats
    • Deter bullying and create safer environments for teachers and students
    • Control campus perimeters and building access

 

Background:

With a total student count of over 2200 students, operates two charter schools, a TK-12 college-preparatory program with a STEAM emphasis, and the second campus, TK-8 Spanish/English Dual Immersion model school with a STEAM emphasis. The school needed to overhaul its network at both campuses based on aging Cisco routers and outdated Juniper access points. KDC Technologies was awarded the contract through a competitive Federal government bid process.

Solution: 

A multi-vendor solution composed of Ruckus ICX 7150 modular switches, next generation HPE Aruba AP-515 WIFI 6 802.11ax access points, and FortiGate 600E Series were selected in consultation with KDC Technologies and vendor system engineers. Fortigate 600E next generation firewall was selectected for both campuses.  

Benefits:

In consultation with KDC Technologies, selected Aruba Clearpass as the management and security platform for wireless and wireless networks and devices.  HPE Aruba Clearpass allows the school IT department to enforce role based network access enforcement, provide self-service device onboarding (BYOD), customized guest access, and the ability to secure and manage multi-vendor wired and wireless networks. HPE Aruba AP-515 access points utilize 802.11ax technology to deliver high performance access for mobile and IOT devices, efficiently and simultaneously to classrooms, auditoriums, and high density areas. The Fortigate firewall provides high firewall throughput,  security features including data packet inspection, policy management, protection against malware, ability to detect unknown threats, and secure SD-WAN for  both campuses.

Background:

Prepares students for the academic rigors of college or for a career, through an individualized educational experience woven together with a focus on the social-emotional well-being of each individual. The school opened a new campus in Los Angeles and needed a network infrastructure to be built from the ground up. KDC Technologies was awarded the contract through a federal competitive bid process.

Solution: 

The project involved the installation and configuration of next generation Watchguard firewall appliance, HPE Aruba 802.11 AC Wave 2 access points, HPE Aruba layer 2 switches, and Aruba Central, a cloud managed dashboard for management of Aruba wired and wireless equipment. Firewall rules were configured including intrusion prevention service, content filtering, application control, and gateway antivirus and spam filtering. Client received ongoing technical support, monitoring and maintenance of the network firewall, wireless and wireless network, and cabling.

Benefits:

Seamless wireless coverage throughout the campus. Cloud-based monitoring and management of network switches and access points. Advanced analytics and assurance. Alerts, reporting, and troubleshooting. Automated mobile and IOT device security. Streamlined network operations through zero touch provisioning and mobile installer app. Next Generation firewall keeps the school network secure through enterprise-grade network security services.

Background:

Needed upgrade of outdated network infrastructure including the  wireless and wired equipment.  KDC Technologies was awarded the contract through a federal competitive bid process. 

Solution: 

Network Upgrade 

The outdated network firewall was upgraded with a next generation firewall security appliance with a full suite of security features including: intrusion prevention service, content filtering, application control, and gateway anti-virus, and spam filtering. After conducting a predictive and onsite wireless survey, Ubiquiti access points were deployed in all classrooms and administrative offices. Category 6 cabling was installed as for the wireless access points. Ongoing managed IT services were put in place including network monitoring, desktop technical support, asset management, helpdesk services, CIO services, IT planning and consulting.

School Move

The school, with approximately 350 students, outgrew the existing space. As a result, the school board members made the decision to relocate to two separate campuses until a permanent campus can be found. KDC Technologies in close collaboration with the client, planned and designed the wired and wireless network infrastructure from ground up for both campuses. Upon client approval of the network design and project scope, KDC Technologies successfully built-out the MDF, IDF closets and installed category 6 network cabling for both campuses. High speed internet links were installed at both campuses. Next generation firewall, network switching and wireless networks were installed, configured, and tested at both campuses under a tight time-line to accommodate the school open dates. Firewall policies and rules were implemented to meet school security and compliance needs including intrusion prevention service, gateway antivirus, URL filtering, application control, and spam blocking were put in place. AC wave 2 access points were installed in every classroom and in the administrative offices for seamless wireless coverage. Ongoing managed IT services were put in place including network monitoring, desktop technical support, asset management, helpdesk services, CIO services, IT planning and consulting.

Benefits:

High speed internet connection provides the internet capacity to accommodate the increasing bandwidth needs of the school and allows the school to implement digital education curriculums without being limited by internet bandwidth bottleneck. Next generation Firewall appliance and rules mitigates cyber-attacks meeting CIPA (Children’s Internet Protection Act) and other compliance requirements. The wireless network provides seamless WIFI coverage throughout the campus and provides capacity for digital curriculum bandwidth demands.

Background:

KDC Technologies was obtained to fix the outdated and disorganized computer network. The existing computer network was a piece-meal network that evolved without long term IT planning. The tangled web of unlabeled network cabling made troubleshooting very difficult. Written IT policies and procedures were non-existent. Windows and Mac desktop computers and laptops were not protected with up-to-date malware protection. Workstations were not being backed up. The existing Cisco router was outdated and did not provide the network security protection and web filtering required to meet CIPA(Children’s Internet Protection Act) standards. The school did not have a structured and organized system to service and track technical support requests and there was no asset tracking system in place.

Solution: 

Phase I: Technology Assessment A thorough technology assessment was performed including network infrastructure, network security, wired and wireless LAN. An inventory of all network-related hardware and software assets was put together including vendor information and network-specific information. A network diagram was created to visually represent the school network infrastructure with related technical information. An audit of the workstations was performed to expose vulnerabilities such as outdated windows patches, antivirus, and backup software. Based on the results of the assessment, a well-organized presentation outlined the immediate problems, long-term issues, and a phased approach was recommended to fix the immediate issues and bring stability, address long-term IT needs, address security, and bring organization and structure to the school IT environment.

