Thousands of Students at College, School District Using Avaya System for Campus-Wide Wireless Access to Information

Monday, October 29, 2001  

NEW YORK and Basking Ridge, N.J. – Avaya Inc. (NYSE:AV), a global leader in corporate networking solutions and services, has been selected to deploy campus-wide wireless network environments for two educational institutions -- Iona College, a college located just outside the metropolitan New York City area, and the Katonah-Lewisboro School District, which includes the high school, middle school and four elementary schools in Westchester County, New York. Both new wireless local area network (LAN) infrastructures from Avaya give students secure access to the Internet, the schools’ computer network and the library databases anytime and from any location across the campus.

            “We may be living in the ‘Information Age,’ but to fully realize the benefits of that information we must be able to access it when it is wanted,” said James A. Liguori, CFC, president of Iona College. “With this state-of-the-art wireless technology, Iona College is now providing our students with an access to knowledge that will help prepare them to deal with whatever challenges lie ahead.”

 “We just started the testing phase and the first results are promising,” said John Thibdeau, director of administrative services of the Katonah-Lewisboro school district. “In the next few weeks, we will be able to provide our students with better access to information – without boundaries - in order to prepare them to integrate new technology in their day-to-day lives.”

Iona College provides the best available technology-based education opportunities to its students

            Originally expected to be completed in 2003, the Iona’s wireless LAN system was finished by the first day of the fall semester on September 4 to allow the 3,000 full-time and 1,600 part-time students starting wireless connections from the library to the classrooms to the dorms or from public areas such as the hill facing the athletic field. Iona College’s new wireless indoor and outdoor coverage provides high-speed access from anywhere on the 35-acre campus – including 16 buildings in New Rochelle as well as the Rockland campus, both in New York.

            The complete wireless infrastructure has required as many as 127 Avaya Wireless AP-2 access points combined with a range of antennas to enable access throughout campus buildings and approximately a 150-foot perimeter outside them. Students need only to be equipped with small wireless adapters registered and configured by the Iona information technology department to gain access to the wireless network, which minimizes unauthorized access or data corruption by an illegal user.

The Katonah-Lewisboro School District adopts new technology to enrich students overall learning experiences

The Katonah-Lewisboro School District will offer secure and reliable communication to its 4,000 students - divided into the high school, the middle school and four elementary schools. They will have access to the Internet and school data network from any location. Starting last August, the first phase of the wireless LAN implementation covered the libraries, learning clusters and classrooms. The current deployment is being tested by a 25-member advisory group before starting the second phase in 2002. In that phase, the district may change its existing traditional computer labs around the district with mobile wireless classrooms to give users more flexibility.

Building on the Avaya Wireless Indoor solution – including the Avaya Wireless AP-2 Power over Ethernet – the new wireless network, compared with a traditional network, will allow the school district to reduce installation time and protect network investment. It will also provide greater flexibility for use of rooms in the district and increased mobility and accessibility to the information directly from the students’ and teachers’ laptops.

            “These implementations are helping institutions to enhance the learning experience of thousands of students,” said Gary D. Goodrow, regional manager, North America for Avaya Wireless LAN Solutions. “Our wireless LAN portfolio offers the high level of performance, reliability and security requested by our customers to offer the mobility necessary to work in a better productive environment.”

About Iona College

            Founded in 1940 by the Congregation of Christian Brothers, Iona College is a private, co-educational institution of learning in the tradition of American Catholic higher education. Iona offers undergraduate degrees in liberal arts, science, and business administration, as well as Master of Arts, Master of Science and Master of Business Administration degrees and numerous post-graduate certificate programs.

About  Katonah-Lewisboro School District

            The Katonah-Lewisboro Union Free School serves an area of approximately 55 square miles in Westchester County, New York. The District encompasses the Katonah area, the entire Town of Lewisboro, and portions of Bedford, Pound Ridge and North Salem.

            Currently, all School District elementary schools are operating at capacity. Enrollment projections made by the District’s demographer indicate that elementary enrollments over the next five to ten years are likely to be stable. Construction improvements are needed in order to respond to current school program requirements, and needs to improve existing facilities and more fully accommodate existing staff and students. Secondary school enrollments are expected to increase substantially over the five to ten year horizon, due to the increased elementary enrollments already in the system. The Middle School is currently at capacity with just under 1,000 students. The High School has a degree of capacity currently, however, enrollment projects indicate a 45 percent increase over the next five years due to children already in the elementary grades.

About Bick Data Management Systems, Inc.

Founded in 1982 and based out of Katonah, New York, Bick Data has evolved into a leader providing information technology consulting services and solutions. Bick Data serves clients in the United States from California to New York. By providing a full range of critical information technology services and solutions, Bick has emerged as a key technology partner for many of the country’s premier companies and schools. For more information on Bick Data Management Systems, Inc., visit its website at http://www.bickdata.com

About Avaya

Avaya, headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., is a leading global provider of communications solutions and services that help businesses, government agencies and other institutions excel in the customer economy. Avaya offers Customer Relationship Management Solutions, Unified Communication Solutions, Hosted Solutions, MultiService Networking Infrastructure, and Converged Voice and Data Networks - including the company's no-compromise Avaya Enterprise-Class IP Solutions (ECLIPS) - all supported by Avaya Services and Avaya Labs. Avaya is a worldwide leader in unified messaging, messaging systems, call centers and structured cabling systems. It is a U.S. leader in voice communications systems. Avaya is an Official Partner of the 2002 FIFA World Cup™, the FIFA Women's World Cup 2003 and the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ championships. For more information on Avaya, visit its website at http://www.avaya.com.