North Dakota State University Uses Cloudpath XpressConnect ES To Connect More Than 32,000 Personal Devices To Certificate-Based Wi-Fi

WESTMINSTER, Colo., March 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Cloudpath Networks (http://www.cloudpath.net/), the industry leader for Automated Device Enablement (ADE), today announced North Dakota State University (NDSU) (http://www.ndsu.edu/) has implemented its award-winning XpressConnect Enrollment System (ES) for everyone on campus to automatically enroll their devices onto the school's secure certificate-based Wi-Fi network. NDSU provides secure Wi-Fi campus-wide across 89 buildings, including student residence halls, and two green (outdoor) locations to a growing student and faculty body of more than 20,000 students, staff and visitors. IT decision makers at NDSU implemented XpressConnect ES at the beginning of the fall 2013 semester to bring usability, manageability and security to its Wi-Fi network. For more information on XpressConnect ES, please visit (www.cloudpath.net/products).   

"For more than a decade, our student body has continued to grow, and with the rapid expansion of unique devices per person (on average two or three per student), it's imperative to be proactive in onboarding new users and devices onto our Wi-Fi network in a secure and timely fashion," explained Marc Wallman, interim VP for information technology at NDSU. "We chose XpressConnect ES from Cloudpath because it is easy for students to get onto our network without a lot of hassle and also assures our IT department that our network is secure, regardless of the type of device or operating system being used. We are able to streamline and automate IT processes to improve network upkeep and ensure higher turnover rates for device configuration at our help desk locations."

Cloudpath is committed to helping organizations bring usability, manageability and security to the rapid growth of personal devices, commonly known as the BYOD (Bring-Your-Own-Device) phenomenon. XpressConnect ES combines secure onboarding with advanced certificate management to ensure devices are connected simply, securely and with the appropriate policy based on both the user and the device. The device enablement approach of the XpressConnect ES allows every device to be uniquely identified through a smart, policy-associated certificate that eliminates passwords from the Wi-Fi network and allows infrastructure-based control of network access. 

"Initial feedback from the NDSU population has been expressions of shock – that is, people are shocked at how the new Wi-Fi onboarding enrollment system 'just worked' without any help desk involvement," explained Wallman. "NDSU students and faculty on campus now are able to devote their time and energy to that which is most important – education."

Since 2008, NDSU's IT administration has reported an average growth of 3,000 new unique devices per year – a rate that Wallman says is not likely to slow down anytime soon.

For more information about Cloudpath Networks or its products, please contact Ann Warren at ([email protected]) or visit (www.cloudpath.net).  mailto:[email protected]

Tweet this: #XpressConnect ES from @cloudpath_net enables secure #WiFi to 32k devices at @NDSU #highered #BYOD #IT #ADE www.cloudpath.net

About North Dakota State University
North Dakota State University is a student-focused, land-grant, research university — an economic engine that educates students, conducts primary research, creates new knowledge and advances technology. The university provides affordable access to an excellent education at a top-ranked research institution that combines teaching and research in a rich learning environment, educating future leaders who will create solutions to national and global challenges that will shape a better world.

About Cloudpath Networks
Cloudpath Networks, Inc. provides automated device enablement (ADE) solutions that simplify the adoption of standards-based Wi-Fi security, including WPA2-Enterprise, 802.1X, and X.509, in diverse BYOD environments. Founded in 2006, Cloudpath Networks invented the modern onboarding model for personal devices and continues to drive the industry's adoption of standards-based security en masse. The Cloudpath XpressConnect solutions are proven worldwide to bring simplicity to secure networks through automated and easy-to-use form and function. To learn more, visit (www.cloudpath.net).

Cloudpath Networks Media Contact:
Terri Douglas
Catapult PR
[email protected]
(303) 581-7760

NDSU Media Contact:
Amber Rasche
Communications Coordinator / Information Technology Division
[email protected]
(701) 231-8369

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SOURCE Cloudpath Networks, Inc.