CASE STUDY
Wi-Fi Means Business
for City of Prospect
Free public Wi-Fi is at the heart of City of Prospect’s ambitious programme to create jobs,
attract shoppers, and cater to tech-savvy students, millennials, and digital workers. To
ensure that their Wi-Fi infrastructure would be accessible, secure, and robust, Prospect
has installed a comprehensive array of Fortinet equipment. And to help them specify,
install, configure, and manage their “Prospect Super Fast Wi-Fi” network, they selected
Vintek, a Fortinet Silver Partner with particular expertise in secure Wi-Fi provision.
“The city wanted to embrace the way people do business,” says Chris Hannaford,
director business and innovation at City of Prospect, an inner urban community of 21,200
residents located immediately north of the City of Adelaide, South Australia. “Adelaide
had implemented an inner city-wide Wi-Fi network, and it was proving to be a draw card
for today’s ‘always on’ consumers. So we knew we had to offer something better to put
ourselves on the digital map.”
“We now have a Wi-Fi network
second to none in the region, and
the word is getting out: If you want
trouble-free Wi-Fi for shopping,
working, social media, or studying,
City of Prospect is where you
should be heading.”
– Chris Hannaford, Director Business
and Innovation, City of Prospect
Request for Proposals
Details
The first step was a technical specification. “It was simple, really,” says Hannaford. “We
wanted a Wi-Fi network that would be faster, accessible, and robust to bring in the type
of people who would be driving our economic growth in the future. We have a vibrant
hospitality and retail sector in our Prospect Road Village Heart neighbourhood, and we
sponsor events like the ‘Tourrific’ street party to coincide with the Tour Down Under. We
wanted to give visitors and residents the very best Wi-Fi experience possible.”
Customer: City of Prospect
“Vintek are corporate partners of City of Prospect and were invited to provide the Wi-Fi
system,” says Paul Vinton, owner and CEO of Vintek, an Adelaide-based technology
company with an Australia-wide footprint. “We already had a managed services contract
with City of Prospect and had a good understanding of their networks, staff, and
aspirations. Helping them put together a state-of-the-art Wi-Fi solution would be, from
our perspective, a dream contract. But we had to earn their trust. Other locations around
the area had implemented Wi-Fi with varying results, and Prospect wanted to ensure that
they would get it right the first time.”
Tight Time Frames
The answer was a weeklong “proof-of-concept” Wi-Fi installation at council chambers.
“As part of our proposal, we installed a complete self-contained Fortinet Wi-Fi network,”
Industry: Government
Location: Urban community north of
Adelaide, South Australia
Partner: Vintek
Business Impact
nnContinued
uptake in usage as a result
of robust operations and multiple
login options
nnGrowth
in retail and hospitality
sectors due in part to Prospect Super
Fast Wi-Fi initiative
nnMinimal
management overheads enable
City of Prospect employees to focus on
increasing stakeholder engagement
1
CASE STUDY | Wi-Fi Means Business for City of Prospect
explains Vinton, “to coincide with key council events. This enabled councillors and staff
to see firsthand how the system would work and the benefits of wireless networking.
Everything went according to plan; the city was convinced, and we were awarded the
contract in early December.”
The only issue was timing. Fifteen thousand tech-savvy bicycle enthusiasts would be
converging on Prospect Road Village Heart for Tourrific on January 17, and Chris’ team
wanted the system up and running for the event. “A big ask,” admits Vinton, “but we had
confidence in our capabilities. So we put our reputation—and Prospect’s—on the line and
committed to delivering the Wi-Fi solution with the desired performance in time for Tourrific.”
Top-of-the-line, Fast Action
Vintek and Prospect’s tech team got busy. “To ensure that Prospect would get optimal
results, we installed top-of-the-line Fortinet equipment: An industrial-strength FortiGate firewall
capable of 3.2 Gbps throughput, a FortiCache WAN [wide-area network] accelerator for
even faster performance, a constellation of 20 infrastructure access points, and FortiGuard
threat intelligence subscriptions for all components to ensure that real-time security would be
maintained,” Vintek says. “We also installed FortiPresence so that merchants and planners
could analyse traffic and user patterns to maximise system uptake.”
The install, completed over the busy Christmas holiday period, went smoothly. “It was
a narrow window,” continues Hannaford, “but Paul and the teams made it happen. We
tested, retested, and tested again. It all looked good, and the performance metrics met or
exceeded specifications. But we had 15,000 people, all wanting wireless access, coming to
town, and our go-live date—January 17—left no margin for error.”
Solutions
nnFortiAP
nnFortiGate
nnFortiWiFi
nnFortiCache
nnFortiPresence
nnFortiGuard
Security Services
UTM Bundle
“The feedback was almost
universally positive. People
expected a robust Wi-Fi
experience, and that’s exactly
what they received.”
– Chris Hannaford, Director Business
and Innovation, City of Prospect
15,000 People, No Problems
On the day, everything worked well. “There were no issues whatsoever,” notes Hannaford. “The feedback was almost universally positive.
People expected a robust Wi-Fi experience, and that’s exactly what they received. Wi-Fi is perceived as a public utility, and anything less
is unacceptable. We now have a Wi-Fi network second to none in the region, and the word is getting out: If you want trouble-free Wi-Fi for
shopping, working, social media, or studying, City of Prospect is where you should be heading.”
City of Prospect Mayor David O’Loughlin is enthusiastic about the initiative. “It’s great that this world-class Wi-Fi system was successfully trialled at
our iconic Tourrific Prospect Street Party. Prospect Super Fast Wi-Fi is an important step in cementing our position as a globally recognised Smart
City. The Prospect Super Fast Wi-Fi initiative will help create a vibrant network of young entrepreneurs and digital natives who will use the system
to connect nationally and internationally. Already we have two co-working spaces set up in the Village Heart. Prospect Super Fast Wi-Fi will ensure
that professionals and businesses can meet and engage in the main street with reliable and secure broadband.”
More on the Horizon
City of Prospect is just getting started with their Smart City initiatives, and Wi-Fi is a key component. “Now that we’ve got a framework we can
expand,” concludes Hannaford, “we’re repositioning some of the APs [access points] for wider coverage and increasing our backhaul feed for
more capacity. We’ve added Wi-Fi in council facilities, and we’re working with selected merchants and internet cafes to take advantage of the
traffic patterns we’re uncovering. We are promoting the service with new signage and running workshops to bring even more stakeholders into the
mix. It’s an exciting time at the City of Prospect, and we are confident that our Fortinet solution and managed services from Vintek will continue to
play a critical role in the city’s future.”
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