Managed Network - Wi-Fi
This Service Description was last updated with effect from 10th October 2022.
2.1. Overview
Introduction
N4L offers a range of Managed Network - Wi-Fi services to support schools with their school Wi-Fi network and switches. The service features range from triage and remediation advice for (W)SNUP networks, through to proactive monitoring and centralised network management for networks installed by the Equipment Replacement programme.
The applicable service for any given school is dependent on the category of network currently installed, and the status of manufacturer warranty on the installed equipment. The service changes as schools advance into and through the Te Mana Tūhono programme.
This flow explains which service applies:
Extended Helpdesk Service Applies to schools with (W)SNUP equipment still under 5-year manufacturer warranty. Before Te Mana Tūhono Equipment Support Service Applies to schools with (W)SNUP equipment that has passed the 5-year manufacturer warranty period, and who have been onboarded by N4L to the Equipment Support Service. Te Mana Tūhono Phase I Managed Wi-Fi Service Applies to schools who have completed Equipment Replacement, and to new schools that have had networks designed and installed by N4L. Te Mana Tūhono Phase II Please refer to the applicable service description below for a full overview of service features available.
2.2. Extended Helpdesk
This Service Description was last updated with effect from 10th October 2022.
Overview
Introduction
The Extended Helpdesk Service was established to provide schools with support for their network equipment (switches and wireless), that was installed via the Ministry of Education’s SNUP and WSNUP programmes.
The Extended Helpdesk Service applies to schools whose (W)SNUP equipment is still under initial manufacturer warranty (5 years). The Equipment Support Service is available once the manufacturer warranty has expired, up until the (W)SNUP network is upgraded by the Equipment Replacement Programme - refer to Managed Wi-Fi Service Description (Section 2.4).
For clarity, only equipment that was installed by the SNUP or WSNUP programmes is in scope for support. Any network equipment installed independently of these programmes is out of scope, however N4L will support such equipment without obligation, on a best efforts basis.
Service Summary
N4L’s Extended Helpdesk Service provides schools with access to N4L Customer Support, to assist in diagnosing and resolving faults with the school network.
With the exception of the Christmas holiday period, the N4L Customer Support Team is available 8am-5pm Monday to Friday, excluding national public holidays.
Service Eligibility and Funding
Eligibility
All New Zealand state and stage-integrated schools with networks installed by the Ministry’s SNUP or (W)SNUP programmes are eligible for the service. As above, the service applies to schools whose (W)SNUP equipment is still under 5-year vendor warranty.
Funding
The Extended Helpdesk Service provided by N4L is fully funded by the Ministry of Education.
In the event N4L diagnoses a fault with equipment, they will assist the school with a warranty claim, to replace the faulty unit. The manufacturer warranty will cover the cost of the replacement equipment and freight, however installation charges will be payable by the school.
Where Ministry full or part funding is not available, N4L may be able to provide Equipment and Services directly. Applicable charges will be advised upon request.
Equipment or service component Equipment Installation Licencing N4L Customer Support Replacement of failed (W)SNUP Equipment Covered by warranty School funded Licence transferred from faulty Equipment
Ministry funded Wi-Fi Equipment for footprint expansion or building redevelopment, as a result of roll growth
School funded out of F & E New Build Funding School funded out of F & E New Build Funding School funded out of F & E New Build Funding Best efforts for non-(W)SNUP equipment Wi-Fi Equipment purchased by school for other purposes (non-eligible areas e.g. hostels, community centres, other board-owned areas)
School funded School funded School funded Best efforts for non-(W)SNUP equipment Non-standard service requests, e.g. cabling works, trunking, capping, Equipment cages
School funded, POA at pass-through cost. Onsite support where needed School funded.
Note: N4L Panel Providers are available to assist with onsite work at any time, and N4L can provide a list of local N4L Panel Providers to schools upon request.
Service Features
Summary of Services
Core Services - Extended Helpdesk (a) N4L Customer Support Team
(b) Documentation Management
(c) Incident Support
(d) Equipment Warranty Support
(e) Failed ZoneDirector Support
N4L Customer Support Team
The N4L Customer Support Team will be available Monday-Friday 8am-5pm (excluding national public holidays and Christmas holiday closure dates) for assistance with your (W)SNUP network.
The Customer Support Team will assist with troubleshooting, Service Requests (for Ruckus Wi-Fi hosted on the N4L Cloud Controller), and equipment warranty support.
SNUP and WSNUP Network Documentation Management
N4L will collect and store (W)SNUP as-built documentation for in scope equipment. N4L will make this information available to the school and/or the Ministry on request.
Incident Support
If an Incident is reported by the school, N4L will support with troubleshooting and resolution advice. In the event the Incident is unable to be resolved remotely, the school may need to consider requesting onsite support from their usual ICT provider. Any onsite support charges will be payable by the school.
Equipment Warranty Support
In the event a (W)SNUP hardware fault or failure is suspected, N4L will assist the school in completing a warranty claim for replacement hardware. Onsite installation must be arranged and paid for by the school. If useful, N4L can provide a list of N4L Panel Providers located in the school region. In the event a SNUP cabling fault or failure is suspected, N4L will refer the school to a Ministry authorised cabling contractor who will be able to analyse and resolve the issue. Depending on the issue identified there may be costs involved which the school will have to fund.
