“Previously, there was no visibility into the network and making changes was not flexible. Now we know at all times what the network status is, and we can react ourselves.”
More and more tasks are moving online, and the church is no exception. While you cannot submit a prayer via a web form, you can submit a prayer request. “Whether it concerns actual church duties, such as funerals or baptisms, or administrative tasks, all of these now utilise online technology,” explains Pekka Laukkarinen, Chief Information Officer of the Kuopio Evangelical Lutheran Parish Union.
The Eastern Finland regional IT centre, operating under the Kuopio Parish Union, manages over 150 locations across a large area, all of which require network connectivity. “That’s where the project really started. It was also time to modernise the old network infrastructure, making it wireless, more flexible, and faster,” says Tietokeskus sales representative Kimmo Lahti.
“The parish has many types of premises, such as youth centres, cemetery offices, and of course churches. All of them need to be connected to each other, and also to the Church Council and Regional IT Centre servers,” Laukkarinen explains the requirement.
Coverage, wireless, security and cost savings
The sites were connected through Finland’s largest SD-WAN network, built using Cisco Meraki technology. “Meraki is a new, cloud-managed communications architecture. One component of it is SD-WAN, a new way to connect offices and branch networks. It links all Evangelical Lutheran parish locations and services across Eastern Finland,” explains Cisco account manager Jarmo Hokkanen.
The new network is not only faster but also more flexible, as it is not tied to a single operator. “Now we can locally select the partner that provides the best service,” notes Laukkarinen.
Meraki technology was also used to implement branch LANs, wireless networks, security solutions, and firewalls. “Previously, a site might have had a separate router, LAN switch, and wireless access point. Now, a single Meraki device is sufficient,” Hokkanen explains.
“The change has also delivered significant cost savings. The network could be extended to even the smallest sites, as the solution with all its services is very cost-effective. We have around 1,200 workstations in the network, and small changes add up to a big saving,” Laukkarinen adds.
Better control over network performance
“The project brought a significant improvement compared to before. Connections are faster, all sites now have wireless and guest networks, capacity is higher, and we have better visibility and control over the network,” Laukkarinen states.
One factor enabling greater control and cost savings is the transfer of network management from an external provider to the parish’s own IT staff. “Previously, there was no visibility into the network and making changes was not flexible. Now we know at all times what the network status is, and we can react ourselves. In problem situations, we have data and diagnostics and can guide users in using network devices,” Laukkarinen explains.
“All the new devices and the network have now been installed at all sites. We have used the network for about a year without major problems or outages. Overall, this has been a very successful project,” Laukkarinen concludes.
