Howe Public Schools consistently sought out technologies with proven ease of integration and scalability while developing its IT infrastructure. This helped speed an initial transition to secure distance learning, and then even further, to a hybrid learning environment. But in doing so, they were careful to select equipment that had a proven track record for reliability. This included Cisco routers and switches that could seamlessly and securely connect all of their connected devices to one another.
Howe further sought integration and scalability by deploying Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Unified CM) to provide secure call control and session management for on-site and remote phone users. By seeking solutions that easily integrate, teachers and staff can personalize their user experience to better fit their needs. For example, Howe team members can route calls from work, via Webex Teams, conveniently to their personal smartphones. This speeds response times to inquiries from students, parents, or other staff in after-hours or off-campus scenarios. It also gives teachers and staff at Howe an added sense of security since they don’t have to give out their personal phone numbers.
Lastly, by recognizing the need for their IT infrastructure to easily integrate and scale as future innovations emerged, Howe Public Schools District was able to add Singlewire, an advanced solution that connects offices, classrooms, security, and administrators to simplify paging, school bells, and emergency notifications.