Failed ZoneDirector Support
For schools running an onsite Ruckus ZoneDirector to manage their school Wi-Fi - in the event the ZoneDirector fails, the school will have the option to migrate the school ZoneDirector management to the N4L hosted Ruckus SmartZone cloud controller. There may be costs involved in this option which the school may have to fund, please see the Equipment Support Service for further information.
2.3. Equipment Support
This Service Description was last updated with effect from 10th October 2022.
Overview
Introduction
N4L’s Equipment Support Service provides an extension to schools’ wireless access point licences, and to the warranty of switches provided through the Ministry of Education’s SNUP and Wireless SNUP programme.
In August 2020, the Ministry of Education announced a $49m expansion of the Te Mana Tūhono programme, to provide all state and state-integrated schools with ongoing ICT support, a pathway for hardware replacement, and cybersecurity support.
This Service Description should be read in conjunction with the Te Mana Tūhono (TMT) Information Brief, published by the Ministry of Education (the Ministry), which explains the background and objectives of the Te Mana Tūhono programme.
Equipment Support is the first phase of the TMT programme, and is followed later by Equipment Replacement which advances the school onto N4L’s Managed Wi-Fi Service.
Service Summary
- The N4L Equipment Support Service is a suite of services for schools to support the ongoing operation of their SNUP and WSNUP network equipment, once it passes the initial five year vendor warranty period, and until it can be replaced through Equipment Replacement. Further detail on the services included is outlined in clause 2.3.4
- With the exception of the Christmas holiday period, the N4L Customer Support Team is available 8am-5pm Monday to Friday, excluding national public holidays.
- Unless otherwise stated, all Services will be delivered remotely by N4L’s Customer Support Team and Network Operations Centre (NOC).
Term
The Equipment Support Term is set by the Ministry - refer to Te Mana Tūhono Programme.
The Equipment Support Term commences from Order Form approval and continues until the school advances to Equipment Replacement, which transitions them onto N4L’s Managed Wi-Fi Service.
Related Documents
This Service Description should be read in conjunction with and incorporates the following documents:
Any specific terms provided within, or accompanying an N4L Quote will also apply.
Service Eligibility and Funding
Eligibility
Eligibility criteria and entitlements are set and governed by the Ministry.
All New Zealand state and state-integrated schools with network equipment installed under the Ministry’s SNUP or WSNUP programme are eligible for the Equipment Support Service. N4L will proactively contact schools when they are due to be transitioned onto the Equipment Support Service, typically around the end of their five-year SNUP or WSNUP vendor warranty period.
Note that any equipment added independently (before or after (W)SNUP) is not in scope for the service, however N4L will support such equipment without obligation, on a best efforts basis.
Funding
Funding criteria are set by the Ministry. The Equipment Support Service is heavily subsidised, however the school is required to make an annual roll-based contribution towards the cost of the service. Annual contribution costs will be set, managed and invoiced directly by the Ministry.
The current contribution price per student is available in the Te Mana Tūhono Information Brief, under Costs. Please note that this is subject to change.
Where Ministry full or part funding is not available, N4L may be able to provide Equipment and Services directly. Applicable charges will be advised upon request.
Equipment or service component Equipment Installation Licencing N4L Customer Support Replacement of failed (W)SNUP Equipment TMT funded School funded Licence transferred from faulty Equipment if possible; TMT funded if new licenses are required (e.g replacements sourced from different vendor)
TMT funded Wi-Fi Equipment for footprint expansion or building redevelopment, as a result of roll growth
School funded out of F & E New Build Funding School funded out of F & E New Build Funding School funded out of F & E New Build Funding Best efforts for non-(W)SNUP equipment Wi-Fi Equipment purchased by school for other purposes (non-eligible areas e.g. hostels, community centres, other board-owned areas)
School funded School funded School funded Best efforts for non-(W)SNUP equipment Non-standard service requests, e.g. cabling works, trunking, capping, Equipment cages
School funded, POA at pass-through cost. Onsite support where needed School funded.
Note: N4L Panel Providers are available to assist with onsite work at any time, and N4L can provide a list of local N4L Panel Providers to schools upon request.
N4L Costs and Charges
Where charges for the Services (Charges) are identified that are not covered by TMT funding, these will be outlined within an applicable Order Form, or Quote, for school review and acceptance.
Service Onboarding and Activation
Eligible schools will be invited to sign up for Equipment Support around the expiry of their five-year (W)SNUP vendor warranties. Schools will be contacted when they are due to be onboarded, and will need to complete an Order Form, to sign up for the service.
Network Discovery
An N4L engineer will undertake a remote network discovery of the school’s existing (W)SNUP network equipment, for determining licencing and backup requirements. N4L will require the school’s support to obtain remote access to relevant management systems, and the core switch to complete this work.
Order Approval
Following the completion of the network discovery, N4L will create an Order Form. This will require approval from an Authorised Signatory via N4L's online Support Hub
Order Forms are a contractual acceptance of both N4L Terms and also the Ministry of Education’s Te Mana Tūhono Programme Terms of Service and contribution obligations.
