| IT
Experts Take Skills to La. School |
By Erin E. Fogg 
Observer Staff Writer |
| The aging school building in Baker, La., was empty on Saturday,
Jan. 28. Lately it had been swollen with an excess of students
displaced by Hurricane Katrina, but the quiet weekend was
needed for getting the job done. |
| A group of local volunteers with Humanity First, a worldwide
humanitarian relief organization, took a trip down to Baker
City High School to put their specialized skills to work. |
| The team of IT experts, comprised of Fouzan Pal of Ashburn,
Wahab Mirza of Sterling and Tariq Amjed of Herndon, installed
a wireless network system for a school whose resources had
been burdened by an influx of displaced students. |
| Seven months ago, Pal and Mirza cofounded NetCysive, a firm
that provides network consulting for small to mid-size businesses.
|
| Pal, who had already visited Baker City High School during
the initial phase of Humanity First's recovery efforts after
the hurricane struck, knew it would be a great candidate for
future assistance. |
| After Humanity First decided to move forward with the network
installation project, it was time to identify the expertise
among its pool of volunteers. |
| The team was excited about being able to volunteer specialized
skills rather than sheer manpower. |
| "You primarily use your skills to support yourself and your
family," Pal said. "To be able to use those skills to help
others is a completely different concept." |
| Once the team was complete, Aruba Networks was identified
as the infrastructure equipment vendor. Network coverage was
provided for nearly 30 classrooms using four access points,
and 90 wireless PCI cards were donated for each desktop. The
equipment alone represented a $10,000 value. |
| Pal, Mirza and Amjed embarked on their weekend trip on Jan.
27. They spent the next day working entirely on installation,
running cables through the roof of the school. |
| The configuration process took up Sunday, and the team focused
on showing the school district's IT specialist, Wayne Dyre,
how to operate the system. |
| The school superintendent commended the team for their work
in the school, which previously did not have Internet access
in the majority of its classrooms. |
| "He was really excited that they now have access so students
can do research and study and Google," Pal said. "They no
longer have to make a trip to the library." |
