Forecast 2014: Boost your mobile bandwidth

More importantly, participation stretched across all schools, meaning the access points, network switches, pipes between buildings and Internet connectivity had to be at the ready.

Teachers, students and administrators depend on access to internal and cloud-based resources, including email, a learning management system and supplementary educational programs that can include bandwidth-intense video.

Usage is so prevalent now that the district changed its policy from acceptable use to responsible use because typical "banned" applications such as YouTube are now considered necessary learning platforms. "With resources like YouTube blocked, we were taking away a lot of desirable instructional options. However, allowing them does bump up bandwidth usage," Mitchell says.

Once IT had a firm grasp on usage, it upgraded access points to 802.11n. In re-evaluating coverage, the team determined they needed 15% more access points throughout the district. The district plans to double the capacity of wireless networks in all schools by the spring of 2015.

Coverage and density remain constant bugaboos. For instance, IT initially determined the front office, which is populated by desk workers, didn't need an access point. However, principals and other staffers did need to use mobile devices, so IT had to install a small access point array. Also, users regularly call the help desk to report dead zones, and delivering service to those areas requires the relocation, reconfiguration or addition of access points.