Centralized and lean IT: Augsburg County show the way at their schools

Successful pioneers
The pandemic caught many schools in Germany cold. In most cases, IT concepts in education were still in their infancy. One of the few exceptions in the school landscape was the district of Augsburg. As early as 2003, a forward-looking decision was made here that the entire IT for the schools should be centrally managed by a dedicated team. The result: the 15 schools in the district were able to rely on a functioning infrastructure at the start of the pandemic. Hardware and software are managed centrally by the Augsburg district as the responsible authority, the schools are connected to an MPLS network, and the decision to use a cloud-based collaboration platform was already made in 2017.

Fire safety concerns
Within the schools, the team led by Robert Wegner, deputy IT manager of the Augsburg district and responsible for IT at the schools, relied for many years on fiber optics in the backbone and copper cabling on the floors. However, when two schools in Schwabmünchen needed to be brought up to date in terms of network technology, this concept reached its limits. Safe copper cabling was not possible in the existing old buildings, and concerns about space requirements and fire protection weighed too heavily. An electrical planner brought a new idea to the table: Why not simply run the fiber optic cabling all the way to the classrooms?

Constructional advantages
With regard to the structural design of the switches, Robert Wegner focused on two aspects that play an important role for applications in educational institutions: "An RJ45 connection is concealed in a cable duct. This is very convenient for us, especially in schools. We connect the WiFi access points via it and thus protect them from being tampered with." In addition, the IT team chose the option of powering the Micro Switch via a plug instead of connecting it directly to the network. If a Micro Switch needs to be replaced, this can be done by the janitor, for example, without having to hire an electrician.

He sees a major advantage in the large number of different buildings in which the Micro Switches are installed in the selection of accessories. Up to now, he has still been able to find the right part for every cable duct in the 70-page catalog of installation components. To manage the Micro Switches, the IT team in Augsburg relies on the network management system from Microsens. All devices can be monitored via this system, and updates can be managed centrally. There have been no component failures so far, and the team is very satisfied with the reliability of hardware and software.

Strategic use
Fiber To The Office is the technology of choice for the IT team at the Augsburg district office. Angelo Baumann is currently planning the new extension to the district office, which will also be equipped with micro switches. Robert Wegner's agenda also includes two new school buildings in the district by 2025, both of which will be equipped with FTTO technology. He explains, "Wherever we need to upgrade the networks, we use Microsens technology. This gives us the greatest possible flexibility and provides us with an economically very efficient solution."