Lessons Learned and Recommendations


When asked to describe lessons learned, Bruce Scott and David Renaud provided the following five recommendations.

Sort Out Support Up Front

Define your support model and ensure that it works. University staff members have been very active in ensuring that users can access the WLAN easily and securely. The solution will fail if users cannot depend on reliable WLAN service. The work David's team put into ensuring a positive user experience and a robust support model has ensured the success of the solution.

Build a Solid and Well-Tested Architecture

Scott recommends that you design, build, test, and pilot the architecture before undertaking a widescale deployment. Phased implementation also allows for the incremental introduction of the solution, along with spreading the support load and ensuring that IT staff are trained and familiar with the service.

Not only did Scott and Renaud's team pilot its architecture and validate its technical and security stability with an incremental deployment, but it also commissioned independent audits. The university's WLAN solution was audited by Queensland Audit Office, an independent State Government body that assists the Auditor-General of Queensland in providing independent audit services to the Queensland Parliament and all state public sector entities and local governments in Queensland.

Furthermore, the wireless network was certified as Secure by Electronic Warfare Associates Australia, a commercial but independent security analysis and vulnerability auditing corporation. EWA-Australia is part of the global Electronic Warfare Associates corporation, based in Herndon, Virginia.

Understand Your Users

Renaud advises, "Ask your users what they want and where they want it." By surveying the university faculty and student bodies, Scott's team was able to tailor, design, and implement a solution that was much more likely to succeed, rather than simply deploying on a standard rolling basis.

Two surveys were undertaken: one for students and the other for academic staff. Satisfying explicit and validated user requirements therefore formed a fundamental part of the design process. The web portal also contains a "Have Your Say" feedback feature that allows users and staff to submit suggestions, complaints, and requests. Scott's group makes it a priority to address these requests and reported issues as they come up.

Furthermore, a Post Implementation Review survey was undertaken to quantify client satisfaction and identify potential problem areas, including dead spots. The survey results will form part of the planned fourth phase of deployment, with the university fine-tuning the solution.

Note

Griffith University's use of a Post Implementation Review is an excellent example of an organization putting into action the optimize phase of the PPDIOO solutions lifecycle. By the university ensuring that it is reactive to user requirements and the WLAN is fine-tuned, it optimizes the solution and ensures continued success and client satisfaction.


Establish a Web Portal

The use of a comprehensive web portal has been critical to the success of Griffith University's WLAN. Wireless@Griffith contains comprehensive solutions information, including interactive coverage maps, training, trending reports, and more. Not only is a significant number of FAQs included, but the web portal also includes up-to-date coverage maps at a campus level. Users can click on individual buildings and drill down to floors and even rooms. Furthermore, coverage maps provide digital photographs of every location and room where service is provided. Comprehensive links are provided not only to external resources, including technical support pages for common WLAN vendors (Linksys, Apple, Dell, and so on), but also to independent WLAN technical resources for those interested in the technology, wireless industry, news, and market trends. Finally, user feedback is encouraged by the use of a "Have Your Say" feature. University IT staff members carefully monitor user feedback and react to their concerns and requests, again ensuring client satisfaction and the success of the solution.

Integrate the Solution into Existing Business Processes

The university already used a dedicated web-based reservation system for all bookable rooms in every campus. This system was enhanced with specific details on what rooms and areas had wireless connectivity. The WLAN was integrated into existing business processes, and at the same time, visibility of the features was increased. By advertising wireless connectivity and therefore encouraging staff and users to select wireless-enabled areas, and by providing a user-friendly web portal with contemporaneous usage statistics, interactive coverage maps, and online feedback features, the wireless network at Griffith University has become more than a simple 802.11g network. It has become a very popular addition to the suite of services offered by the Information and Communication Technology Staff group.

Furthermore, installation of dedicated wireless data outlets (above ceiling tiles in Griffith's case) was added to the university's standard building design guidelines. At Griffith University, IT staff initiated this decision early in the deployment process. They work closely with the university's office of facilities management to ensure that all new buildings and refurbishments have wireless data outlets installed and APs supplied, ready to be deployed as part of the standard building fit-out or refurbishment process.




The Business Case for Enterprise-Class Wireless Lans
The Business Case for Enterprise-Class Wireless LANs
ISBN: 1587201259
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2004
Pages: 163

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