Faster web a breeze for Windber
ApplianSys is pleased to announce that Windber Area School District in Pennsylvania USA has chosen CACHEBOX to stop network congestion from impending rollout of its 1:1 learning scheme.
Despite a generous 1Gbps internet link for its 1,600 students, Windber Area’s network was beginning to struggle. With morning announcements delivered via its YouTube channel, the simultaneous rush to view was saturating capacity. Requests queued, forcing students to wait for content to download.
On top of rising video and media-rich learning content, each new 1:1 device began demanding its own software updates. With large identical multi-gigabyte files being repeatedly downloaded more and more, congestion was now recurring throughout the day.
The tech team had tried staggering device updates by blocking domains at certain times of the day. But with 1:1 planned to encompass every student and web traffic expected to spiral, it needed a more comprehensive solution.
Having seen CACHEBOX perform well while working at neighbouring district Richmond, Tech Director Frank Tallyen applied for budget from a federal programme that helped fund caching In US schools. Securing funds for Windber’s own appliance, a summer deployment followed.
Results were immediate. With CACHEBOX meeting internet requests by storing and serving online content locally, demand was slashed dramatically.
“Roughly 60% of all content demanded is being met from cache. ‘Updates’ performance is even better,” says CACHEBOX Consultant Sergio Villegas. “As much as 86% of Windows software has been offloaded.”
And because cached content is served directly over the LAN it arrives at much faster LAN speeds – clearing the network quickly and leaving students with a premium, congestion-free e-learning experience.
About
Windber Area School District is a small, rural, public school district in Somerset County, Pennsylvania and Cambria County, Pennsylvania, some 70 miles east of Pittsburgh. To fully support students and staff through instruction and assessment in an evolving 1:1 environment, it promises maximum availability of Instructional Technology, for the best learning outcomes.