Case

Donegal ETB creates the network foundation for the next generation of digital learning

Donegal ETB partnered with Conscia and HPE to modernise its network infrastructure, creating a secure, cloud-managed and AI-driven platform that supports digital learning across one of Ireland’s most geographically dispersed educational estates. Following the successful completion of phase one across seven sites, the organisation has gained greater network visibility, stronger security, simplified management and a consistent user experience for students, educators and staff. Built on HPE Mist, Juniper networking and Microsoft Entra ID integration, the new architecture provides a scalable foundation that will support learning, collaboration and future growth across more than 30 locations throughout county Donegal.

Overview

Providing high-quality education across one of Ireland’s largest and most geographically dispersed educational estates presents unique challenges.

From post-primary schools and further education centres to training facilities and administrative offices, Donegal Education and Training Board (Donegal ETB) supports approximately 25,000 students and learners across more than 30 locations spanning the county’s mainland and island communities.

As digital learning became increasingly central to the educational experience, Donegal ETB recognised that its network infrastructure needed to evolve. The organisation wanted to create a modern, scalable and secure foundation capable of supporting growing demand for wireless connectivity, cloud applications and mobile learning experiences while simplifying operations for its ICT team.

Following a competitive public procurement process, Donegal ETB partnered with Conscia and HPE to modernise its network infrastructure through a cloud-managed, AI-driven networking platform.

Phase one has now successfully completed across seven educational sites, delivering enhanced security, improved visibility, simplified management and a consistent user experience for students, educators and staff.

A mission to support learning across county Donegal

Donegal ETB plays a vital role in delivering education and training services throughout county Donegal.

The organisation oversees 15 post-primary schools, including four Gaelcholáistí, alongside 18 further education and training centres, training facilities, youth services and administrative locations. Its footprint stretches from Malin head in the north to Bundoran in the south and includes remote island communities such as Arranmore and Tory Island.

Supporting such a geographically diverse educational estate requires more than connectivity. It requires dependable digital services that enable students, educators and staff to access learning resources wherever they are located.

As classroom experiences continue to evolve, reliable network access has become as essential as any other educational resource.

The challenge: supporting modern learning in a distributed environment

Over many years, Donegal ETB’s existing network infrastructure had successfully supported its educational mission. However, increasing reliance on digital learning technologies was placing new demands on network performance, management and security.

Students and educators increasingly move between classrooms, specialist learning spaces and administrative areas while remaining connected to cloud applications, collaboration platforms and online learning resources. Expectations for seamless wireless access have never been higher.

At the same time, the ICT team was managing a growing number of distributed locations, each with unique operational requirements. Gaining visibility into network performance, troubleshooting issues remotely and maintaining consistent security policies across the estate became increasingly complex.

Donegal ETB identified several priorities:

• Deliver a consistent network architecture across all locations
• Improve visibility and simplify day-to-day management
• Strengthen security using modern identity-based controls
• Support mobility and digital learning initiatives
• Leverage existing Microsoft identity investments
• Create a scalable platform capable of supporting future growth

Rather than pursuing a traditional hardware refresh, Donegal ETB sought a strategic platform capable of supporting its long-term digital transformation goals.

Building a modern network for modern education

To meet these objectives, Donegal ETB selected Conscia and HPE to deliver a standardised full-stack network architecture combining security, switching, wireless connectivity and cloud-native management.

The solution includes:

• Juniper SRX next-generation firewalls
• Juniper EX Series switching
• HPE Networking Wi-Fi solutions
• HPE Mist cloud management
• HPE Mist
• Marvis AI Assistant
• Microsoft Entra ID integration
• Identity-driven access control

At the heart of the deployment is the Juniper Mist cloud platform, providing a unified operational view across the network environment.

Instead of managing individual sites independently, the ICT team can now monitor, manage and troubleshoot network services through a single cloud-based interface.

The platform also introduces AI-native operations through HPE Mist and Marvis, delivering actionable insights into user experiences, wireless performance and network health.

This allows the team to shift from reactive troubleshooting toward more proactive network management.

From seven sites to a county-wide transformation

Phase one of the programme has now been successfully completed across seven educational sites.

While the deployment itself represented an important milestone, the most significant achievement is the operational model it establishes for future expansion.

The new architecture delivers:

Greater visibility

The ICT team now has real-time insight into network health, client performance and user experiences across deployed locations.

Stronger security

Identity-based access policies and Microsoft Entra ID integration help ensure secure and consistent access for students, staff and authorised users.

Simpler operations

Cloud-based management and AI-assisted troubleshooting reduce the effort required to support geographically dispersed sites.

Better user experiences

Students and educators benefit from reliable wireless connectivity designed to support increasingly mobile and digital-first learning environments.

A repeatable deployment model

Most importantly, Donegal ETB now has a standardised architecture that can be efficiently extended across additional schools, centres and facilities.