Service Onboarding
To onboard the school network to Equipment Support, following Order Form approval, N4L will complete the following tasks:
(i) procure and apply new support licenses for In Scope ES Equipment. This will ensure the (W)SNUP switches and access points are re-licensed for continued support and vendor updates.
(ii) set up a daily backup of the switch settings - to ensure the switch configuration is saved and able to be used to restore service should a fault occur.
(iii) where schools are using Ruckus Wi-Fi equipment, N4L will migrate their existing network management from the existing on-premise ZoneDirector to N4L’s hosted Ruckus SmartZone Cloud Controller. This derisks the potential for network outages, in the event the ZoneDirector unit fails.
Service Features
These are the key features and Services available to schools once the Equipment Support Service has been activated. These support Services are applicable only to ES In Scope Equipment, namely switching and/or wireless equipment that was deployed via either the SNUP or WSNUP programmes and has been through the ES onboarding process.
Equipment purchased and installed independently via other providers is out of scope, however N4L will support such equipment without obligation, on a best efforts basis.
Summary of Services
Core Services - Equipment Support (a) N4L Customer Support Team
(b) Documentation and Asset Inventory Management
(c) Settings Backup and Restore Services
(d) Reactive Monitoring
(e) Incident Support
(f) Extended Equipment Warranty
(g) Cloud Controller Moves, Adds and Changes
N4L Customer Support Team
The N4L Customer Support Team will be available Monday-Friday 8am-5pm (excluding national public holidays and Christmas holiday closure dates) for assistance with your (W)SNUP network.
The Customer Support Team will assist with troubleshooting, Service Requests (for Ruckus Wi-Fi), and extended equipment warranty support.
Network Documentation and Asset Inventory Management
N4L will collect (W)SNUP as-built documentation, asset inventory information, and associated firmware and licencing information for In Scope ES Equipment. N4L will make this information available to the school and/or the Ministry on request.
Responsibilities N4L will collect and store (W)SNUP as-built documentation, asset information and licencing information about the In Scope ES Equipment. Output: (W)SNUP documentation; asset register Settings Backup and Restore Services
N4L will perform a daily backup of the settings of the switches. N4L will restore this data in response to an Incident or as a part of Service Request fulfilment.
Responsibilities The school will notify N4L in the event that any configuration changes are made that could potentially prevent the daily backup from occurring.
If N4L detects an automatic backup has failed, we will attempt to manually re-run the backup. If N4L detects continued backup failures, we will create an Incident Case to restore the backup service, and where needed notify the school.
N4L’s Customer Support Team will provide a single point of contact for assistance to restore from backup.
Output: Daily backup of settings of switches Reactive Monitoring
N4L will provide Reactive Monitoring of switches and Ruckus Wi-Fi to assist the school with fault enquiries.
Responsibilities N4L will hold network logs and metrics for a limited time (currently 48 hours but may change at N4L’s discretion) that can be shared upon request.
N4L will retrieve and share logs with the school, for a specified date/time range, to support the school with fault enquiries. Some of these can be accessed through self-service.
Incident Support
If an Incident is reported by the school, N4L will support with troubleshooting advice, provision of network logs where possible, and provision of backup config to assist in the restoration of service.
Note that any onsite diagnostics, troubleshooting or restorative work will need to be completed by the school’s normal ICT provider, and that N4L provides only a supporting role in incident resolution.
Responsibilities The school is responsible for organising and paying for all onsite work. N4L can provide a list of local N4L Panel Providers to schools upon request.
Extended Equipment Warranty
Where ES In Scope Equipment has been diagnosed by N4L as likely to be faulty, N4L will arrange for the sending of replacement equipment.
Replacement equipment may include:
- refurbished second hand (W)SNUP equipment (returned from a school that has completed Equipment Replacement)
- equipment that is of a different make or model than the faulty equipment (e.g a switch from a different vendor than the original)
- new equipment from the same vendor as the original make
N4L will follow guidance from the Ministry in determining the best option, on a case by case basis.
Whilst the provision of replacement equipment will be funded by the TMT programme, the installation costs for the replacement units must be arranged and paid for by the school. N4L will assist with Cloud Controller configuration where Ruckus equipment is being installed. N4L will also assist with configuring the replacement equipment when it is of a different make or model than the faulty equipment (e.g a switch from a different vendor than the original)
Responsibilities The school will ensure the timely return of the faulty equipment, as per instructions supplied with the replacement equipment. Failure to return may result in charges to the school for the full price of the replacement equipment.
It is recommended that the replacement equipment is installed in the same location as the faulty equipment, to provide reliable network performance.
Cloud Controller Moves, Adds and Changes (MACs)
For schools running Ruckus Wi-Fi, who have had their network management migrated to the N4L hosted Cloud Controller, N4L will support requests in relation to moving, adding or changing Access Points by configuring the Cloud Controller, updating asset registers and ensuring any new Access Points are added to the daily backup service.
Responsibilities The school must notify N4L of any proposed changes to the school’s installed Equipment, so that N4L can provide provisioning support when the changes are made.
