Dobcel schools revolutionise IT with Paessler's PRTG Network Monitor

The Diocese of Ballarat Catholic Education schools are benefiting from a decentralised yet highly efficient IT infrastructure, thanks to the implementation of Paessler's PRTG Network Monitor. This technology upgrade has allowed the diocese to maintain a fast and reliable IT system, essential for delivering high-quality education to over 18,000 students spread across 57 schools.

Covering more than 100,000 square kilometres in western Victoria, the Catholic Diocese of Ballarat includes 29 parishes and supports both primary and secondary education. Diocese of Ballarat Catholic Education (Dobcel) serves as the governing body for these institutions, as well as six additional schools run by religious orders. The IT transformation initiative over the past decade has aimed at revamping the entire technology infrastructure, a process both extensive and crucial given the geographical challenges.

“PRTG provides Dobcel with the necessary tools for visibility and control over its network, ensuring proactive detection of potential issues,” said Damian Foster, Manager of IT and Cyber Security at Diocese of Ballarat Catholic Education. Foster highlighted the previous challenges, where the lack of a centralised infrastructure management resulted in inefficient methods of addressing IT problems, often requiring staff to travel across the diocese.

In the past, Dobcel relied on tools like SolarWinds and Spiceworks which offered fragmented monitoring. This setup was insufficient for making informed decisions, according to Foster. Today, PRTG enables a holistic view of the IT landscape, which is essential for proactive maintenance and rapid resolution of issues. This shift to a more streamlined IT oversight allows the team to maintain a highly resilient network.

The infrastructure, monitored from both the Lake Wendouree headquarters and several schools, enables real-time monitoring and prompt alerts. “PRTG allows us to see network performance levels and the device load on access points, which is extremely useful for capacity planning,” Foster added. With this information, the IT team can identify trends, preempt issues, and make data-driven decisions that enhance the network's overall performance.

The centralised PRTG dashboard has proved invaluable during outages. Having all the telemetry and diagnostics in one place helps the IT team quickly pinpoint and rectify issues, reducing downtime significantly. Remote management solutions have further optimised operations, reducing the need for extensive travel across the diocese for routine maintenance and emergency repairs.

Paul Jans, Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Director of Business Services at Diocese of Ballarat Catholic Education, expressed satisfaction with how PRTG has alleviated operational strain. “The tool gives us comprehensive visibility into the post-installation infrastructure, allowing us to view the network as a continuously evolving system. This helps avoid staff burnout while ensuring that issues are resolved remotely, often outside regular working hours,” Jans stated.

The IT team has tackled challenges such as improving capacity planning and reducing alert fatigue. By customising dashboards to filter out non-critical alerts, Dobcel ensures that IT staff are responsive to essential notifications without being overwhelmed. This focus on critical alerts prevents both underreaction and overreaction to potential issues.

PRTG's monitoring capabilities also played a crucial role in diagnosing and addressing connectivity issues. For instance, when a newly installed infrastructure at a Dobcel school faced network capacity problems, PRTG enabled the team to identify and resolve firewall issues quickly. This capability has helped in maintaining a consistent and robust network, essential for the schools’ functioning.

Looking ahead, Dobcel plans to leverage PRTG to further decentralise monitoring responsibilities across its schools while maintaining a coordinated oversight from the headquarters. This approach aims to enhance the efficiency of the IT team and support strategic initiatives. The separation of monitoring duties between central and local points is also set to provide tailored and more efficient support to each school.

Dobcel's use of Paessler PRTG demonstrates an effective model of managing large-scale educational IT infrastructure, ensuring consistent performance, proactive issue resolution, and efficient use of human resources across a geographically diverse area.