Phase II: Next-Generation Firewall
  • A next-generation firewall was installed with unified threat management including intrusion prevention, gateway anti-virus, and a spam blocker to protect against network threats.
  • Web content filtering and URL filtering was implemented to restrict access to harmful or obscene content over the internet meeting Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) standards.
  • Wireless LAN SSIDs and guest access portals were configured by VLANs to secure network traffic for faculty, students, and guest users.
  • The existing cable connection was switched to a fiber connection.
  • Network subnets were reconfigured to increase available IPs for client devices.
Phase III: Network closet (MDF and IDF) Reorganization and Network Cabling
  • The cluttered and disorganized network closet was reorganized and labeled.
  • Existing Patch cables were replaced with color-coded and proper length patch cables.
  • Additional cabling and network closet IDF installed as needed for the new building addition.
Phase IV: Asset Inventory Tracking / Ticketing System / Video Surveillance System
  • An asset inventory system was introduced to track and keep current information on all hardware, software applications, software licenses, and vendor contacts.
  • An online ticket system was implemented to track, service, and organize help desk requests.
  • A contractor was obtained to install a new surveillance system.
Phase V: Advanced Malware Protection and Backup
  • Windows and Mac workstations and laptops were updated with advanced malware protection.
  • Backup critical workstations and laptops to the cloud.
Other Solutions:
  • A large screen digital signage was installed and managed cloud-based through Google G-Suite console and signage app.

Benefits:

The school’s disparate networks were combined into a single network connecting to high-speed fiber internet, deployment of a next-generation firewall, and reorganization of the network racks and patch panels reduce protects against evolving threats, meets compliance, and provides easy troubleshooting and management of the network. School is protected from inappropriate content from both HTTP and https encrypted websites meeting CIPA requirements.   Segmented WIFI traffic VLAN separates network traffic and ensures network security for students, faculty, staff, and guests. Cyber attacks are mitigated and the computer network is secured through multi-layered security from Firewall to the endpoint (workstations, laptops, Chromebooks, and mobile devices). School data is protected through encrypted cloud backup and a disaster recovery system is in place to restore data that meet recovery requirements. Workstations and laptops are protected from malware such as zero-day malware and ransomware through advanced endpoint detection and response systems. School receives ongoing employee security training as part of overall effort to educate employees from cyber risk such as targeted phishing emails.  Dark web scans are performed on a regular basis to detect comprised accounts and passwords. Wanted spam and phishing emails are blocked. Digital signage provides a dynamic, efficient and cost-effective method of providing timely and valuable information to students, faculty, and parents.  

Background:

KDC Technologies was awarded the Erate 2020-2021 project through a competitive ERate bid process. The existing outdated network infrastructure including the wireless and wired equipment, firewall, switch equipment, and cabling needed an overhaul of the piece-meal and outdated network built over many years. The mixture of outdated network equipment made management and troubleshooting a night-mare. A thorough technology assessment was performed including network infrastructure, network security, wired and wireless LAN. An inventory of all network-related hardware and software assets was put together including vendor information and network-specific information. A network diagram was created to visually represent the existing school network infrastructure with related technical information. Based on the results of the assessment, a well-organized presentation outlined the immediate problems, long-term issues, and a phased approach was recommended to fix the immediate issues and bring stability, address long-term IT needs, address security, and bring organization and structure to the school IT environment.

Phase I: Upgrade outdated firewall

  • A next-generation firewall was installed with unified threat management including intrusion prevention, gateway anti-virus, and a spam blocker to protect against network threats.
  • Web content filtering and URL filtering was implemented to restrict access to harmful or obscene content over the internet meeting Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) standards.
  • Wireless LAN SSIDs and guest access portals were configured to secure network traffic for faculty, students, and guest users.
  • Network subnets were reconfigured to increase available IPs for client devices.
  • A secondary coax connection and warm-spare services as backup to the primary firewall.
Phase III: Replace outdated access points
    • Multi-vendor outdated access points were replaced with a single vendor solution using 802.11ax access points, optimized for heavy classroom use. Unified cloud based dashboard allows visibility, control, monitoring, and troubleshooting of the entire network.

Phase IV: Replace outdated MDF / IDF switching equipment

The Legacy MDF core switch and IDF access switches were replaced with cloud managed switches. UPS units were installed to protect against power failure.

Benefit:

High speed internet connection provides the internet capacity to accommodate the increasing bandwidth needs of the school and allows the school to implement digital education curriculums without being limited by internet bandwidth bottleneck. Next generation Firewall appliance and rules mitigates cyber-attacks meeting CIPA (Children’s Internet Protection Act) and other compliance requirements. The wireless network provides seamless WIFI coverage throughout the campus and provides capacity for digital curriculum bandwidth demands. Secure cloud visibility and management of wireless and wireless network infrastructure, with real-time diagnostics, monitoring, and reporting. Automated network alerts, troubleshooting tools, zero-touch provisioning, and intuitive management dashboard significantly reduced IT staff time needed to administer and troubleshoot the network. Single pane, secure cloud management of the network router and firewall, all switches, and school wide wireless LAN.

KDC Technologies

We understand what it takes to get the job done and we strongly believe that our success depends upon developing a long-term business relationship through customer satisfaction.

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