Education K–12 IT Solutions

Earn an A+ with the right

technology for your school.

BLACK BOX®

Digital KVM extension

ServSwitch™ Agility

Enterprise wireless system

SmartPath™

Network and physical security

Veri-NAC™ and LockPORT™

K–12 IT Solutions

Affordable and easy ways to improve the learning environment and prepare your school for the IT needs of tomorrow.

Education K–12 Solutions

Call us at 724-746-5500 for free application engineering support, and to learn more, schedule a demo, or place an order.

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Award-Winning Solutions

ICOMP Series

Maximize your technology investments.You need to get the most from your budget as you upgrade and expand your network. Let the experts at Black Box help by designing, sourcing, and implementing innovative solutions including:

Get the right tools, tips, and technology to help you build, manage, extend, and secure your network.

• Accesscontrol

• Cybersecurity

• Datacenters/cooling

• DigitalKVMextension

• Digitalsignage

• Laptop/notebook/CPUstorage

• Networksecurity

• Wirelessmobility

• Wirelesscollaboration

and presentation

iCOMPEL™ Digital Signage and Emergency NotificationThe easiest way to alert and inform students and staff.• Foraffordablycreating,distributing,andmanagingcontent.• Canbesetuptoplayvideo,liveTV,andWebcontent,including

RSS feeds, in individual zones within a single screen.• Easytointegrate.Plugintoanetwork,andcontrolandupdate

via a standard Web browser.• Integratedhardware/softwaredevices.Includeallthe

drag-and-drop design and scheduling software you need.FREE updates, no ongoing licensing fees, plus FREE layouts to customize with your school’s logo.

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more Videos, Webinars, Demos, Case Studies, White Papers: blackbox.com/go/iCOMPEL

LockPORT™ Security Patch Cables and Port LocksKeep students from tampering with critical connections.• Preventunauthorizednetworkaccess.• Stopaccidentaldisconnects.• Lockunusednetworkports.LockPORT cables and locks stay in —untilYOUtakethemout.

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more Video, Brochure: blackbox.com/go/LockPORT

SpaceGAIN™ Cables and PanelsMake the most out of the space you have.• Space-savingsolutionsforhigh-density

infrastructures, crowded cabinets, and tight desktops.

• 90°Right-AnglePatchCablesandAngledPatch Panels reduce cabling congestion in crowded cabinets.

• Idealforretrofittingcabinets.Gain up to 4" of valuable cabling space.


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more Video, Brochure: blackbox.com/go/SpaceGAIN

Wireless Collaboration and Video Presentation System IIIKeep your students engaged.• Enables up to 254 users to wirelessly

send their computer video and audio to a projector from where they sit — up to 300 feet (91.4 m) away.*

• Supports the latest in 802.11n Wi-Fi devices.• Works with both PC and Mac® computers.Get students involved in presentations — up to 254 users can access the system. * NOTE: Distance possible in optimum conditions.


more Video, Case Study, Data Sheet: blackbox.com/go/VPS

AC1132A

Laptop, Notebook, and Tablet CartsStore, protect, and charge students’ laptops overnight.• Easytorollfromclassroomtoclassroom.• Built-inpowerstripsandventedforcooling.• Translucentdoor,soyoucanperformavisual

inventory while still keeping contents secure.• Durableandguaranteedforlife.Mobile, secure, and built to last!

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more Video demo: blackbox.com/go/LaptopCarts

Call us at 724-746-5500 for free application engineering support, and to learn more, schedule a demo, or place an order.

Use our library of tips and tools to help you achieve your technology goals.Visit blackbox.com/go/Resources for white papers, case studies, videos, webinars, buyer's guides, product configurators, and more.

White PapersDigitalSignageforK–12The Basics of Network Access Control

Case StudiesLake Highland Preparatory SchoolFloridaSchoolDistrict

SmartPath™ Enterprise WirelessGet fast, reliable wireless that’s simpler and more affordable to deploy.• Easilyintegratean802.11nwirelesssystem

into your network.• Offersthespeed,security,andstability

of a wired network.• IntelligentAPsautomaticallyadjustfor

traffic, interference, and power conditions.Stretch your budget—no expensive controllers to buy!


more White Papers, Brochure: blackbox.com/go/SmartPath

Manage all system APs

from the cloud!

LWN602A


more Brochures, White Papers, Buyer's Guides, Webinars: blackbox.com/go/ColdFront and blackbox.com/go/ClimateCab

CAT5e/6/6A Channel Solutions

Fiber Solutions and ETL-Verified CATx Channels Guaranteed for life, guaranteed performance, guaranteed genuine cable.

A B S O L U T E LY

F O R L I F EGUARANTEED

ABSOLUTELY

F O R L I F E

SM, MM, and 10-GbE Fiber

Solutions.

Security Locking CAT5e/6 or Fiber

Patch Cable

SpaceGAIN™ Right Angle CAT5e/6

Patch Cables


more Videos, Product Brochures, Specifications and Submittal Brochures, White Papers, Buyer's Guides, Podcasts, Cable Selectors: blackbox.com/go/EverythingCable

Go green.

Complete Enclosure and Cooling SolutionsUseColdFront™ passive liquid cooling at the rack level and cut cooling and power costs by up to 50%. • Heat-TransferDoorsneutralizeheatatthesourceandtheCoolant

Management System intelligently moves water through the doors. • ColdFronthasnomovingparts,soitoperatesreliablywithvirtually

no maintenance. • Itsupportsfivetimesthecomputingpowerofair-cooledfacilities.

