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BUSINESS CONNECTIONS

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VOLUME 4

ISSUE 4

How Frontier keeps pace with schools

Banding Together for Bandwidth 3

Three Schools, One Solution Source 4

Learning Without Borders 5

Frontier Backup & Recovery 6

High-Speed Wireless Internet 7


Frontier Business Edge brand guidelines February 2015 202

Education institutions face both opportunities and challenges with respect to communications technology. While today’s voice and data services provide increasingly more effective ways for students, teachers and administrators to connect, education institutions must continue to control costs and manage productivity. Frontier understands these dynamics and develops solutions to meet the unique needs and budgets of schools ranging from primary to post-secondary levels.

This issue of Business Connections magazine features examples of how Frontier works with these institutions to help maximize the benefits of technology. We begin with a look at Frontier’s relationship with the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania (AICUP); members of this group had a common need to increase bandwidth in a cost-effective way and sought out a provider that could satisfy this requirement. Frontier was chosen for the project and is now operating a Wide Area Network (WAN) and providing High Speed Internet services to participating AICUP members.

You’ll learn more about three of these members in the “Three Schools, One Solution Source” article. Misericordia University, Luzerne County Community College and York College of Pennsylvania are all Frontier customers currently benefiting from the lower-cost bandwidth solutions that Frontier provides to AICUP members. Their stories are examples of how consortiums can leverage their buying power and knowledge for the good of members. Later in this issue, you’ll find an overview of two other solutions of particular interest to the education sector — Frontier Backup & Recovery and Fron-tier High-Speed Wireless Internet.

Keep in mind that Frontier is much more than simply a communications provider. You can also count on us as your business consultant, poised to help your education organization graduate to the next level of solutions.

Sincerely,

Cory JonesVP, Commercial MarketingFrontier Communications

Frontier Communications Corporation

(NASDAQ:FTR) offers broadband, voice,

satellite video, wireless Internet data access,

data security solutions, bundled offerings,

specialized bundles for residential customers,

small businesses, home offices and advanced

business communications. Frontier’s

approximately 17,000 employees are based

entirely in the United States. More information

is available at frontier.com/businessedge.

About Frontier

Business Connections is a publication of Frontier Communications. Main Office: Stamford, CT.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form, electronic, photocopying, recording, mechanical or otherwise without the prior written permission of Frontier. All rights are reserved.

Editorial and Circulation Contact: Grant Waldrop Senior Manager, Commercial Marketing 805 Central Expressway South Allen, TX 75013 [email protected]

All brand names and product names used in this publication are trade names, service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

Copyright © 2015 by Frontier Communications and Cornerstone Publishing Group, Inc.

Executive Summary

Banding together for bandwidthASSOCIATION OF INDEPENDENT COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES CHOSE FRONTIER FOR A COST-EFFECTIVE WAN

Frontier Business Edge brand guidelines February 2015 203frontier.com/businessedge

The Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania (AICUP) is a statewide organization with nearly 90 members that serves as a:

• Voice for public policy

• Forum for advocacy for students and families

• Provider of member services

• Center for higher education research

• Vehicle for fundraising

• Catalyst for partnership and collaboration

AICUP issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) and Frontier was one of the companies that participated in the bidding process. After a thorough review of the different solutions presented, Frontier was awarded the project — High Speed Internet and a Wide Area Network (WAN).

Expanding the possibilities

Alexander notes, “Frontier came to the table with a robust solution and was very responsive and accommodating during the RFP process. Because of Frontier’s direction, the 13 AICUP schools that are now part of the WAN are able to do things they couldn’t do on their own. Rather than Frontier continuing to work with each school independently, it realized the value of having the schools work together on common projects.”

