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Florida Educational Consortium Returns to Barr with Print Management Needs

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In a classroom filled with children, one seldom considers how much data is generated in the course of a typical day in our public schools, or how much record-keeping, analysis and reporting is needed to maintain a high level of quality in our state educational systems. Still less obvious, perhaps, is the critical need for host connectivity among the data centers and surrounding school district networks.

At North East Florida Educational Consortium (NEFEC), these issues are confronted on a daily basis. This organization, which was formed in the 1970s, is responsible for providing many services to its member school districts by pooling resources and sharing many operational costs.

You may recall reading about NEFEC in Barr's newsletter (Winter 1999). The article described how Barr host connectivity solutions were helping administrators integrate their mainframe and network systems to provide better service for their districts.

Rodger Stamps, Systems Manager at the Consortium's regional information center, said that "without the Barr hardware and software, we would not have been able to successfully integrate our networks and eliminate the need for the legacy IBM front-end processor. Our cost of operations has also decreased significantly by eliminating costly hardware and software maintenance on the mainframe."

More recently, in response to a growing need for network printer support throughout its 12-member district, NEFEC officials again turned to Barr, this time for a solution to its print management needs. Stamps remarks that, "the Barr Enterprise Print Server has allowed us to solve a number of problems that we were experiencing with TCP/IP printers on the network. There has been a dramatic drop in problem calls related to printer issues, and we are able to support more printers on the network."

With greater network printer support as the primary goal, NEFEC selected the Barr Enterprise Print Server and BARR/PRINT CHANNEL as their solution. Using the Barr products, the Consortium now supports more than 2,000 system users and 100 concurrent TCP/IP print sessions on their Wide Area Network, which covers a 65-mile radius. The Barr Server increases the number of available print sources and destinations, while BARR/PRINT CHANNEL provides high-speed connectivity by attaching the server to the mainframe channel.

As experts in the industry for more than 20 years, Barr professionals know that host connectivity and print management are tightly interwoven areas of operation in the enterprise. Excellence in Barr products, services and support includes building long-term relationships with customers' relationships that develop as companies grow and new technology emerges.

As their needs change, customers come back to Barr to find solutions that increase productivity, maximize existing investments, and cut costs. The Florida-based educational consortium provides an excellent example of this process. "Barr has continued to grow its product line, and always seems to have the right solution to fit our need whenever we are ready to move to a new level," said Stamps. "When discussing a particular need with Barr personnel, they always target a solution that works for that situation, without trying to sell you something you don't really need."

With a total solution to its host connectivity and print management requirements now in place, North East Florida Educational Consortium can focus on what it does best - providing information systems, printing, and operational services to its member school districts.

"The Barr Enterprise Print Server has allowed us to solve a number of problems that we were experiencing with TCP/IP printers on the network. There has been a dramatic drop in problem calls related to printer issues, and we are able to support more printers on the network."