Education

Addressing The Future-Proofed Vision

The American University in Cairo has been a beating heart for its community since its founding in 1919. The internationally revered institution faced significant challenges with its legacy network infrastructure, which struggled to meet the demands of a modern, digitally driven academic environment. Operating across two campuses, AUC's IT team persevered with a decentralized network management system, aged equipment, limited visibility, and increasing security vulnerabilities. As Dr. Iman Megahed, AVP for Digital Transformation and Chief Strategy and Knowledge Officer at AUC, noted, the university needed a solution that would not only address these immediate "nightmarish" challenges but also lay the foundation for future growth and innovation. "A reliable network experience is no longer a privilege, but a right for all our students and staff members." Cisco shared this vision.

In response to these challenges, AUC partnered with Cisco, through the Country Digital Acceleration (CDA) Egypt program, and BTC Networks to embark on a comprehensive network overhaul. This would be a year's long transformational project which aimed to produce a unified, secure, and scalable network infrastructure that would support a seamless digital learning environment, an enhanced student and staff experience, as well as drive operational efficiencies for the onsite IT team. The deployment of Cisco Catalyst switches and NetScout analytics provided AUC with the tools it needed to gain visibility into its network, proactively manage performance, and protect against security threats.

The collaboration between AUC, Cisco, and BTC Networks was critical to the success of the project. BTC Networks provided local expertise and support, assuring an end-to-end deployment and ongoing management of the network. Cisco's CDA Egypt team considerably supported this project with its project management services to support the installation of advanced networking solutions, combined with BTC Networks' local knowledge, equipped AUC to overcome its challenges and create a future-proofed network infrastructure. AUC's network requires 24/7 availabilities with limited downtime and used public holidays to address any installation or equipment upgrading. In a complex environment across two campuses, clear communication between Cisco, CDA Egypt, BTC Networks, and AUC was imperative to this project's success. 

Building a Foundation for Digital Education and Innovation

The implementation of Cisco networking solutions at AUC has been transformative, strengthening its digital education capabilities, security, and overall network management. Dr. Iman emphasizes that "It wasn't just an IT project; it was a true transformation project redefining a completely dead network to a very vibrant network, and this is where the future is." With the new network infrastructure in place, AUC now supports smart classrooms, IoT integration, and other advanced technologies that have enriched the student and staff experience.”

Cisco's CDA Egypt team played a pivotal role in complimenting the AUC-funded network renovation with CDA funds for project management services and overseeing the NetScout implementation and monitoring. This support ensured a complete solution tailored to AUC’s specific requirements, now opening doors to further innovation and supporting the university's position as a leading educational institution in the region. The enhanced network visibility and management capabilities provided by NetScout analytics enable AUC to proactively monitor network performance and address potential issues before they impact users. This has resulted in improved uptime, reliability, and overall user satisfaction. Moreover, the integrated security features of Cisco's networking solutions have established a robust security posture, which protects sensitive data as well as ensures secure digital environment. The ability to quickly recover from failures, thanks to Cisco ACI, has also improved business continuity and minimized the impact of disruptions. Senior Network Manager Mohammed Shalkamy details that network downtime has been reduced significantly from "a few hours to only 20 minutes."

Looking ahead, AUC is exploring new opportunities to partner with Cisco, to continue delivering an exceptional education experience to its students. AUC is considering partnerships with Cisco's NetAcad program to enhance its curriculum and provide students with valuable skills.

Mohamed Shalkamy emphasized the new network infrastructure has not only addressed the university's immediate challenges but has also positioned it for future success. "We have enhanced the bandwidth 20x more than before... we never experience slowness in our network now."

Delivering Exceptional Educational Experiences

Beyond operational and security enhancements, the digital transformation at AUC has significantly advanced the university's mission of providing exceptional educational experiences. By modernizing its network infrastructure with Cisco networking solutions, AUC has created a learning environment that is more engaging, collaborative, and accessible.

The new network infrastructure supports a wide range of digital learning tools and resources, enabling students to access information, collaborate with peers, and engage with instructors from anywhere on campus. The reinforced network visibility and management capabilities have empowered AUC to optimize its network performance and guarantee that students have a reliable learning experience.

The success of this transformation is a testament to the strong partnership between AUC, Cisco, and BTC Networks. As Dr. Iman Megahed noted, the collaboration between the three organizations was crucial to overcoming challenges and securing the project's success. The effective integration of Cisco's networking and security solutions has not only supported AUC's ambition to lead digital education but has also set a benchmark for other academic institutions in the region.