Shekinah ITS

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the technology coordinator for an educational institution.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Shekinah ITS to accomplish for your school?

We hired Shekinah ITS to design, implement, and maintain our school's network infrastructure, ensuring reliable internet connectivity, secure network access, and stable wireless coverage across the campus. Our objectives included improving network performance, enhancing cybersecurity, reducing downtime, and providing ongoing technical support to meet the needs of students, teachers, and administrative staff.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Shekinah ITS has been providing services to our organization for approximately five years. Their scope of work has included the design, implementation, maintenance, and ongoing support of our network infrastructure, as well as electrical engineering services related to technology deployments and campus operations.Key deliverables have included the installation and configuration of wireless access points and network switches, network optimization and monitoring, infrastructure upgrades, troubleshooting and resolution of connectivity issues, preventive maintenance, and technical consulting. In addition, they've supported electrical infrastructure projects associated with network and technology equipment installations.Their work has helped ensure reliable campus-wide connectivity, improved network performance and security, and provided the technical expertise necessary to support the school's educational and administrative operations.Shekinah ITS's work covers the entire campus, including both school buildings, which are separated by a public street and connected through the institution's network infrastructure.Their services encompass all major areas of the school, including classrooms, administrative offices, libraries, common areas, staff workspaces, and specialized educational facilities. They're responsible for supporting and maintaining the wireless and wired network infrastructure across both campuses, ensuring reliable connectivity for students, faculty, and administrative personnel.Their focus isn't limited to a specific department or building; rather, they provide comprehensive network and infrastructure support for the institution as a whole, helping maintain consistent performance, security, and availability throughout the campus.

How did you come to work with Shekinah ITS?

We found them through a referral. We chose them over other options because they had high ratings, their pricing fit our budget, and they offered good value for the cost.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in March 2021, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

The partnership with Shekinah ITS has resulted in significant improvements to the reliability, performance, and scalability of our campus technology infrastructure. Key outcomes include stable wireless coverage across both campuses, improved network performance for students and staff, reduced service interruptions, and faster resolution of technical issues through proactive monitoring and support.Their work has enabled the school to support a growing number of connected devices and educational technologies while maintaining a secure and dependable network environment. The infrastructure improvements have also enhanced the user experience for classroom instruction, administrative operations, and online learning resources.Overall, the success of the project is demonstrated by the consistent availability of network services, increased system reliability, improved campus-wide connectivity, and the ability to effectively support the school's academic and operational needs.While we didn't establish formal baseline metrics or user satisfaction surveys at the start of the engagement, we've observed several measurable operational improvements over the course of our partnership with Shekinah ITS. These include a significant reduction in network-related incidents requiring intervention, improved wireless coverage across both campuses, increased network capacity to support a growing number of users and devices, and faster resolution times when technical issues occur.The infrastructure has consistently supported daily academic and administrative operations with minimal disruption, even as the school's technology requirements have expanded. The most notable indicator of success has been the long-term reliability of the network environment across both campuses and our continued confidence in Shekinah ITS as a strategic technology partner over the past five years.Before Shekinah ITS began working with us, we experienced frequent network issues caused by an aging and poorly structured infrastructure, including multiple mini-switches, inconsistent cabling, and redundant network paths that contributed to slow performance and occasional network outages.After Shekinah ITS redesigned and improved the infrastructure, the number of network-related incidents and service interruptions decreased substantially. While we don't have a formal historical percentage for downtime reduction, the difference has been very noticeable operationally. What previously resulted in frequent reports of slow connectivity, intermittent service, or complete network outages is now relatively uncommon.The improvements to the network architecture, switching infrastructure, and cabling have made the network significantly more stable and reliable across both campuses, with substantially fewer incidents affecting classroom and administrative operations.One of the clearest measurable improvements is the network's ability to reliably support approximately 800 connected devices on a typical school day, including laptops, phones, iPads, tablets, and other network-connected equipment.Shekinah ITS has also provided consistent technical support, with response times generally occurring within the school's operating hours. This allows network issues to be identified and addressed while the school is actively operating, minimizing disruption to classrooms and administrative operations.Compared with our previous infrastructure, which experienced frequent slowdowns and connectivity issues due to multiple mini-switches, extensive cabling, and redundant network paths, the current infrastructure provides significantly greater capacity, stability, and reliability while supporting a much larger number of devices.

How did Shekinah ITS perform from a project management standpoint?

Shekinah ITS's project management has been excellent. They've consistently planned and executed their work in an organized and professional manner, communicating effectively throughout each project.Projects and scheduled work have been delivered on time, without significant delays or major inconveniences for the school. They've also been flexible in coordinating their work around the school's operating schedule, helping minimize disruption to academic and administrative activities.Overall, we've been very satisfied with their ability to manage projects efficiently, meet agreed timelines, and deliver the expected results.

What did you find most impressive or unique about them?

What we've found most impressive about working with Shekinah ITS is their reliability, responsiveness, and ability to understand the specific needs of a school environment. They don't simply address individual technical issues; they look at the infrastructure as a whole and provide solutions that improve long-term reliability and performance.Their technical expertise, attention to detail, and willingness to work around the school's operational requirements have been particularly valuable. Over the past five years, they've consistently delivered quality work on time and without major complications, making them a trusted technology partner for our school.

Are there any areas they could improve?

One area that could have been addressed earlier was the segmentation of the network using VLANs. At the time, this wasn't part of the original implementation, and introducing VLANs could have provided additional organization, security, and traffic management from an earlier stage.This was subsequently implemented approximately three years ago when our current IT management took over, and it has further improved the structure and management of the network. However, in retrospect, we believe that recommending network segmentation as part of the initial infrastructure design could have been beneficial.