- The requesting party must be authorised to purchase on behalf of the school.
- N4L will provide a Quote within a timely manner. The Quote will be valid for 30 days and will cover hardware and relevant support and licencing. Prices are subject to exchange rate fluctuations and may change without notice.
- The school is responsible for arranging and paying for equipment installation, and should liaise with N4L to confirm a mutually agreeable day and time, so that we have an N4L engineer available to assist. N4L engineering costs are covered by the service.
- In the event additional Switches are needed to support added equipment, the school will be responsible for paying for those Switches and their installation.
- To proceed with an order, the school will need to supply a valid Purchase Order which N4L will keep on file, in the event of payment disputes.
- Equipment lead times will be subject to New Zealand stock availability.
- Payment for Equipment will be in strict accordance with the N4L General Terms at clause 4, unless specifically provided here.
- Delivery of goods must be confirmed by an Authorised Signatory. It is the recipient’s (Authorised Signatory’s) responsibility to carefully check that the consignment contains the correct number of boxes as outlined on the courier shipping note, prior to signing. Once delivered, the school must ensure the equipment is kept safe and secure, ahead of installation.
Service Availability - Systems
The Ruckus Cloud Controller is hosted by N4L across multiple data centres. N4L will endeavour to provide the following availability for the hosted controller:
Hosted Service Target Availability 24/7 SmartZone Cloud Controller 99.9%
Additional Equipment:
Where a school wishes to purchase additional network equipment, N4L will create a service request for this purchase, and will provide engineering support for the provisioning of the equipment on the N4L hosted Cloud Controller.
All equipment, licencing and installation costs will be payable by the school.
| Responsibilities |
|---|
2.4. Managed Wi-Fi
This Service Description was last updated with effect from 10th October 2022.
Overview
Introduction
The N4L Managed Wi-Fi Service has been designed in collaboration with the Ministry, to provide schools with upgraded wireless networks and ongoing support to monitor, maintain and manage these networks.
This Service Description should be read in conjunction with the Te Mana Tūhono (TMT) Information Brief, published by the Ministry of Education (the Ministry), which explains the background and objectives of the Te Mana Tūhono programme.
Service Summary
- The N4L Managed Wi-Fi Service is a set of managed Services for schools that consist of the monitoring, management, and troubleshooting of a school’s Wireless (Wi-Fi) Network, which is designed and installed during Equipment Replacement. The service features are based upon practices recommended by the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL).
- With the exception of the Christmas holiday period, the N4L Customer Support Team is available 8am-5pm Monday to Friday, excluding national public holidays.
- Unless otherwise stated, all Services will be delivered remotely by N4L’s Customer Support Team and Network Operations Centre (NOC). Monitoring will be provided 24x7x365.
Note: Some N4L services may be suspended or diminished during school holidays due to e.g. school premises not being occupied, or schools turning their network equipment off.
Minimum Term
The Managed Wi-Fi Service and Contribution Term is set by the Ministry - refer to Te Mana Tūhono Programme. This Service has a minimum term of 5 years from the Contract Completion date (Order Form approval) for Equipment Replacement.
Related Documents
This Service Description should be read in conjunction with and incorporates the following documents:
Any specific terms provided within, or accompanying an N4L Quote will also apply.
Service Eligibility and Funding
Eligibility
Eligibility criteria and entitlements are set and governed by the Ministry.
All New Zealand state and state-integrated schools are eligible for the Managed Wi-Fi Service. N4L will proactively contact schools when they are due to be transitioned onto the Managed Wi-Fi Service, through the completion of Equipment Replacement. The Equipment Replacement roll out schedule is determined in agreement with the Ministry.
Once the school has been engaged and has provided their Agreement to Proceed (ATP) the subsequent network discovery, design and installation work can commence.
Funding
Funding criteria are set by the Ministry. The Managed Wi-Fi Service is heavily subsidised, however the school is required to make an annual roll-based contribution towards the cost of the service. Annual contribution costs will be set, managed and invoiced directly by the Ministry.
The current contribution price per student is available in the Te Mana Tūhono Information Brief, under Costs. Please note that this is subject to change.
Where Ministry full or part funding is not available, N4L may be able to provide Equipment and Services directly. Applicable charges will be advised upon request.
Equipment or service component Equipment Installation Licencing N4L Customer Support Wi-Fi Equipment within School Property Guide (SPG) entitlement, installed during Equipment Replacement
TMT funded TMT funded TMT funded TMT funded Wi-Fi Equipment for footprint expansion or building redevelopment, as a result of roll growth
School funded out of F & E New Build Funding School funded out of F & E New Build Funding School funded out of F & E New Build Funding TMT Funded Wi-Fi Equipment purchased by school (non-eligible areas e.g. hostels, community centres, other board-owned areas)
School funded School funded School funded TMT Funded Warranty fulfilment / replacement of failed Equipment
Vendor warranty School funded Licence transferred from faulty Equipment
TMT Funded Non-standard service requests, e.g. cabling works, trunking, capping, Equipment cages
School funded, POA at pass-through cost. Onsite support where needed, provided by an N4L Panel Provider School funded, with the exception of Equipment Replacement install work, which is TMT funded for all eligible spaces/hardware.