The WAN offers private connectivity between the participating institutions. Paul Quick, Vice President and General Manager, Pennsylvania, notes, “Most of AICUP members involved in this project were already Frontier

customers. They wanted easily expandable bandwidth at a reasonable cost. Frontier set up slid-ing scale pricing, and AICUP members ordered bandwidth as a group on a three-year contract. The more organizations that join the WAN down the road, the better the price breaks will be.”

Strength in numbers

“The network itself serves as the infrastructure for academics to work together on applications,” explains Alexander. He says, “The 13 schools can buy one application at the same time rather than all of them buying it separately. Disaster recovery and video applications are two other examples of this type of collaboration made possible by the WAN provided by Frontier.”


We work Frontier came to the table

with a robust solution and was very

responsive and accommodating

during the RFP process.”

— TIM ALEXANDER, VP OF FINANCE AND ADMISSIONS FOR AICUP


BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT

These three educational institutions all sought Internet solutions that could keep up with bandwidth demands while controlling costs. Each one found what it needed — and more — from Frontier.

Misericordia University

Located on a 123-acre residential campus in Dallas, Pennsylvania, Misericordia University is a broad-based liberal arts and pre-professional studies college that also offers graduate programs. Total enrollment is currently more than 2,300 students.

Misericordia is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania (AICUP) and is one of the institutions taking part in the group’s Wide Area Network (WAN) from Frontier. Mark Reboli, Manager of IT Services and Security for Misericordia, participated in the process that lead to Frontier’s selection as the provider. Reboli notes, “There were a number of things we liked about Frontier, starting with the fact they have a good presence in the area. Many AICUP members already had successful working relationships with Frontier that included great response time and support. Finally, Frontier had the ability to handle this WAN project and the required infrastructure.”

Reboli adds, “Prior to the consortium effort, most of these institutions had a ‘mixed bag’ of Internet services. But as a group, we were all looking for solidarity on an ISP for better pricing and increased bandwidth capacity. Our institutions work together a great deal, so we wanted the collaboration that a WAN offered.”

For Misericordia, joining the WAN had immediate benefits. Says Reboli, “Right out of the gate, we picked up more Internet bandwidth; we went from 100mg to 150mg. We also had all-fiber circuits that eliminated the storm problems we previously experi-enced. Our Internet capacity is now capable of doing 1G; it’s just a phone call to Frontier away. We know our bandwidth needs will continue to grow. With the WAN, this growth can be done quickly and easily without a change in infrastructure. What’s more, because AICUP worked together on this, it got the price down. Misericordia is getting more bandwidth for practically the same monthly cost.”

We know our bandwidth needs will continue to grow. With the WAN, this growth can be done quickly and easily.”

— MARK REBOLI, MANAGER OF IT SERVICES AND SECURITY, MISERICORDIA UNIVERSITY

Luzerne County Community College

Luzerne County Community College is a public two-year college offering associate degree, certificate and diplo-ma programs. The main campus is located in Nanticoke, Pennsylvania, and there are additional College Centers in Berwick, Wilkes-Barre, Hazleton, Kulpmont and Northum-berland.

Three schools, one solution sourceFRONTIER MEETS NEED FOR INCREASED BANDWIDTH AT LOWER COST



“Luzerne has been a Frontier customer for more than a dozen years,” says Don Nelson, Chief Technology Officer, Luzerne County Community College. “Our main campus has always used Frontier for Internet and phone services, and we got on board when AICUP extended an invitation to Luzerne to take advantage of the WAN and group buying power. It provided us with an opportunity to increase our bandwidth from 40mg to a 100 mg connection,” he explains.

Nelson adds, “This was also an opportunity for Luzerne to provide more robust connections for our five satellite College Centers. Before we joined the WAN, these centers just had T-1s through copper that provided 3mg; now they enjoy 20mg connections. In addition, Luzerne put in new facilities in down-town Nanticoke — a Culinary Arts Center and a Health Sciences Center. Frontier provides Internet for these buildings as well.”

