Alaska: The Fast Frontier

ApplianSys is pleased to announce that Yakutat School District in Alaska is the latest district to deploy a CACHEBOX – increasing broadband capacity whilst simultaneously keeping down broadband costs.

Like a lot of remote Alaskan school districts, Yakutat pays eye-watering sums for below-average internet capacity. Despite paying out $30,000 a month, classroom demand would quickly overwhelm its 25Mbps connection, making online testing, learning and independent research almost impossible for its students.

Urgently looking for a way to free up its congested network and make the most of its current broadband connection, Yakutat turned to CACHEBOX. By caching repeat content and serving subsequent requests locally, CACHEBOX has eliminated pressure on the internet connection slashed the amount of bandwidth needed.

This has freed up existing capacity – directly improving the students’ in-class learning experience. Teachers can now confidently include YouTube videos and data-heavy learning resources without fear of congesting the network.

‘Alaskan schools are faced with some of the most expensive bandwidth costs in the US, so upgrading is often not feasible’, explains Caching Consultant Alastair Scobbie, ‘but in choosing CACHEBOX, Yakutat has paid only a fraction of the cost of a bandwidth upgrade, enabling it to spend its precious budget on more important things’.

About
Yakutat School District in southern Alaska aims to provide each student with positive educational experiences in a broad range of subjects that reflect community values. Its commitment to equipping students with the skills necessary to become responsible citizens in a global society means it prioritises independent learning and reliable access to online content from around the world.