No Defence from Modern Wi-Fi Access

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17 April 2015 | Updated 01 January 1970

The latest Ministry of Defence’s (MoD) Defence Academy project has gone live, reportedly on time and under budget with a new wireless network from Redcentric, delivered in partnership with Serco.

The project provides a new high-speed wireless local area network (LAN) at the MOD Academy in Shrivenham, Wiltshire – which trains personnel from the British Armed Forces, MOD Civil Service and other national and international government departments – with the aim of improving technology-based learning across its 250-acre site of around 170 buildings.

Within a ‘tight’ 12-week timeframe and 7% under budget, Redcentric installed in excess of 500 wireless access points and 25km of optical fibre on the Academy site. The project was managed within the constraints of operating within a working educational establishment and its busy timetable.

State-of-the-art Wi-Fi performance was deemed essential for the introduction of the Academy’s technology enhanced learning (TEL) strategy and the improvement of the overall online experience for both staff and students.

In order to provide the coverage required, wi-fi needed to be installed in over 50 of the buildings across the site. The diverse nature, from a Grade 2 listed country house, to 1930s’ brick properties and modern steel frame structures, needed to be factored into Redcentric’s approach, both in terms of installing equipment and obtaining best possible coverage.

One example was a building of metal construction, the Defence Capability Centre, that also houses very large metal objects including tanks and artillery.

To ensure the signal was not blocked Redcentric mounted wi-fi access points at height in key locations.

Redcentric also overcame the challenge of deploying Wi-Fi across the Academy’s testing and research areas which are densely packed with wooden tunnels that would have absorbed the signal without careful access point siting.

“The collaboration between the Defence Academy CIO’s office, my team and Redcentric was extremely efficient,” said Iain Hay, ICT Service Manager, Serco. “To bring in a complex project with minimal disruption to business output, on-time and under budget speaks volumes for the dedication and professionalism of all involved.”

Picture:    The MOD Academy in Shrivenham, Wiltshire, has had a new wireless network from Redcentric delivered on time and under budget.

Article written by Robin Snow | Published 17 April 2015

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