Vertical Focus: Education

Wide area networks have become valuable assets for enhancing the learning experience, both in institutions of higher education and in K-12 schools. To take advantage of these modern network resources, schools need service providers who can deliver reliable, scaleable, and affordable communications services. BellSouth is answering with a complete set of network solutions that utilize technologies from Cisco to improve the learning experience.

"BellSouth strives to constantly improve the quality of education by streamlining student, parent and educator access to information and working to ensure that the classroom environment is enriching and safe for students and educators alike," says Lisa Durrett, BellSouth Education Offer Manager. "We're mining the strengths of both Cisco and BellSouth to offer fully integrated, end-to-end data solutions that appeal to the education market."

For example, BellSouth's E-Rate WAN service is a complete network solution designed specifically for K-12 schools. As a fully E-Rate eligible package, the service includes:

• Choice of transport option - Frame Relay or GigE/NMLICisco WAN edge devices (BellSouth owned)Installation, Staging and Testing
• Service Level Objectives for network reliability, availability and performance
• Maintenance options

E-Rate WAN not only provides an ongoing revenue stream to BellSouth for the base service offer, but builds a solid foundation for value-added service offers down the road, such as "Safe and Secure" and Managed IP Telephony-both of which are based on Cisco technology. "Once the basic infrastructure is in place, schools can add additional technologies and capabilities such as IP video surveillance, IP Telephony, and Wireless laptops on a cart," says Durrett.

A wide range of new managed services solutions, designed exclusively for the education market, are being rolled out over the next year, including:

• Managed IP Telephony / VoIP
• Managed Security / Safe & Secure Schools
• Wireless LAN

BellSouth has established a team of professionals who understands school administrators, teachers and students. These education specialists can assess and provide professional services, survey current performance, design unique data solutions, configure and install the necessary hardware, and provide ongoing maintenance, help desk, network monitoring and operations support.

For more information, please refer to the BellSouth Educational Gateway at http://k12.bellsouth.com/.

K-14 Trade Up to Cisco Program Extended

The K-14 Trade Up to Cisco Education Promotion has been extend through July 25, 2003. This program offers a significant discount of up to 18 additional points to channel partners selling to schools, on a one-time basis, for the purchase of Cisco Catalyst switches, when they are used to replace existing hubs and switches from HP, 3Com, Nortel/Bay, Enterasys, DELL and Intel that are in the school's infrastructure.

Please contact Cisco's Mark Thompson for more information: 678-352-2830.

Cisco employees can find program details on CEC at: http://wwwin.cisco.com/cmc/cc/serv/
mkt/pr/rpromo/us/00846_pi.htm

Editors: Lorraine Maurice
Product Marketing Manager
Data Services
lorraine.maurice@bellsouth.com
(404) 829-7227

Ellen M. Chandra
Service Acceleration
Marketing Program Manager
echandra@cisco.com
(408) 525-6302

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