A wireless link by MMT, Scotland's longest established networking company, has been installed between the two campuses of James Watt FE College in Edinburgh.
The installation has improved the buildings' intranet links dramatically. It has improved it to the point where system back-ups of 15 Gigabits are now taking only one hour - compared to 120 hours previously.
The two campuses are just under 1 mile apart and are now linked by a100mb/s full-duplex wireless link. The installation was requested by the college following an increase in network usage and data flow, and the subsequent heavier load for system back-ups.
"This is excellent news for the college," says Scott Renton, director of ICT Development at James Watt. "Recent years have seen a huge increase in the size and duration of our back-ups and for the process to take days was clearly too long, and of course unacceptably risky in terms of the system falling over or the back-up failing."
"The wireless link has proved a real bonus to my department so far and it's a huge weight off our shoulders knowing that back-ups can be completed so quickly," he adds. "Add to this the faster transmission of information between buildings and the link is also a brilliant improvement for students and staff."
Jim Ward, wireless business manager at MMT, says the increased network traffic and demands on systems have vastly increased the need for quick, dependable solutions for back-ups.
"James Watt is an excellent example of how network managers can take advantage of cutting edge technology to reduce their exposure to back-up failures and free up their time to focus on other issues," says Ward.
The James Watt announcement comes at a key time for MMT as the company rolls out its joint-venture with Thus and Scottish Enterprise to give wireless broadband provision to the Scottish Borders region. This high profile project, alongside the company's on-going work with private and public sector clients has helped MMT retain its position at the forefront of wireless solutions application.
MMT is based in Glenrothes, Scotland. For more information visit www.mmt.co.uk.