Rack and enclosure developer APWMayville (www.apwmayville.com) is now an integral part of the learning process at Westwood (CA) College of Technology-a national university offering a variety of career-focused degree programs in Computer Network Engineering and Management.
During a recent campus expansion, the college worked with Arkatype (www.arkatype.com), a full service connectivity provider in Laguna Hills, to manage and design the school’s data communications installations. Michael Cantrell, Arkatype’s CEO, says the goal of creating a user-friendly learning environment greatly impacted the decision to use APWMayville Mini Max wall cabinets at the college’s four California campuses (Los Angeles, South Bay, Inland Empire and Anaheim).
“Westwood’s biggest immediate need was a product that was sturdy enough to get used on a daily basis,” says Cantrell. “That’s why we developed a standard operating procedure that includes APWMayville racks in every installation we do for Westwood in California. Whether they’re just doing a new classroom, renovating, or expanding the campus, they’ve standardized on APWMayville because of the convenience and flexibility that the cabinets give their students.”
From each cabinet, cabling is run into the college’s main distribution frame, handling anything the college needs to go to the classrooms on an update or Internet connectivity basis. The cabinets and racks in use now afford Westwood enough space to make for flexible cable management and easy access.
Students enrolled in Network Engineering and Management courses complete daily projects simulating troubleshooting scenarios in a business environment. APWMayville cabinets are out in the open, serving as a vital tool in the education program, and providing function while facilitating learning. Westwood stresses hands-on training for its students, so the networks must be housed in a sturdy rack that withstands those demands. The dual-hinged APWMayville Mini Max cabinet lets students open the front door to plug in patch cables, while the hinge on the back lets them view everything inside from the rear.
Westwood College’s commitment to standardization allows an IT staff member from any of its campuses to experience a uniform environment while maintaining the core technical systems that make up the college’s technology programs. A single Westwood campus can feature up to 50 classrooms containing APWMayville cabinets housing a variety of IT equipment.