Education Networks of America

What Education Networks of America does

Education Networks of America (ENA) is a Nashville-based, privately held managed network services provider founded in 1996, exclusively serving the U.S. education sector — K-12 school districts, higher education institutions, and public libraries. The company delivers managed connectivity (Dedicated Internet Access, WAN, Ethernet, IP Transit, CloudLink), managed cybersecurity (Unified Threat Management, Managed Firewall, DDoS Protection), managed communications (VoIP, UCaaS, video conferencing, SIP), Managed Edge networking, and Managed STARLINK satellite integration. Underlying delivery runs over Zayo's wholly-owned North American fiber network, the largest independently owned fiber network in North America, following a 2022 partnership that folded ENA into the Zayo Education vertical.

ENA's revenue model is anchored in recurring managed services contracts and subscription-based connectivity sold to educational institutions, with a substantial portion of demand facilitated through the federal E-Rate program, which funds telecommunications and internet services for schools and libraries. ENA is recognized as a top-five E-Rate service provider with involvement since the program's inception and has facilitated over $1B in cumulative E-Rate funding, connecting approximately 19,000 K-12 schools (20% of all U.S. public schools). Go-to-market is primarily direct sales to district IT and administrative leadership, supplemented by Zayo's sales organization as a channel partner. Historical M&A includes TeleQuality Communications (2018) and CatchOn (2018), expanding adjacent rural telecom and education data/analytics capabilities. The company operates with 51–100 employees and is led by President & CEO David M. Pierce, with Rex Miller as SVP & General Manager.

Name

Education Networks of America

Legal name

Education Networks of America

Website

https://ena.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Education Networks of America is a Nashville-based managed network services provider founded in 1996 that delivers connectivity, cybersecurity, communications, and E-Rate-funded infrastructure exclusively to U.S. K-12 schools, higher education, and libraries, operating as the Zayo Education vertical following a 2022 partnership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Network Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Telephone Interconnect Systems (7385), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373), Communications Services, Nec (4899)

akta.pro primary industry

School IT Infrastructure & Cybersecurity for K–12 (Network, Identity, SSO) (EDAJAMAM)

Keywords

• Managed network services
• E-Rate funding services
• Educational connectivity
• K-12 network infrastructure
• Managed cybersecurity education

Headquarters

HQ city

Nashville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Managed Services Revenue: Recurring managed connectivity, cybersecurity, and communications services for educational institutions
2. Network Connectivity Services: Dedicated Internet Access, Ethernet, IP Transit, and WAN solutions
3. Fiber & Transport Services: Dark Fiber, Wavelengths, and Private Networks for educational institutions
4. E-Rate Program Services: Services facilitated through the federal E-Rate program, which provides funding to schools and libraries for telecommunications

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Education Networks of America (ENA) provides managed network connectivity, cybersecurity, and communications services to K-12 school districts, higher education institutions, and public libraries across the United States. Operating as Zayo Education since a 2022 partnership with Zayo Group, ENA delivers Dedicated Internet Access, WAN, VoIP/UCaaS, DDoS protection, dark fiber, and managed satellite (STARLINK) connectivity, and specializes in navigating the federal E-Rate funding program.