According to Nelson, Luzerne’s need for more bandwidth and decision to join the WAN were due in part to the following:

Increased use of video conferencing – This is now becoming more common during classes and staff meetings.

Installation of VoIP phone systems – VoIP gives College Centers the feeling of being part of the main campus and provide voice mail features and three-digit extensions. Without the WAN, Luzerne couldn’t successfully utilize VoIP. “The WAN gives us a private network with high quality,” notes Nelson.

File sharing – Luzerne used to use VPN, but the WAN is faster and has better facilities for sharing documents and files with staff.

“We were able to go from 40mg to 100mg without any increased cost, so choosing the WAN from Frontier was a win-win, no-brainer decision. And we knew from experience that Frontier would always go the extra mile for us,” Nelson says.

York College of PennsylvaniaYork College of Pennsylvania offers more than 50 baccalaureate majors in professional programs, the sciences and humanities as well as master’s programs in business, education and nursing. Its suburban campus is located in south-central Pennsylvania.

York College is a member of AICUP in the central group. But unlike Misericordia University and Luzerne County Community College, it is not a part of the WAN developed for AICUP by Frontier. York College does, however, participate in the consortium purchasing of commodity Internet by AICUP members.

Bob Robinson, Director of Information Technology, York College of Pennsylvania, recalls, “I’d been following the AICUP approach from the beginning since we also need to minimize the cost of Internet access. I learned that the northeast region of AICUP did well with their consortium purchase, so when Frontier asked if we wanted to join in, we decided to take them up on the offer. Not only are we getting increased bandwidth, but compared to our old costs, we’re seeing almost two-to-one savings.”

Frontier already served as the ISP and phone company for York College. Notes Robinson, “We were originally at 65mg

with Frontier and needed to get past 100mg so we could connect to a 1GB port. During this transition period, we ran up against some limitations. Frontier went above and beyond the call of duty and solved the issue very quickly, collaborating with our staff and others. It was the first time I’ve seen a college be able to work directly with the technical people at an ISP.”

He continues, “Frontier is listening to what we say and implementing solutions to every question we ask. It’s clear that Frontier has our best interests in mind. Going forward, I know York College will need even more bandwidth and Frontier will continue to play an important role.”

For more information about consortium buying opportunities with Frontier, visit frontier.com/businessedge.

Frontier went above and beyond the call of duty and solved the issue very quickly.”

— BOB ROBINSON, DIRECTOR OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, YORK

COLLEGE OF PENNSYLVANIA

TECHNOLOGY IS EXPANDING THE SCOPE OF E-LEARNING



Education is no longer confined within the walls of a classroom. Thanks to e-learning, it’s now possible for students to get a college degree in some academic areas without having to set foot inside a campus building.

Outgrowth of distance educationE-learning is generally defined as any kind of learning that is provided through the digital technology used by computers. While the capabilities and methods used in e-learning are new, in some ways e-learning is a natural outgrowth of distance education that dates back to at least the early 18th century. With distance education, course materials were sent to students through the mail.

Advances in computer and communications technology have enabled e-learning to flourish — faster processors, higher memory and storage capabilities and high-speed Internet connections. These developments have in turn made software improvements possible. Learners with a modern computer and high-speed Internet connection can perform tasks that would have seemed incredible just a few years ago.

Teaching methods adaptTechnological advances have also improved the capabilities of online teaching. For example, foreign language students in the 1990’s and 2000’s could watch video tapes of a speaker and try to reproduce the language. Today, students can interact online or talk to an instructor thousands of miles away and gain immediate feedback. In addition, the modern language course may provide images and videos of cultural sites in a country to create a much more complete learning environment.

E-learning doesn’t necessarily require sitting at a desktop computer either. Wireless devices like tablets and notebooks can be used to download materials from the Web. Learning is also portable. A teacher can record a lecture that his or her students can listen to on an iPod. Users of other media players have similar options.

