ZyXEL Success Story: Italian Children's Charity House of Oz Enhances Connectivity

Overview

Customer Name: House of Oz

Customer Industry: Non-profit/charity

Challenges

• Provide wireless network infrastructure for non-profit
• Provide wireless Internet connectivity for guests
• Create internal network for staff
• Solution must be secure and stable
• Network must be easy to manage

Solutions

• 802.11 a/b/g/n Business Access Point
• Wireless LAN Controller
• GbE Smart Managed switch
• Unified Security Gateway
• 2-Bay Power Media Server

Benefits

• Connects to mobility features via two separate VLANs
• Firewall provides UTM security
• Thorough wireless coverage via multiple APs
• Free access for guests with full security features
• Future-proof for easy expansion

Background

House of Oz is a non-profit organization based in Torino, Italy. Its mission is to help children with serious diseases and their families. The organization is headquartered in a building that includes common areas for treatment, education, play, and meetings, as well as rooms for housing young patients and their families. Over 60 families were accommodated in 2014, arriving from Italy, Albania, Iraq, and Venezuela. The Store of Oz opened in October 2014, and is housed in a new building where teenagers with handicaps can meet, study, acquire job skills, cook, and create new experiences. It also includes various common areas, meeting rooms, a shop, a bar, and a restaurant.

The Oz project is sponsored by the famous Italian comedian Luciana Littizzetto, a presenter for Italia's Got Talent on Sky TV. The project involves the collaboration between several companies that share values for helping the community, along with national and local foundations and cooperatives that offer daily services that benefit society.

Project Challenges

House of Oz wanted a new wireless infrastructure for the opening of Store of Oz, to provide free internet connectivity within the building, including full mobility features. The organization required two networks: one for employees to access internal resources, and one for guests to access the Internet.

ZyXEL's Solution and Benefits

ZyXEL donated the full network infrastructure based on its Hospitality Solution to provide free Wi-Fi, including wireless coverage, switching, and security appliances. The wireless network was created with 8 NWA3160-N Access Points managed by a NXC2500 Wireless LAN Controller. This allows connections with mobility features to two different VLANs – one for employees and one for guests – accessible by smartphone, tablet, or notebook. A GS1900 24-port GbE Smart Managed Switch was used for cabling connections. Security is provided by a USG310 Unified Security Gateway next-gen firewall with full UTM services, connected to a NSA320S 2-Bay Power Media Server operating as a log server.

Thanks to the ZyXEL Hospitality Solution, House of Oz now has complete wireless coverage with mobility features throughout the building, including the bar, restaurant, and meeting rooms. Guests can access the Internet for free with full security features, while employees can remain connected to company resources. The network can expand easily in the near future as new areas are built.

Valerio Rosano, sales & marketing manager for ZyXEL, stated, "We are very proud to have contributed to the initiative of Casa Oz (House of Oz). This great opportunity allows us to confirm how technology can be a valuable resource for providing better services to citizens. Wi-Fi solutions are once again the vehicle of our success, helping us to improve people's lives."

Products Used

Network Diagram Description

The network diagram illustrates the ZyXEL solution for House of Oz. It shows a central network core comprising a Firewall, Unified Security Gateway, Wireless LAN Controller, and a Switch. Connected to the Switch are a 2-Bay Power Media Server and multiple Business Access Points. These Access Points provide Wi-Fi connectivity to various devices such as laptops, smartphones, tablets, and cameras, indicating a comprehensive wireless network setup.

Key components shown are:

• Firewall / Unified Security Gateway: For security and traffic management.
• Wireless LAN Controller: For managing access points.
• Switch: For wired network connectivity.
• 2-Bay Power Media Server: For data storage and media services.
• Business Access Points: For providing wireless network access.
• Connected Devices: Laptops, smartphones, tablets, cameras, etc.
• Connectivity indicators: Representing Gigabit Ethernet and Wi-Fi connections.

About ZyXEL Communications

ZyXEL Communications Corp., founded in 1989 and headquartered in Taiwan, is a leading provider of complete broadband access solutions. As one of the early modem manufacturers, ZyXEL has evolved through the fast-paced networking industry. Delivering cutting-edge communications innovations to more than 400,000 businesses and over 100 million consumers worldwide, ZyXEL is one of the few companies capable of offering complete networking solutions for Telcos, small to medium-sized businesses, and digital home users across a wide range of deployment scenarios. Telco solutions include Central Office Equipment, Customer Premise Equipment, Wired and Wireless Access Network Devices, and Carrier Switches. SMB and Enterprise solutions include Unified Security Gateways, LAN Switches, WLAN, and IP Telephony. Digital Home solutions include Network Connectivity Devices and Multimedia Solutions.

The company employs 1000 people and has distributors in 70 countries, reaching over 150 regional markets. ZyXEL Communications Corp. includes 35 subsidiaries and sales offices and two research and development centers worldwide. For more information, visit the company's website: http://www.zyxel.com.

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