Customer Success Story
‘Project Impossible’ becomes Wi-Fi sensation in Long Beach schools
Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD) beats the odds as a leader in urban education excellence. As the fourth largest school district in California, LBUSD regularly earns accolades as one of the world’s highest performing educational systems despite the academic challenges of its diverse and economically disadvantaged student population.
The pandemic put the high-achieving district to the test. Students and teachers returning to classes in-person had grown accustomed to digital learning, and a network experience that was acceptable pre-pandemic would now be frustrating. LBUSD rolled out an AI-driven Juniper network that exceeded everyone’s expectations.
Overview
| Company | Long Beach Unified School District |
| Industry | Education |
| Products used | AP43, Wireless (Wi-Fi) Assurance |
| Region | Americas |
103+
School and administrative locations received a Wi-Fi upgrade
65,000+
Students gained fast, secure connectivity to Wi-Fi
<10
Weeks needed to replace 5,400 wireless access points
100%
Strategically with the business to enable growth
Create a digital-first learning environment
After a year of hybrid learning, LBUSD knew its Wi-Fi network could not meet the demands of returning students and teachers. The existing Wi-Fi wasn’t up to the challenge of supporting the tens of thousands of Chromebooks the district had distributed to students during remote learning and tens of thousands more devices already used in classrooms. Lesson plans had become focused on digital learning activities that relied on technology more than ever.
To support a digital-first learning environment and IoT-enabled smart buildings, LBUSD needed a modern, AI-driven wireless network. The IT team dubbed the plan “Project Impossible,” due to the tight timeframe and the huge scope of replacing thousands of access points in more than 103 locations within 10 weeks.
“We wanted it to be easy for the end users and make sure they had great experiences when they returned to school,” says Matthew Woods, executive director, technology and information services at LBUSD. “Selecting new Wi-Fi is a high-stakes decision, and Juniper did not disappoint.”
Self-driving Wi-Fi network with AIOps
LBUSD exchanged its wireless controllers for an AI-driven network from Juniper in less than 10 weeks.
Working with its longstanding IT consultant Cybertek, the district deployed 5,400 Juniper access points for high-density Wi-Fi 6 for Chromebooks and other mobile devices as well as connectivity for IoT devices like smart door locks, heating and cooling systems, and irrigation controls.
Juniper Mist Wi-Fi Assurance and Marvis Virtual Network Assistant provide automation and AIOps to simplify network administration. The support team gained 100% visibility into Wi-Fi network, device, and app performance, which has improved mean time to repair time and reduced incoming support calls.`
“The visibility and support we have with Marvis is a game changer for the IT team and helpdesk,” says Woods. “We can look at network, device, and user activity in real time and know what’s happening.”
From 0 to 100% visibility in only 10 weeks
LBUSD moved the Juniper wireless network into production faster than anyone expected.
“We could deploy an access point in six minutes,” says Woods. “We finished ahead of schedule and when people came back to the schools, they turned on their devices and it just worked.”
Teachers and staff have had great experiences. Fewer calls come into the support desk, and when there are Wi-Fi connectivity issues, the support team can isolate the problem and solve it quickly based on real-time insights from Marvis and Wi-Fi Assurance.
“With Marvis and Wi-Fi Assurance we can rationally and expeditiously solve problems,” says Woods. “The network is healthier, and we can get to the root of problems and address them faster than ever before.”
The Products
AP43
The Juniper AP43 high-performance Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) access point integrates patented virtual Bluetooth® LE (vBLE) and Internet of Things (IoT) capabilities to deliver an unprecedented user experiences.
Wireless (Wi-Fi) Assurance
Driven by Mist AI and machine learning, the Juniper Mist Wireless Assurance cloud service automates troubleshooting and operations, making wireless networks predictable, reliable, and measurable while providing near-real-time visibility into user service levels.
Marvis VNA
Marvis, the first AI-driven virtual network assistant, optimizes user and operator experiences with proactive actions and self-driving network operations. A natural language conversational interface provides simple and seamless interactions, making Marvis an integrated member of any IT team.
Published April 2023