In the early days of e-learning, computers were used mainly to duplicate what went on in the traditional classroom. For example, teachers might post their lecture notes on a web site for students to print out. Today the capabilities of digital technology allow a much more creative approach. The modern e-learning experience fosters collaboration among students and is packed with media like sound and video.

Students who grew up spending at least some of their time playing computer games expect to learn through doing. Many hands-on activities that had been performed only in laboratories are now available in online courses. Virtual labs, often in the form of Adobe Flash applications, can give students access to equipment that might not otherwise be available. Software can also be used to simulate processes that would be impossible to present any other way, such as a virtual nuclear power plant that puts students in the role of a plant operator.

Learning without borders

A SOLID BUSINESS CONTINUITY SOLUTION STARTS WITH FRONTIER BACKUP & RECOVERY



Frontier Backup & Recovery offers comprehensive solutions to keep data safe, and provide business continuity in case of accidents (such as unintentional deletion of files) or disasters (such as earthquakes or floods). The service is centralized and agent-less to reduce the time and resources you now spend on backup. Frontier Backup & Recovery leverages Frontier’s secure “cloud” service, so no investment in software or hardware is needed.

David Kerr, Frontier Product Manager - Managed Services, says, “Frontier Backup & Recovery solutions provide a secure, highly available environment in which to backup and access data that is ideal for education institutions.”

The service offers the following benefits: COMPLIANCE – Long-term archival storage of aged data meets record retention and compliance requirements of educational institutions.

Compatibility – Service is compatible with virtually all computer operating systems and database applications.

Security – Full data encryption in transit and rest means information is always secure. Access to backed-up data uses uniquely identifiable credentials based on defined roles and responsibilities.

Speed – Automated file compression reduces file transfer time by up to 50 percent

Accuracy– Continuous Data Protection (CDP) option provides restore time down to the minute.

Flexibility – Frontier Backup & Recovery solutions provide centralized backup and administration for data, including all servers, PCs and laptops on your network.

Easy access – Important files and records can be stored offsite for safekeeping and can be retrieved when needed. All data is easily accessible with a Web interface that provides monitoring ability from any secure Internet connection.

Data integrity – File non-repudiation technology is used to ensure that files stored in our facility have not been altered or harmed in transit.

Privacy – SAS 70 Type II audit means an independent third party has validated our security and privacy controls.

For more information about Frontier Backup & Recovery, visit www.frontier.com/enterprise.

Secure backup for education institutions

Facilitate virtual learning with Frontier Wi-FiFrontier provides Internet access over a wireless local area network, allowing users to access the institution’s network and Internet with Wi-Fi-enabled devices. Enabling a Wi-Fi network on your campus can facilitate virtual learning for group study, indi-vidual research or student instruction.

Frontier High-Speed Wireless Internet has all the performance, reliability and professional quality you’ve come to expect from Frontier. We provide installation, 24/7 managed network monitoring and

support. There’s no equipment for you to buy or maintain.

Access to the established network can be limited to only a select group of users or set up on a paid subscriber basis, potentially serving as an alternate revenue stream for your institution.

Frontier High-Speed Wireless Internet can make students, faculty, staff and administrators more productive. Visit frontier.com/businessedge.

To find out what Frontier can do for your business, contact:

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FRONTIER ETHERNET IS FAST AND FLEXIBLE

Want to know more? Start a conversation about Wi-Fi with one of our U.S.-based representatives today. Visit frontier.com/businessedge.

Frontier Ethernet provides high bandwidth in flexible bandwidth increments that better

supports converged VoIP, video and data services. Your business gets access to Internet speeds up to 40

Mbps for an economical cost since you pay only for the bandwidth you use.

© 2015 Frontier Communications Corporation.

• Easy to integrate with existing network infrastructure• Enables increased productivity from higher-speed, network-wide Internet access• Meets your changing needs with scalable bandwidth• Private, dedicated connection that addresses security requirements• Can connect branch offices to your Intranet

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