School is just around the corner and Butler Catholic School has updated its operations — literally.

“We have replaced the entire network,” said Justin Hamby in the BCS IT department. “It’s faster, more reliable and safer.”

The project included running new ethernet cabling to most of the building, establishing 38 new wireless access points and four new switches, installing a new firewall and updating school computers.

Hamby said school officials decided to pursue connection upgrades after taking a look at where internet access could have been better last year.

New wireless access points and switches, which allow internet to reach more parts of the school, have brought other parts of the school’s system up-to-date.

Hamby said these changes are not only cost effective, but also provide him with better access to management software metrics for future troubleshooting.

Switching from an Intrusion Detection System to an Intrusion Prevention System provides a more proactive approach to managing system threats.

“This allows background threats to be automatically detected and denied,” Hamby said.

The upgrades come at a crucial time, according to Hamby.

More and more, many educational institutions are prime targets for hackers due to the government financial packages they receive. These updates provide safer internet and software services to BCS students, teachers and administrators.

“It gives the IT department a more manageable view of the day-to-day activity,” Hamby said. “BCS will be safer due to the ability to have a more hands-on monitoring and prevention system.”

Hamby also said the school’s old network was reaching the end of its lifespan.

The school plans to sell the old equipment to help fund future school and technology upgrades.

BCS has also installed a new video door access security system. This will provide safer building access and help administrators keep better track of traffic flow in and out of the school.

The new system is more “feature laden,” according to Hamby. School administrators will now be able to issue private access cards with specific scheduling abilities.

Remote locking, unlocking and evacuation settings will allow BCS officials to easily and safely respond to possible emergencies.

The upgrades made this summer lay the groundwork for future projects, saving both time and money.