Note: N4L Panel Providers are available to assist with onsite work at any time, and N4L can provide a list of local N4L Panel Providers to schools upon request.
All onsite or advisory support where required or requested by school, provided by school’s usual IT provider School funded. This includes:
- any ER design review requested by the school, completed by school IT provider;
- if the school wants their IT provider onsite during Equipment Replacement (network installation); and
- any support and remediation tasks that may be needed for out-of-scope equipment such as printers, CCTV systems, or end user devices such as iPads, tablets and laptops, following the installation of the new network. N4L will support the troubleshooting of any post-install issues but the school IT provider is responsible for upgrade or configuration changes that may be needed on these systems and devices.
N4L Costs and Charges
Where charges for the Services (Charges) are identified that are not covered by TMT funding, these will be outlined within an applicable Order Form, or Quote, for school review and acceptance.
Once accepted, N4L will invoice the school directly for payment in accordance with the N4L School General Terms.
Service Onboarding and Activation - Equipment Replacement
In order to onboard to the Managed Wi-Fi Service, N4L will undertake network discovery, draft a new Network Design for approval and coordinate the installation and activation of your new network.
Eligible schools will be progressively onboarded to the service. You will be contacted when you are due to be onboarded.
Please note that Equipment Replacement also includes a second stage deployment of a network security capability called Secure Access. Secure Access will be enabled around 2-3 months after your network installation, via a follow up visit by an N4L Panel Provider. This is a mandatory requirement of the TMT Programme, to provide a better level of user access management and identity awareness on the network. These features help reduce the risk and impact of cyberattacks.
The end-to-end onboarding journey can be found here.
Network Discovery
An N4L engineer will undertake a pre-design assessment of the school’s existing network, using (W)SNUP documentation, notes from the N4L Relationship Manager, and/or other architect or ICT sources (e.g. where new buildings have been added since (W)SNUP). For large or complex schools or where existing information is insufficient, N4L may commission an onsite network audit, which will be completed by an N4L Panel Provider.
New Network Design
The N4L engineer will draft a new Network Design and share with the school and any other school-nominated party for review. Any design changes that need to be made must be communicated back to N4L in a timely manner.
In the event requested changes are outside the scope of SPG funding entitlement, N4L will advise the school of the Equipment, licencing and installation charges to cover the out of scope area, and the school can decide whether to proceed (at the school’s cost) or not.
Order Approval
The ordering process for the Managed Wi-Fi Services will require an Authorised Signatory to review and accept an Order Form online via N4L's Support Hub. This will include acceptance of the supporting documentation including N4L Network Designs, the Bill of Materials and the Installer statement of work.
Order Forms are a contractual acceptance of both N4L Terms and also the Ministry of Education’s Te Mana Tūhono Programme Terms of Service and contribution obligations.
Due to the volume of schools being upgraded under Equipment Replacement, it’s important that schools confirm their Order Form as soon as possible, to avoid causing delays, or (worse case) being deferred from the upgrade schedule.
Equipment Relinquishment
As part of replacing the school Wi-Fi network, old network equipment will be collected and returned to N4L (or their nominated partner). This relinquished equipment may be used where necessary to support schools still awaiting Equipment Replacement, and for school projects where new Equipment cannot be supplied, due to compatibility or supply issues.
Where the equipment is not able to be re-used, it will be e-recycled as per the Ministry, N4L and their partners’ e-recycling service.
For network performance, security and N4L Wi-Fi support reasons, it is not recommended that any removed/uninstalled equipment is re-connected to the new Wi-Fi network. In many cases your old equipment will not be compatible, or it could lead to degraded performance in some locations of the school.
Relinquished equipment will be removed by the nominated N4L Panel Provider and boxed up for return - this service is free of charge to the school.
Installation
N4L will coordinate with the school to agree dates and times for the Equipment installation. We provide a nominated Installer from our N4L Panel to complete the Equipment Replacement tasks and to work onsite at your school on the agreed installation date(s).
The Installer will:
- take photographs throughout the day. Photos will only include Equipment and not teachers and/or students;
- carry out best endeavours to work within the outage windows indicated in the agreed Network Design document, however they will work with the school to manage this onsite, should unexpected variations be required;
- have a copy of the police vetting result with them which they will produce for your inspection if requested. N4L Panel Provider police vetting obligations and procedures are available for review here.
School Responsibilities during Onboarding
To ensure the smooth and efficient installation of the new Wi-Fi network, there are some School Responsibilities that need to be fulfilled.
Receipt of Equipment
N4L will order the new Equipment to be installed in your school and this will be shipped (couriered) directly to the school ahead of the agreed installation date.
Equipment will be delivered to the school physical address only. As an exception, and where agreement is reached in writing, the school can nominate an alternate address.
