Case Study: Blackpool and The Fylde College achieves secure, self-enrolling campus Wi-Fi and rapid Chromebook deployment with RUCKUS Networks

Cloudpath Enrollment System Supports Digital Campus

Blackpool and The Fylde College (B&FC), an associate college of Lancaster University in Lancashire with four campuses and 22,000 students, faced an aging wireless infrastructure that undermined its goal to become a college of digital learning. Connectivity was patchy, users had to re-authenticate up to 10–20 times a day, IT staff spent many hours creating temporary accounts, and security relied on an insecure WPA2 pre-shared key—all problems that blocked Chromebook deployment and anytime/anywhere learning.

B&FC implemented Cloudpath Enrollment System with certificate-based authentication and self-enrollment, supported by Ruckus for network design and a dedicated Chromebook network. The solution simplified connections, shifted routine support to Learning Resources staff, reduced IT workload, and strengthened security—helping enable Chromebook rollout, Citrix-based remote access and mobile management projects, and delivering rapid ROI while becoming a strategic enabler of the college’s 24/7 digital-learning vision.

Blackpool and The Fylde College

Nick Wright

ICT Services Manager