ASI Solutions replaces Cisco switching for Brocade solution at Marion City Council libraries

ASI Solutions has rolled out Meru Networks wireless solution to 10 Marion City Council facilities and has replaced ageing Cisco switching infrastructure with Brocade gear.

The Marion City Council was looking for ways to make staff more efficient and identified that wi-fi could help increase productivity.

Phil Mattingly, City of Marion Council Infrastructure and service delivery manager, said: "Traditionally, our staff have been tied to their desks when accessing the council’s computer network and core applications. We wanted them to be more mobile while at the same time retaining secure access to the systems that they require."

The only facilities that had wi-fi networks were the council's libraries.

"We knew we wanted a high-performance wi-fi infrastructure to support our staff and were keen to assess the offerings of a range of vendors. After a robust assessment process, we decided on a package put forward by ASI Solutions," Mattingly said.

ASI Solutions was selected through a tender process and rolled out 35 access points over three months to 10 facilities. Following the installation, 150 mobile devices were checked and approved for use on the new network.

The council IT team was impressed by the architecture of the solution, which provided a single network to users that could easily be scaled if needed.

With the help of ASI Solutions, the council IT team created a second wi-fi network as a security measure for BYOD access. That way staff could access certain resources without risking the security of the primary network.

"Across the networks we are achieving data speeds of up to 800Mbps," Mattingly said.

The council is experiencing the same performance on both the wireless and the ethernet infrastructure. The wi-fi network has also been extended into the public libraries where it supports both free and paid wireless network services for users. According to the council, the performance has significantly improved on the previous offering.

After the success, the council went to tender to replace its Cisco switching infrastructure with a solution based on Brocade equipment, which was also done by ASI Solutions.

Mattingly said ASI Solutions would continue to be a key technology partner for the council and he expects the relationship to include more projects in the near future.

The City of Marion Council serves a population of 89,000 residents with a diverse range of services from planning and development to waste collection and management of community facilities.

ASI Solutions is a CRN MVP, which recognises companies for their high levels of vendor partnerships.