Delivery of goods must be confirmed by an Authorised Signatory. It is the recipient’s (Authorised Signatory’s) responsibility to carefully check that the consignment contains the correct number of boxes as outlined on the courier shipping note, prior to signing. Once delivered (receipted), it is the responsibility of the school to ensure the Equipment is stored unopened in a safe place. If the boxed Equipment is opened, lost or damaged prior to install (i.e. not by the assigned N4L Panel Installer) then the school will be liable for any costs related to lost, incomplete or damaged Equipment, including any Installer costs for avoidable delays.
Support during install
The school must provide the Installer with full access to the school site, including keys for cabinets, rooms, satellite locations, and necessary credentials (as applicable).
The school must support the Installer to carry out the requisite testing and to complete the school sign-off steps upon completion of the works.
Install sign off
At the completion of Equipment installation, the school must sign off the works. It is important the school gives due diligence to sign-off, to ensure any issues or concerns can be addressed whilst the Installer is still onsite. This will be done using the Installation Runsheet and will confirm the following:
The school has:
- participated in the pre and post testing and confirms that they have been completed successfully to the school’s satisfaction. Test plans can be found here;
- completed a school walk-around with the technician to view the completed works including any 'make good' tasks, and confirmed that the work is completed to the school’s satisfaction;
- advised of any issues with the installation, e.g. damage;
- advised of any health and safety concerns during installation; and
- checked that all core services are working, such as CCTV, printers, alarms, etc.
Where the nominated school contact is not available to complete the requisite pre and post works testing, the school may be liable for remediation of issues later identified that require the N4L Panel Provider to revisit the site.
Charges for avoidable costs
If the school is unable to provide testing support, physical access to the premises or other prerequisites that were communicated and required of the school by N4L, the school may be liable to pay for delay time or re-booking costs (part or full charge): e.g. where an N4L Panel Provider is unable to proceed, or where they are significantly delayed from completing the onsite works due to a school-caused delay, for example:
- lack of access to buildings;
- nominated school contact is unavailable to participate as required; or
- loss of Equipment post-delivery.
The costs to have the N4L Panel Provider return to site (to complete the works) may be on-charged to the school.
Service Activation
Once your Equipment has been installed and has registered on our network, N4L will activate network monitoring and support for the Wi-Fi network.
Responsibilities - N4L requires authority to manage and delegate network visibility and access, including who has administrative access to the network components and hosted Services.
- The school and/or the school IT provider must ensure that the current N4L Network Design and configuration is maintained.
- N4L will monitor ongoing compliance against network configuration standards, and will work with the school (or the school ICT partner) to restore configurations as and when needed. This will ensure the network’s ongoing fit for purpose status, and maintain the integrity of the Managed Wi-Fi Service.
- Schools should consult N4L before making any changes to the physical or logical configuration of Switches or wireless Access Points. Provision of N4L’s Services depends on a school’s network meeting N4L’s compliance standards. Configuration changes made without N4L’s approval may render part or all of the network ineligible for support from N4L.
Refer to 2.4.4(i) Moves, Adds and Changes, for further information about adding Equipment after Equipment Replacement.
Equipment Replacement Warranty Period
A 30-day Warranty Period applies to Equipment Replacement. This Warranty Period will commence following install sign off and N4L’s acceptance of Installer documentation. If an In Scope Equipment fault occurs within this Warranty Period, N4L will fund the installation of replacement Equipment. If the fault occurs after the Warranty Period, the Equipment warranty will cover the Equipment cost, however the install work will need to be funded by the school.
Refer to 2.4.4(g) Equipment Warranty, for faults that occur after the Equipment Replacement Warranty Period.
(A) Equipment Replacement Process
(B) Ordering and Delivery
Following the approval of the new Network Design, N4L will create an Order Form summarising the design, Equipment and installation details.
(C) School Responsibilities
Service Features
These are the key features and Services available to schools once the Managed Wi-Fi Service has been activated. These support Services are applicable only to In Scope Equipment or “managed” network components (Managed Components).
In Scope Equipment is any network Equipment or network components designed by N4L and installed by an N4L Panel Provider during Equipment Replacement, any compatible Equipment that is retained and incorporated into the new Wi-Fi network during Equipment Replacement or any subsequent network Equipment added (purchased from N4L), and activated by N4L through a “Move, Add or Change” Service Request.
Equipment purchased and installed independently via other providers is out of scope.
Summary of Services
Core Services - Managed Wi-Fi (a) N4L Customer Support Team
(b) Documentation and Asset Inventory Management
(c) Settings Backup and Restore Services
(d) Reactive Monitoring
(e) Proactive Monitoring
(f) Incident Management
(g) Equipment Warranty
(h) Device Maintenance
(i) Moves, Adds and Changes
(j) Problem Management
(k) Reactive Capacity Management
N4L Customer Support Team
The N4L Customer Support Team will be available Monday-Friday 8am-5pm (excluding national public holidays and Christmas holiday closure dates) to act as the single point of contact for assistance with your Wi-Fi network.
The Customer Support Team will assist with troubleshooting, Service Requests, and resolution of Wi-Fi performance issues. The N4L Customer Support Team and the N4L Network Operations Centre will together provide network monitoring, network maintenance and network management Services as listed below.
Network Documentation and Asset Inventory Management
N4L will collect and maintain design documentation, asset inventory information about Managed Components, and associated firmware and licencing information for those components. N4L will make this information available to the school and/or the Ministry on request.
