In both education and business environments, operating a smart “connected” campus has gone from a distant dream of the future to everyday table stakes. Gone are the days of offering students or workers a few free wi-fi hotspots and calling it a day. As we see in every industry we touch, people need, expect, and demand a full and seamless digital experience to participate in today’s digital economy.
When we think of a campus community – whether that be a university or college, K-12 education, or even a corporate campus environment – our minds tend to conjure images of innovation and groundbreaking technological development. Why?
Academic centers and research and development departments (R&D) have always been known as hubs for technological advancement, where great ideas move forward from “just a thought” to becoming an innovative reality accepted by the masses. It is clear, then, why modern campuses need to remain at the forefront of interconnectivity and innovation. Most people in these environments today are digital natives – and they have choices for where they decide to live, work, and go to school.
So the question is, how do you make it worth their while, amping up their digital campus experience with the proverbial “wow” factor? Ceragon can help give students and workers a smart campus that delivers ubiquitous connectivity, remote learning, collaborative and flexible workspaces, smarter transportation options, and better safety and security…to name just a few.
But becoming a connected campus is no simple feat. Resembling smaller scale smart cities, transforming into a smart campus involves an in-depth needs assessment. From there, it takes strategic planning to determine how the campus will incorporate new technologies and IoT devices while simultaneously bringing together existing, often disparate systems across campus.
UNDERSTANDING YOUR CHALLENGES
At a high level, today’s chief information officers (CIOs) and their teams are not only tasked with bringing existing technologies together today, but they must also strategize for the technology that will need to be integrated in the future.
With a strategically planned network infrastructure in place serving as the backbone for all digital advancements, smart campus success is within reach. But only if you optimize your communications network to work for YOUR campus and YOUR needs.
ENVISIONING A FULLY CONNECTED CAMPUS
The smart campus is an interconnected web of applications designed to make education and business more effective, efficient, and enjoyable. Through a thoughtfully planned communications network, schools and campuses can turn challenges into opportunities for growth, innovation, and communication.
Applications include:
- Smarter Campus-Wide Access & Stadium/Event Connectivity: Ensuring robust, reliable network connectivity not just in the classroom, but also on the lawn for a picnic lunch, or during events in large stadiums or arenas.
- Smarter Building-to-Building Connectivity: Enabling rapid data transfer and connected communication across various administrative and operational locations on campus.
- Smarter Transportation Solutions: Fostering efficient, environmentally friendly transit options through autonomous, connected campus buses, smart parking management, bike/vehicle shares, and delivery drones and robots.
- Smarter Environmental Controls and Sustainability: Monitoring and managing campus utilities and environmental controls in a more intelligent, proactive manner.
- Smarter Remote Learning and Opportunity: Extending digital learning access to remote areas, enhancing digital equity, and optimizing campus operations through remote management.
- Smarter Security & Surveillance: Enabling multi-megapixel video surveillance, digital signage, building access control, mass notification systems, and enhanced situational awareness.
- Smarter Campus Operations: Enabling enhanced operational efficiencies through facility services, grounds maintenance, special event operations, proactive machine maintenance, and more.
Moving toward a smart campus may seem overwhelming at first, but Ceragon stands ready to help as you develop your next-generation, future-proof network capable of supporting all smart campus applications of the future.
- High-capacity, low latency point-to-point transport products & fiber extension solutions
- Private network connectivity access solutions (private LTE/5G)
- Next-gen wi-fi
- Street-level connectivity
- Ceragon’s proprietary network digital twin technology
- Integrated IoT connectivity & smart sensors
- Expert network managed services and network maintenance
To read more, download our solution brief on End-to-End Connectivity for the Smart Campus.
