Colubris Networks, the leading global provider of intelligent wireless LANs (WLANs) for enterprises and service providers, today announced that Palmer College of Chiropractic, the largest chiropractic college in the world, has selected Colubris to provide a wireless infrastructure for its three campuses across the U.S. With Colubris, Palmer College will be able to provide full wireless coverage for its California and Florida campuses, while plans are underway to provide wireless coverage for most of the Iowa campus. In addition to this highly reliable wireless network, Colubris provides Palmer with critical security features for access control and healthcare industry compliance requirements.
Palmer College’s alumni make up approximately one-third of the 75,000 chiropractors currently in practice worldwide. The college has three campuses: the main campus in Davenport, Iowa; West Campus in San Jose, Calif.; and the Florida Campus in Port Orange, Fla.
Palmer had previously deployed a wireless network, but the equipment lacked access control features to prevent outsiders from launching malicious attacks over the Palmer network. After evaluating several wireless LAN products, Palmer chose to deploy a wireless network from Colubris. Palmer is currently using nearly 100 Colubris MultiService Access Points (MAPs) across all three campuses, as well as nine Colubris MultiService Controllers (MSCs).
“The Colubris network provides us with the access control that we require and lets us implement different criteria for access, such as giving faculty the ability to instantly log on to the network, while requiring a log-in page for students,” said Mike Benedict, director of information technology of Palmer College of Chiropractic. “In addition, Colubris gives us powerful security features such as strong WLAN authentication and encryption that help us comply with HIPAA and other regulations in the healthcare and education fields.”
Colubris also supports the bandwidth-intensive applications that run over the Palmer network. As an educational and healthcare institution, Palmer runs several healthcare applications, such as an electronic medical records (EMR) application on which it stores patient exam results, records and X-rays. Colubris provides Palmer with an always-available wireless network to access this application. In addition, as an educational institution, Palmer needs to support student-initiated applications and devices, such as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). While the college isn’t currently deploying VoIP as a campus initiative, students and faculty do bring voice and other applications on campus. Colubris enables Palmer to meet the growing demand that these applications place on the network.
The Palmer network is designed using single-radio MAP-320s for coverage in newer buildings, complemented by dual-radio MAP-330s configured in a Colubris local mesh for coverage in older buildings. Colubris’ Local Mesh Protocol (LMP) eliminates the need to pull expensive cable, which is important for Palmer, since it has many older buildings at its main campus that it does not want to cable. Colubris’ LMP automates configuration of wireless backhaul links for easy deployment and provides high availability by automatically reconfiguring around failures.
Colubris also provides Palmer College with investment protection. As the college looks to expand its wireless network, it can add access points and controllers incrementally. In addition, as new wireless standards emerge – such as 802.11n – Palmer will not need to undergo a major network overhaul with Colubris, as it would need to with competing wireless LAN providers.
“Educational institutions such as Palmer always want to stay at the forefront of technology, and are continually adding to and upgrading their networks as new applications are developed and new standards emerge,” said Rob Scott, president and CEO of Colubris Networks. “Colubris provides these institutions with a highly scalable, best-in-class solution that grows with them, without incurring high costs or compromising performance.”
About Colubris Colubris Networks is the leading global provider of intelligent wireless networks (WLANs) for enterprises and service providers. Its optimized WLAN switching systems deliver unmatched bandwidth efficiency, seamless mobility and secure, easy access for thousands of organizations and 40 million users worldwide. With its “future proof” architecture, Colubris provides organizations with the most cost-effective migration from legacy standards to 802.11n. Its systems unify and integrate with existing network infrastructures, as well as security and management systems. Colubris’ numerous recognitions include Red Herring’s top 100 private companies in North America, Fierce Wireless Fierce 15, CRN’s Emerging Tech Vendors and Mobile Trax Mobility Award. For more information, visit Colubris on the Web at www.colubris.com.
