March 8, 2007 -- APWMayville announced that California's Westwood College of Technology selected the company's rack and enclosure products for a recent campus expansion.
For the expansion, the college worked with Arkatype, a full-service connectivity provider, to manage and design its 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's Mini Max wall cabinets at the college's four California campuses, located in Los Angeles, South Bay, Inland Empire and Anaheim.
"Westwood's biggest immediate need was a product that that was sturdy enough to get used on a daily basis," says Cantrell. "APWMayville just made the most sense, offering the best blend of features and cost. 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."
The college says that its commitment to standardization allows an IT staff member from any Westwood campus to experience a uniform environment while maintaining the crucial core technical systems that make up the college's technology programs.
APWMayville says that a single Westwood campus can feature up to 50 classrooms containing cabinets housing a variety of IT equipment. From each cabinet, cabling is run into the college's main distribution frame; the cabinets and racks in use afford Westwood enough space to make for flexible cable management and easy access, according to the company.
"We take great care selecting cabinets for our infrastructure and we've never had a problem managing cabling and wiring since we began using APWMayville racks," reports Kevin Behunin, Westwood College of Technology's IT director.
Westwood is a national university offering a variety of career-focused degree programs in computer network engineering and management. The cabinets are located out in the open, serving as a tool in the education program, providing function while facilitating learning.
Westwood says it stresses hands-on training given for its students, so its networks must be housed in a sturdy rack that withstands those demands. Students enrolled in network engineering and management courses complete daily projects simulating troubleshooting scenarios in a business environment. The dual-hinged cabinet allows students to open the front door and have access to plug in patch cables; the hinge on the back allows them to view everything inside from the rear.
APWMayville's Cantrell notes that his company's cabinets offer robust features without putting strain on the college's budget. "The college looked at several other options, but when it came down to price, no other competitor could match the form, function and aesthetic quality like APWMayville," he concludes.