Prairie View Networking Academy (PVNA) Embraces Powerful Avaya Networking PlatformProviding Students with a Strong Foundation in Networking Technology

Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU), with an enrollment of

some 8,500 students, is a historically African American

university located northwest of Houston, TX. For students

studying Engineering technology in Prairie View’s Roy G. Perry

College of Engineering, the Prairie View A&M University

Networking Academy (PVNA) offers skills and knowledge in the

areas of telecommunications, computer networks and the data

computing — preparing students for an industry that is

fast-paced and rapidly evolving.

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Challenges

• Aging lab needed

refresh

• Ease-of-use a

weakness for

previous platform

• Updated network

needed to train

students in SPB

• No IP multicast

with existing

network

Value Created

• Lab equipped with

powerful new

network

• Students learn

practical skills

involving SPB, IP

multicast

• Simplicity of

network

accelerates

teaching of

advanced

concepts

“The aim of Prairie View A&M

University Networking Academy is to

give students a strong foundation in

networking technologies for real

world applications,” says Dr. Sarhan

Musa, PVNA Director and Associate

Professor & Boeing Welliver Fellow,

Department of Engineering

Technology. “We want them in a

position to be utilizing practical

skills — and also to understand

leading edge technologies.”

Infrastructure Update

For years, the school relied on a

laboratory outfitted with networking

gear that has begun to show its age.

Stepping up to assist Prairie View,

Avaya business partner Shamrock

Communications, a full service voice

and data converged communications

company based in Katy, TX, in 2014

donated a new Avaya Fabric Connect

network infrastructure with which

Prairie View Network Academy could

update their lab.

“We were pleased to be in a position

to help Prairie View, one of Texas’

original land grant universities,” said

Danny Poindexter, Sales Manager at

Shamrock Communications. “We

were able to provide Prairie View with

capabilities they didn’t have before.”

“One of our challenges was that the

previous network was difficult to use,”

said Musa. “Even graduate students

found it complicated. Commands

involved in set up and configurations

were not intuitive or straightforward.”

“Avaya has taken an approach that

virtualizes the network, reduces

network complexity, and drastically

improves time-to-service/time-to-

market,” commented Avaya Network

Sales Specialist Mike Bagby.

“Students will learn first-hand how our

open standards technology supports

innovative solutions for customers

across the globe.”

PVAMU did indeed find the Avaya

network solutions appealing for their

ease of installation and maintenance.

“Simplicity is very important,” Musa

commented. In addition, he is looking

forward to the advanced capabilities

the new platform will provide.

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“One of our challenges

was that the previous

network was difficult

to use. Students found

it complicated.

Commands involved

in set up and

configurations were

not intuitive or

straightforward.”

— Dr. Sarhan Musa, Director,

Prairie View A&M University Networking

Academy (PVNA)

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Important Trend

One capability in particular was key to

PVNA. “Shortest Path Bridging is

important. Students need to know

SPB,” said Musa. “That’s the future.”

IP multicast, a method of sending

Internet Protocol (IP) datagrams to a

group of interested receivers in a

single transmission, is another part of

the Avaya platform that excites Musa.

“IP multicast is a very hot area,” he

says. “I want students to be exposed

to that.” He expects to set up the lab

with IP multicast cameras without the

operational complexities of the

previous networking platform being

retired. The Network Academy plans

to expose students to practical ways

that IP multicast can be used to

address security issues in real-world

applications.

“Learning technology that was once

boring and cumbersome,” Musa adds,

“can become exciting and

exhilarating. The effects of this new

proposed Academy will draw students

to PVAMU and companies to our

students for future employment.”

Looking to the Future

“This is the first phase for our new

lab,” says Musa. “I am excited about

this phase. I look forward to the lab

evolving over time.”

Reflecting on the future for the lab at

the Prairie View Network Academy,

excitement was apparent in Musa’s

voice. “It’s a very powerful

technology that Avaya has.”

“Avaya has taken an

approach that

virtualizes the network,

reduces network

complexity, and

drastically improves

time-to-service/

time-to-market.”

— Mike Bagby,

Avaya Network Sales Specialist

ABOUT PRAIRIE VIEW A&M UNIVERSITY NETWORKING ACADEMY (PVNA)

Prairie View A&M University Networking Academy (PVNA) is part of

the Roy G. Perry College of Engineering at Prairie View A&M University.

Founded in 1876, Prairie View A&M University was the first state supported

College in Texas for African Americans, established during the Reconstruction

Period after the Civil War. It is the second oldest public institution of higher

learning in the state of Texas. A member of the Texas A&M University System,

PVAMU is dedicated to fulfilling its mission of achieving excellence in teaching,

research and service. See http://www.pvamu.edu/.

ABOUT SHAMROCK COMMUNICATIONS

Shamrock Communications is a Silver Avaya Business Partner serving the

Houston area, located in Katy, Texas. Shamrock specialize in the design,

implementation, and maintenance of converged voice and data

communication systems, including Voice over IP.

© 2014 Avaya Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Avaya and the Avaya logo are trademarks of Avaya Inc. and are registered in the United States and other countries. All other

trademarks identified by ®, TM, or SM are registered marks, trademarks, and service marks, respectively, of Avaya Inc.

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About AvayaAvaya is a global provider of business collaboration and communications solutions, providing unified communications, contact centers, networking and related services to companies of all sizes around the world. For more information please visit www.avaya.com.

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