How to connect 12 schools in 10 days

Schools across the country scrambled to implement remote learning programs last year as the pandemic forced them first to close their doors, then support hybrid learning models with students learning both in-person and online. This unexpected situation put a strain on IT infrastructure as schools struggled to support the technology needs of both students learning in the classroom, and educators using online programs to interact with virtual learners.

For one school district in particular, among the largest in Ohio, lack of bandwidth was a problem. When it pivoted to hybrid learning in the spring of 2020, its 500 faculty members and 7,000 students struggled to access online learning resources and programs. Staff were unable to reliably access the programs they needed to interact with students learning from home. To solve these problems, the district secured funding from the federal E-rate program so they could upgrade their connectivity solution. 

There was just one challenge: Which technology partner with an E-rate-eligible solution could deliver on a tight timeline?

Finding a partner to complete the assignment

At the beginning of August, about four weeks before the start of the school year, the district reached out to the IT firm serving most public school districts throughout Ohio about upgrading their 1 Gbps Ethernet circuit. Because funding was available through the E-rate program, the firm contacted several telecommunications services providers with eligible solutions, including Spectrum Enterprise, about upgrading the district’s 12 schools to a 5 Gbps circuit. A partner of the IT firm’s for over 10 years, Spectrum Enterprise had provided the existing fiber circuit.

Timing was tight — this type of upgrade would require numerous steps including splicing the fiber, installing new equipment, and configuring and testing the service — normally a three-month process. 

Not one to shy away from a challenge, sales manager Yousef Zananiri pulled together the Field Operations, Service Delivery, Project Management and Engineering teams to see if it would be possible to pull it off in what would likely be just a couple of weeks by the time a contract was signed. “I had to get everyone’s assurance that they would deliver quickly since time was of the essence,” says Zananiri. “There were a lot of approvals we had to get from a lot of people before we could commit to the district that we would meet their deadline.”

Approvals secured, Zananiri let the IT firm know they could get the job done. “Multiple companies responded to our request, but it was Spectrum Enterprise who stepped up and committed to completing the project within our required timeframe,” says the IT firm CEO. The job was theirs, and the contract was signed — just 10 business days before the school year started.

Acing the big test

Because Zananiri had already gotten the commitment of the teams that needed to be involved in the upgrade, they were prepared to hit the ground running when they were given the green light to start the project. “Because everyone was teed up in advance, we were able to condense processes that typically take weeks to a matter of hours,” says Zananiri.

With a lot of long hours and skillful coordination between numerous Spectrum Enterprise teams, the upgrade was completed within the 10-day window on August 31 — just in time for the start of the new school year.

Scoring straight A’s in partnership

With the 5 Gbps fiber Ethernet circuit in place, students in the classroom were able to reliably access online resources, and staff could seamlessly livestream classes to thousands of students learning from home. The district — and the IT firm’s CEO — couldn’t have been happier. “This project reminded us why our partnership with Spectrum Enterprise has been such a productive and enduring one,” he says.

Learn more about how Spectrum Enterprise supports the technology needs of K-12 schools.