ClimateCab™ enables you to install equipment without the need for additional cooling or costly infrastructure. • Thecabinetsprotectequipmentagainstfallingdirt,circulating

dust, lint, and debris, and dripping or splashing liquids in indoor environments.

• ChoosefrommodelswithanincludedACunitorordertheAC unit separately to match your specifications.

• ManymodelsareNEMA12rated.Add cabinets as you add computing power so you don’t pay for infrastructure that you don’t need.

Complete Enclosure and Cooling Solutions

ServSwitch™ AgilityGo farther, do more, with digital KVM extension over IP.• FlexibletopologyforKVMextension:point-to-point,point-to-multipoint,

multicasting, and more.• Deliversperfectdigitalvideowithnoloss.• No-losscompressionminimizesbandwidthuse.• Possibleapplicationsforhealthcare,broadcastproduction,

and digital signage.


more Brochure, Applications: blackbox.com/go/ServSwitchAgility

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The backgroundThe Head Start organization of Lane County, Oregon provides

comprehensive developmental services to the county’s low-income preschool children, ages three to five, and social services for their families.

To provide its vital services to families all across the county, Lane County Head Start maintains 19 separate facilities. The IT network connecting all these sites is large and complex, with more than 250 nodes, 19 firewalls, and numerous servers and routers, including some that belong to third-party Internet service providers (ISPs) like Comcast.

A formidable challenge Mel Stiner, the information services manager for Lane County

Head Start, is responsible for managing this complicated network and ensuring that it’s always up and running smoothly. He’s also responsible for network security at all 19 sites, which presents a formidable challenge.

“The staff at all of our facilities relies on our network and the applications that run on it to do their jobs, so keeping the network secure is critical,” explained Stiner. “An unauthorized device plugging into the network can wreak havoc. For example, someone plugged in an unauthorized router that issued its own IP addresses to different nodes, which brought down all of the printers on the network.”

According to Stiner, it usually took hours of searching to find the source of a problem like this and fix it. “We could see on the firewall that something unauthorized was there, but we had no insight into the nature of the security problem or where it was occurring. It could be a simple device issue, a rogue desktop or router plugging in, or someone infiltrating the network. We literally had to search through the entire network for the physical item causing the security breach.”

Over time, the problems were becoming more frequent and harder to trace. All of Lane County Head Start’s 19 sites are networked together to a main switch. Some of its facilities rent out unused office space to other groups, which opens new security risks. People were just plugging their own laptops into any open port and going on-line. This gave them open access and the freedom to probe within the network.

Reducing vulnerability and controlling network access with Veri-NAC.

Increasingly concerned about network vulnerability, Stiner decided to look for a solution to help his IT team manage network access control and minimize security risks. Going into the evaluation process, he identified several key selection criteria.

First, he needed a solution that could handle a mix of Linux® and Windows® boxes equally well. It had to be easy for his team to learn and use.

Most important, it had to free his people from the endless hours of tedious troubleshooting. They needed a solution that would provide them with real-time actionable information and instantly pinpoint anomalies, incursions, and unauthorized access.

Stiner chose Veri-NAC™ network access control appliances from Black Box, initially implementing one 5400 model and two 5250 models. The Veri-NAC appliances allow only authorized devices to access the Lane County network. Veri-NAC validates that each connected machine complies with requirements specified by Stiner’s team, including operating system and configuration. It also provides the IT team with much-needed real-time insight into everything that is happening on the Veri-NAC monitored network.

According to Stiner, the installation was simple, straightforward, and fast, with no disruption of network operations. The Black Box support group walked Lane County’s IT team through the configuration and system menus over the phone, and the team was good to go. Delivering tangible benefits every day

“Veri-NAC is easy and intuitive to use, and it gives us everything we need in a single product. It tells us when a node is plugged into the net, it alerts us to vulnerabilities so we can solve the problem proactively, and—one of the biggest time savers — it weeds out false positives, so we can concentrate on addressing the real issues that arise,” commented Stiner.

Each Lane County site on the network has its own sub-net with its own IP address schema. Now, if an untrusted device tries to plug into the network, Veri-NAC automatically locks it out, whether it’s a server, router, desktop, laptop, or wireless device. Veri-NAC also identifies the exact IP address and location of the access attempt, so the IT team can tell at a glance that there’s a problem, know precisely where it’s occurring, and instantly zero in on the source.

One of the first things Stiner did with Veri-NAC was run an audit of Head Start’s critical servers. He was stunned when Veri-NAC discovered that anyone could log into any server with a null login, giving them free reign to access the network resources and even steal data — a critical hole in security that had to be plugged immediately.

Locking out unauthorized devices that can jeopardize network operations is vitally important, but there’s more to network security for Lane County Head Start. It deals with families and young children, and as a result, it has a lot of sensitive personal data in its systems that must be protected.

“I can’t say enough good things about Veri-NAC. We haven’t found anything yet that Veri-NAC can’t do when it comes to ensuring network security. It’s a fantastic product,” concluded Stiner.

Case Study

Industry: Education


Lane County Head StartProject: Network access control; prevent unauthorized devices and completely restrict the network

Major challenges: Large network with 19 subnets and renters; Linux and Windows

Education K–12 IT Solutions

Technology

secureyour network

wired network

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unauthorized network

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