Product overview

Education Networks of America (ENA), operating as Zayo Education following a 2022 partnership, provides a comprehensive suite of network connectivity solutions exclusively for educational institutions including K-12 school districts, higher education, and libraries. The platform operates on Zayo's wholly-owned North American fiber network infrastructure and offers managed services (Connectivity, Cybersecurity, Communications, Edge, and STARLINK), fiber transport solutions (Dark Fiber, Wavelengths, Private Networks), and network connectivity options (Dedicated Internet Access, Ethernet, IP Transit, CloudLink, WANs). ENA also provides specialized E-Rate Funding Services, having facilitated over $1 billion in E-Rate funding and connected approximately 20% of all U.S. public schools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Managed Connectivity Dedicated Internet Access and WAN solutions engineered for school infrastructure needs, providing fast and dependable connectivity for students and educational institutions.
• Managed Cybersecurity Comprehensive cybersecurity services including Unified Threat Management, Managed Firewall, and DDoS Protection designed to prevent and mitigate cyberattacks on educational communities.
• Managed Communications Cloud-based voice-over IP (VoIP), UCaaS, video conferencing, SIP, and contact center solutions enabling future-ready collaboration for classrooms and campuses.
• Managed Edge Edge networking solutions tailored for educational institutions to enhance security, expand reach, and support robust communications.
• Managed STARLINK Managed Starlink satellite connectivity services providing high-speed internet access, particularly for rural and underserved educational areas.
• Dark Fiber Dedicated fiber infrastructure allowing educational institutions to own and control their private fiber connections for maximum bandwidth and reliability.
• Wavelengths High-capacity point-to-point wavelength services providing dedicated optical channel connectivity for large bandwidth requirements.
• Private Networks Custom private network solutions built on dedicated fiber infrastructure for educational institutions requiring exclusive, secure connectivity.
• Dedicated Internet Access High-speed dedicated internet connectivity designed for school district infrastructure requirements.
• Ethernet Ethernet connectivity solutions providing reliable network connections for educational institutions.
• IP Transit Global IP transit services enabling internet connectivity and routing for educational networks.
• CloudLink Cloud connectivity solutions enabling secure and efficient access to cloud services for educational institutions.
• WANs Wide Area Network solutions connecting multiple school locations and campuses across distributed educational environments.
• E-Rate Funding Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Connected over 19,000 K-12 schools across the U.S.
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• ZayocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2022In 2022, Zayo (the largest independently owned fiber network in North America) partnered with Education Networks of America. ENA, as a top-five E-Rate service provider involved since the program's inception in 1996, brings specialized expertise in serving educational institutions. This partnership offers affordable infrastructure solutions from a partner who understands the intricacies of serving education.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• CDW Government (CDW-G): Leading K-12 IT solutions reseller offering networking, security, and communications hardware and services to school districts. Competes with ENA for district-level IT budgets and bundles, especially on networking and cybersecurity purchases.
• Zayo Group: Parent company and network infrastructure provider for ENA. Zayo owns the North American fiber backbone on which ENA's managed services run and is itself a top E-Rate service provider, making it both the supply backbone and a direct competitor on connectivity.
• Lumen Technologies: A major E-Rate service provider delivering managed connectivity, ethernet, and voice services to K-12 districts, higher education, and libraries — directly overlapping with ENA's core connectivity, WAN, and UCaaS portfolio.

Broad incumbents

• Comcast Business: Major cable and business services provider with a large E-Rate footprint delivering broadband, ethernet, and managed services to K-12 districts nationwide, directly overlapping with ENA's connectivity offerings.
• Cisco Systems: Dominant provider of switching, routing, security, and collaboration hardware/software for K-12 networks. While not a direct managed services competitor, Cisco's networking stack underpins many ENA deployments and its managed service offerings overlap with ENA's.
• Verizon: National telecom incumbent participating in E-Rate with managed connectivity, security, and wireless solutions for K-12 and higher education. Competes with ENA on large, multi-site district contracts.
• Charter Communications (Spectrum Enterprise): Cable operator with a sizable E-Rate business serving K-12 schools and libraries with broadband, ethernet, and managed Wi-Fi — a direct competitor for district connectivity contracts.
• AT&T: One of the largest E-Rate service providers in the U.S., offering DIA, ethernet, managed networking, and cybersecurity to school districts as part of a much broader enterprise and consumer portfolio. Competes for the same K-12 district RFPs as ENA.

Emerging players

• HPE Aruba Networking: Provider of campus networking, Wi-Fi, and network security solutions widely adopted in K-12 and higher education. Competes with the Managed Edge and Managed Connectivity layers of ENA's stack, particularly on Wi-Fi and switching refresh cycles.
• Kajeet: Education-focused managed wireless and IoT connectivity provider for K-12 districts, particularly for student devices and remote learning. Overlaps with ENA's Managed STARLINK and managed connectivity offerings for underserved and rural schools.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ENAconnects
• Facebookfacebook.com/ENAconnects
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/education-networks-of-america

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A2 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Education Networks of America