High-Tech Academy Enhances Learning Experience with Brocade IP Network-Based Technologies

Brocade^® (Nasdaq:BRCD) today announced that St. Mary’s Academy, one of the nation’s most prestigious K-12 academic institutions, has enhanced learning in its unique classroom environment by providing real-time video streaming and SMART Board technology to its students with the help of Brocade Power over Ethernet (PoE) and Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) networking infrastructure.

The 146-year-old Academy has consistently been a pioneer in education and provided the first diploma in the territory of Colorado. The independent learning institution currently educates elementary, middle and high school students with the main goal of providing a valuable, competitive educational experience to its students. St. Mary’s Academy sets itself apart from other schools by implementing innovative teaching methods based on advanced Brocade IP networking technologies.

The academic institution operates a converged network that supports data, voice and video on a single, unified platform. As a result, it can offer continuous secure application connectivity, such as interactive SMART Board and IP-enabled interactive whiteboards that use touch detection for virtually limitless user input and educational video streaming.

"Technology is changing the classroom model by enabling customization and new ways of delivering academic content and interaction between students and teachers,” said Curtis Johnson, Director of Information Technology at St. Mary’s Academy. ”Our goal at St. Mary’s is to provide innovative technology services to our educators in the classroom to make the learning experience rich and dynamic for our students. Brocade provides us with a highly resilient always-on network that operates at wire speed, along with intelligent power management tools to continuously measure performance while reducing our implementation costs.”

Pervasive network access and sophisticated devices have changed the way St. Mary’s students and teachers interact, creating greater collaboration, debate and study groups. The network also provides an efficient, scalable infrastructure that can grow with ever-changing requirements and keep the academy ahead of the technology curve. In addition, Brocade high-density and energy-efficient switches reduce the need for additional valuable rack space, reducing power and cooling costs along with ongoing capital expenditures.

"Students are constantly pushing the limits of technology adoption and IT teams have to stay ahead of evolving trends. We strive to make the classroom an innovative and engaging environment for students with the help of cutting-edge technology,” said Joe Ammirato, Senior Director of Campus Product Management at Brocade. "St. Mary’s Academy exemplifies an educational institution that is passionate about providing innovative learning in a cost-effective manner, which ultimately enriches the lives of its students and their parents.”

The academy’s advanced network includes Brocade FastIron^® SX 10 GbE modular chassis switches as well as Brocade FastIron fixed and stackable switches, all of which have significantly improved reliability, reduced operation costs and simplified ongoing support for the network management team.

Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yo9j89yncRs

Wingspan Featured Customer Blog:

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About St. Mary’s Academy

St. Mary’s Academy, a Catholic, independent school, enjoys deep roots in the history of Colorado and the history of Sisters of Loretto. Founded in 1864 by the Sisters of Loretto, the school originally stood in the city of Denver. Today St. Mary’s Academy sits on 24 beautiful acres in Englewood, Colorado. For more information, visit www.smanet.org/.

About Brocade

Brocade (Nasdaq:BRCD) develops extraordinary networking solutions that enable today’s complex, data-intensive businesses to optimize information connectivity and maximize the business value of their data. For more information, visit www.brocade.com.

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