Smart campus technology

Choosing the right partner for smart campus technology

Colleges and universities everywhere are looking to smart campus technology to improve educational outcomes, increase operational efficiency and provide better digital experiences for students and faculty.

A smart campus is an educational institution that uses data and technology to simplify interactions, automate processes, conserve energy, increase operational efficiency and extract meaningful insights from data analytics. Smart campus technology might include ubiquitous WiFi connectivity, cloud-based student portals for class timetables, classrooms with smart lighting and thermostats, and sensors positioned across campus to monitor activity and increase security.

While smart campus technology offers tremendous benefits, it can also overwhelm short-handed IT teams that are struggling to keep up with the pace of digital transformation. That’s where Spectrum Enterprise can help. With comprehensive solutions and turnkey services, we support IT teams with innovative solutions for implementing, managing and scaling smart campus technology.
 

What is smart campus technology?

Smart campus technology includes a broad array of solutions that help colleges and universities achieve competitive advantage by providing better experiences for students and enabling more efficient, automated processes.

Examples of smart campus technology include solutions for:

• Smart classrooms. Smart campus technology includes telepresence technologies that bridge physical distances and virtual and mixed reality solutions that immerse students in their learning experiences. Student engagement platforms support student discussion and interaction inside and outside the class, while video walls create dynamic, interactive learning environments.
• Student living. Streaming video solutions provide students with the entertainment and sports programming they crave on any device, anywhere on campus. Smart laundry systems allow students to consult an online app to see which washers and dryers are currently available.
• Food service. Self-service portals speed up food service lines and facilitate delivery of snacks and meals to students across campus at all hours of the day.
• Athletic stadiums. Interactive screens enhance the fan experience during sporting and concert events. Ubiquitous WiFi supports mobile ticketing, point-of-sale systems and technology for ordering food and beverages on mobile devices.
• Campus facilities. Smart spaces technology monitors power consumption in real time and helps campuses optimize the use of utilities. Automated parking systems direct visitors and commuters to the nearest parking space.
• Campus security. Automated alerts, network cameras and location sensors improve safety by tracking suspicious activity, alerting students to potential danger and providing rapid assistance to students in distress.
• Libraries. Automated lending kiosks improve service for students while minimizing work for administrative staff. Voice-powered searches let users explore databases using Amazon’s Alexa technology.
• Admissions offices. Intelligent chatbots enable admissions teams to engage more students with limited resources, and data dashboards help prioritize resources and efforts toward students who are most likely to enroll.
• Student services. Self-service portals enable students to use their mobile devices to access info and take care of many tasks – from registration and financial aid to bus schedules and desktops available in the library computer lab.
• Esports. As esports surge in popularity on college campuses, smart esports technology equips casual gamers, intramural squads and intercollegiate teams with the infrastructure to meet the demands of gaming applications that require massive bandwidth and exceptional speed.
   

Smart campus technology from Spectrum Enterprise

As a partner to hundreds of colleges and universities nationwide, Spectrum Enterprise offers comprehensive solutions for designing, implementing and managing smart campus technology. From always-on connectivity for labs and dorms to managed networking and security technology, Spectrum Enterprise experts provide education solutions tailored to your campus that deliver exceptional performance and end-to-end accountability.

To support smart campus technology, Spectrum Enterprise offers solutions for:

• Superior connectivity. Built on Spectrum Enterprise’s reliable fiber network, Dedicated Fiber Internet provides dedicated internet connectivity with symmetrical upload and download speeds and bandwidth up to 100 Gbps.
• Managed network services. Managed Network Edge offers a secure, turnkey solution for managing every aspect of the network: security, routing, WiFi, SD-WAN, DDoS protection, remote access and more.
• Streaming TV technology. SpectrumU TV lets students access streaming videos, sports and entertainment programming on any device, anywhere on campus.
• Communications. Unified communications and collaboration technology increases staff productivity and simplifies student-faculty interactions with cloud-based solutions for voice and video calling, instant messaging and desktop sharing.
• WAN connections. Fast, reliable wide area network (WAN) ethernet services meet ever-growing data needs.
• Cloud connections. Fast, secure and dependable private cloud connections extend the network and provide secure access to enterprise cloud storage.
• Campus WiFi. Managed WiFi solutions ensure fast and reliable service everywhere on campus while minimizing IT burden and moving away from an expensive, CapEx model for purchasing and managing WiFi equipment.
   

The benefits of smart campus technology

With smart campus technology from Spectrum Enterprise, colleges and universities can:

• Create a smarter, safer campus. Smart campus technology facilitates remote learning, improves network security, mitigates cybersecurity threats and enhances physical security with integrated cameras and sensors.
• Enhance the student experience. Reliable network infrastructure and fast mobile connectivity deliver a seamless, secure and integrated digital education experience for students, faculty and staff. Flexible, technology-rich learning environments close the digital education divide and help prepare students for the future.
• Accelerate digital education transformation. Connected campuses and smart learning environments with advanced digital education infrastructure support continual innovation in higher education technology.
• Improve operational efficiency. Automated processes, data-driven analytics and reliable connectivity enable colleges and universities to manage operations with less effort and fewer resources.
   

Why choose Spectrum Enterprise?

Spectrum Enterprise is a national provider of scalable, fiber technology solutions for America’s largest businesses, communication service providers and educational institutions. We understand that every higher education institution is unique, so our technology experts design custom solutions that help you stay competitive. Our deep experience in higher education includes partnerships with hundreds of colleges and universities, creating technology-rich environments that accelerate student success. Our award-winning fiber network is engineered for exceptional performance to support the high-bandwidth requirements of a broad range of educational activities. And with a nationwide reach, we can support your institution’s needs as they change in size and scope.

FAQs

What is a smart campus?

A smart campus is an educational institution that leverages technology, data and analytics to automate processes, improve operational efficiency, ensure seamless connectivity and provide better digital experiences for students, faculty and staff. Smart campus technology includes everything from streaming TV services in dorms to online student service portals and from interactive classroom technology to solutions for improving energy consumption through continuous monitoring and automatic control.
 

What are the benefits of managed WiFi for colleges and universities?

On college and university campuses, ubiquitous WiFi is essential for keeping students, faculty and staff connected throughout the day, no matter where they go. A managed WiFi solution minimizes the burden on campus IT teams for installing and maintaining equipment, troubleshooting dead zones and ensuring adequate bandwidth. Managed WiFi solutions also allow institutions to move the cost of managing WiFi from a capital to an operational expense model.
 

What are SD-WAN benefits for educational institutions?

Software-defined wide area networking (SD-WAN) enables more reliable connectivity for students and faculty while lowering the institution’s costs. SD-WAN architecture is easier for IT teams to manage and provides greater protection against a wide range of cyber threats.