XpressConnect™ for Higher Education
XpressConnect is used by educational institutions on four continents to bring simplicity
and sustainability to WPA-Enterprise, WPA2-Enterprise, and wired 802.1X deployments.
With proven results in these complex
and diverse network environments, XpressConnect has developed a loyal and vocal following.
Never before has standards-based security been so easy to deploy and support in networks
containing unmanaged and diverse systems.
For educational institutions, XpressConnect provides a fool-proof, consistent experience
across a wide range of devices. XpressConnect goes well beyond simply configuring the machine;
XpressConnect ensures network connectivity is established without support desk intervention.
Some of the reasons that educational institutions love XpressConnect include:
Simplify Wireless Security -
Whether based on 802.1X (WPA2-Enterprise, WPA-Enterprise, WEP/802.1X) or a pre-shared
key (WPA2-PSK, WPA-PSK, WEP), you can now enable wireless security without
burdening your users or your support desk.
XpressConnect ensures that wireless is configured consistently and securely
across a wide range of devices, 24 hours a day, without a trip to the support desk.
Avoid the Acronyms -
Wireless is strewn with acronyms, but access shouldn't require a technical degree.
XpressConnect masks away the complexity by automatically configuring PEAP, TTLS, and EAP-TLS
and can install additional software and hotfixes when necessary. It can
even install and configure trusted root certificate authorities, eliminating the
overhead of server certificate validation. For EAP-TLS environments, XpressConnect
can interact with your certificate authority (CA) to generate and install client certificates.
Everyone and Almost Everything -
The XpressConnect license for educational institutions covers anyone entering
your network, including
students, faculty, guests, conference attendees, and more. Whether they
show up with laptops, iOS devices (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch), or Android devices,
XpressConnect is ready to assist them. Bring Your Own Technology (BYOT) has never been
simpler.
Fallback Mechanism -
Beyond the initial rollout, XpressConnect acts as a fallback mechanism
for wireless users. When wireless does not behave as expected,
whether due to user error, technical error, or network configuration changes,
XpressConnect is available to the user to quickly and effortlessly
reconnect to the secure network.
Wired 802.1X Too -
All the magic that XpressConnect brings to wireless environments
is also available for wired 802.1X.
Typical Deployment Models for Higher Education
In educational institutions, there are several options for deploying XpressConnect.
The following are some of the most common deployment scenarios:
Open (or Help) SSID -
The XpressConnect Wizard is placed on a web server within the network.
Then, the captive portal on an open SSID is configured to provide users
with a link to XpressConnect. As a user enters the network for the first time, they associate
to the open SSID. The captive portal on the WLAN controller presents some
messaging and a link to XpressConnect. Once clicked, XpressConnect loads,
configures the device, and reconnects it to the secure network.
Remote Preconfiguration -
The XpressConnect Wizard is placed on a web server exposed to the Internet.
Then, users access XpressConnect from home or from another
public network. XpressConnect prepares the machine for its arrival on
campus.
Higher Education Case Studies
See For Yourself
Contact us to request a demo, request additional information, or to discuss the benefits of WPA2 and 802.1X in general.