To ensure that documentation and asset registers are up to date, N4L will need to be consulted about any Changes within the school Wi-Fi network - namely any Switch or Access Point moves, additions, removals or Changes. Refer to 2.4.4(i) Moves, Adds and Changes (MACs) for further information.
Responsibilities N4L will create, update and maintain network documentation, asset information and software and licencing information about the Managed Components.
The school will inform and include N4L in any proposed changes or additions to the Managed Components so that documentation and asset registers can be kept up to date.
Output: Network Design; updated asset register Settings Backup and Restore Services
N4L will perform a daily backup of the settings of the Managed Components. N4L will restore this data in response to an Incident or as a part of Service Request fulfilment.
Responsibilities The school will ensure that no configuration changes are made that prevent the daily backup from occurring.
If N4L detects an automatic backup has failed, we will attempt to manually re-run the backup. If N4L detects continued backup failures, we will create an Incident Case to restore the backup service, and where needed notify the school.
N4L’s Customer Support Team will provide a single point of contact for assistance to restore from backup.
Output: Daily backup of settings of Managed Components Reactive Monitoring
N4L will provide Reactive Monitoring of Managed Components to assist the school with fault enquiries.
Responsibilities N4L will hold network logs and metrics that can be shared upon request.
N4L will retrieve and share logs with the school, for a specified date/time range, to support the school with fault enquiries. Some of these can be accessed through self-service.
Proactive Monitoring
N4L will monitor the school’s Wi-Fi network components for availability (sometimes known as “Up/Down”)
Responsibilities N4L will monitor the Managed Components for Up/Down Events.
N4L will help identify meaningful Events by implementing Event correlation, timing, and filtering processes when an Event occurs.
If an Event becomes an Incident, N4L may create an Incident Case and where appropriate, will notify the school.
Incident Management
If an Incident is detected or reported by the school, N4L will create an Incident Case, classify the Incident, and where appropriate, notify and update the school.
N4L will work to identify, troubleshoot and restore normal operational functionality of the network (which may include a temporary workaround). An Incident is considered resolved once the network operates normally again or N4L provides a restoration recommendation that is accepted by the school.
If further work is required to return the network to its original state after service has been restored e.g. if a temporary workaround has been implemented, then this work will be carried out under a Problem Case. (see 2.4.4(j) Problem Management).
Responsibilities Where appropriate, parties will promptly review and approve proposed changes to resolve an Incident.
If the cause of an Incident is out of scope or out of N4L’s control, N4L may provide a recommendation to the school, where possible.
Onsite support may be required to perform some changes if N4L cannot complete this work remotely, or does not have permission to perform the changes, or if the changes are out of scope (e.g. a change required to out of scope software or hardware). Unless otherwise specified, the school will be responsible for paying for all onsite work.
Equipment Warranty
Where In Scope Equipment has been diagnosed by N4L as likely to be faulty, N4L will arrange for the sending of replacement Equipment.
Whilst the provision of Equipment (Switches and Access Points) will be funded under vendor warranty, the installation costs for the replacement units must be arranged and paid for by the school. All replacement Equipment must be installed by an approved N4L Panel Provider, unless otherwise agreed by N4L.
Responsibilities The school will ensure that all replacement Equipment is installed by an approved N4L Panel Supplier, unless otherwise agreed by N4L.
The school will ensure the timely return of the faulty Equipment, as per instructions supplied with the replacement Equipment. Failure to return may result in charges to the school for the full price of the replacement Equipment.
The replacement Equipment must be installed in the same location as the faulty Equipment, to ensure the integrity of network documentation held by N4L, and to ensure reliable network performance, which is designed specifically to provide good coverage and capacity.
School Network Equipment Maintenance
N4L will identify all firmware upgrades, software releases and security patches recommended by the network vendor, and apply those in a timely fashion. N4L will manage the lifecycle (i.e. planning, testing, backout and post-Change checks) of the deployment of technical changes to the Wi-Fi network.
Some updates could affect the ability of older devices to connect to the network. The school will be responsible for updating/connecting all hardware and software excluding In Scope Equipment.
Responsibilities Where appropriate, N4L will notify the school of planned outage windows and/or the completion of network updates.
Moves, Adds and Changes (MACs)
After Equipment Replacement, N4L will manage requests in relation to moving, adding or changing network Equipment (Switches or Access Points). As part of this service, N4L will update design documentation, asset registers and ensure any new network components are added to proactive monitoring, and the daily backup service.
To maintain the integrity of the Managed Wi-Fi Service, N4L will ensure design and configuration standards are extended to the new or changed network components. This includes ensuring that all new Equipment is installed by an N4L Panel Provider, unless agreed otherwise with N4L.
Responsibilities N4L will ensure design and configuration standards are maintained for any new or changed network components.
The school must notify N4L of any proposed or implemented changes to the school’s installed Equipment which may impact the Network Design. Failure to do so may result in a degradation of the customer support that N4L can provide, and may also negatively impact network performance.
Additional Equipment:
Where a school wishes to purchase additional network Equipment after Equipment Replacement, N4L will create a service request for this purchase, and will provide design expertise to draft an updated Network Design outlining the location and number any new network components. All additional Equipment must be installed via the N4L Moves, Adds and Changes process.
All Equipment, licencing and installation costs will be payable by the school.
Responsibilities - The requesting party must be authorised to purchase on behalf of the school.
- N4L will provide a design and Quote within a timely manner. The Quote will be valid for 30 days and will cover hardware and relevant support and licencing. Prices are subject to exchange rate fluctuations and may change without notice.
- Unless otherwise agreed with N4L, Equipment installation will need to be completed by an N4L Panel Provider and will be quoted separately by your chosen N4L Panel Provider. You will need to liaise with N4L to confirm a mutually agreeable day and time, so that we have an N4L engineer available to assist. N4L engineering costs are covered by the service.
- In the event additional Switches are needed to support added Equipment, the school will be responsible for paying for those Switches and their installation.
- To proceed with an order, the school will need to supply a valid Purchase Order which N4L will keep on file, in the event of payment disputes.
- The responsibilities outlined in “2.4.3(c) School Responsibilities during Onboarding” shall apply.
- Equipment lead times will be subject to New Zealand stock availability.
- Payment for Equipment will be in strict accordance with the N4L General Terms at clause 4, unless specifically provided here.
Problem Management
In the event a Problem is suspected or confirmed, N4L will create a Problem Case and work to analyse and identify the root cause, and will proactively perform activities aimed at resolving Problems before service is impacted. Proactive activities include analysing trend data, health checks and platform tuning.
Responsibilities N4L will create a Problem record and analyse Events to identify trends or errors as noted above.
Where appropriate, N4L will provide actionable recommendations to the school to resolve Problems or to reduce or eliminate potential Incidents that may arise from the Problem.
Where appropriate, N4L will implement changes in accordance with Change Management to resolve Problems.
Where appropriate, the school will manage third-party suppliers to address situations where out of scope devices or applications are the cause of a Problem.
Where possible, the school will implement recommended changes if outside the scope of the Managed Wi-Fi Service or outside of N4L’s control.
Reactive Capacity Management
Where requested by the school, or where recommended as a resolution to performance issues, N4L will manage the process to increase network capacity via a Move, Add or Change request as detailed in 2.4.4(i) Moves, Adds and Changes. All costs including hardware, licencing and installation will be payable by the school.
Service Availability - Systems
The Managed Wi-Fi Service is hosted by N4L across multiple data centres. N4L will endeavour to provide the following availability for the hosted Services:
Hosted Service Target Availability 24/7 N4L Virtual Network Controller 99.9% Additional N4L Managed Wi-Fi Terms
Scope of Services
Unless the Services are expressly provided for above, or described in a Quote or as part of case management, all other N4L services are out of scope for this Service Description. For clarity the following are not included in the Services:
- Troubleshooting Incidents that pre-date Service Activation.
- Troubleshooting peripheral network Equipment such as printers, CCTV systems, or end user devices such as iPads, tablets or mobile phones.
Managed Components
- The school must have a valid Ruckus support and right to use licence for all Managed Components. Unless provided under SPG entitlement, the school will be required to pay for these licences. N4L reserves the right to charge the school the equivalent support and maintenance fee for those network components that are not covered, or may reduce the Services (e.g. N4L will not install updates, submit requests for hardware replacement, etc.) for those network components that do not have a valid Ruckus support and right to use licence.
- The school must use the Managed Components according to their applicable licences, specifications and documentation (e.g. do not exceed available capacity on a Managed Component).
Network Standards Compliance
- The school must ensure that all network design, configuration, installation and naming standards are maintained throughout the lifetime of the network. Failure to ensure compliance against those standards is likely to result in a diminished service experience, impaired network performance and possibly undue exposure to cyberattack.
- N4L will monitor network standards compliance across the Managed Wi-Fi Service and reserves the right to take remedial action to restore compliance where necessary. Repeated divergence from standards may result in network access privileges being revoked.
N4L Recommendations and Changes
If the school fails to implement any reasonably requested N4L recommendations or requirements, or fails to allow N4L to make reasonably recommended Changes with respect to the Managed Components or the Services, N4L shall have no responsibility for any resulting delays, failure(s), or increased security risks with respect to the performance of the Managed Wi-Fi Service. For onsite changes recommended by N4L, the N4L Panel Providers are available to help, at school cost.
In addition, if a school’s failure to implement N4L’s reasonable recommendations or its unreasonable refusal to allow N4L to make Changes causes N4L to incur more costs or effort to provide the Services (e.g. significantly increased number of Incidents), N4L may charge additional Charges to address such items until the recommendations are implemented.
Telemetry Data
N4L may collect data on the school’s usage of the Services in order to maintain, improve or scale the Services. In addition, N4L may use anonymised and aggregated data on the school's use of the Services, Managed Component performance (In Scope Equipment only), or network performance (“Telemetry Data”) to create or improve its products and services. N4L will comply at all times with applicable laws related to the collection and use of the data above and will use industry standard physical, technical, and procedural means to protect the Telemetry Data.