Computacenter helps college improve access to education with state-of-the-art IT infrastructure

New technology is at the heart of an ambitious £72million education initiative, which will revolutionise the learning experience for students in Doncaster.

The launch of Doncaster Education City will dramatically improve access to training and education services, and provide pupils with a safer and more efficient learning environment.

As part of the scheme, Doncaster College is moving to a new site, which is being equipped with state-of-the-art IT systems by Computacenter. 

David Gates, Principal at Doncaster College, commented: “Technology will help us open up education to a much wider audience. We will be able to provide a Digital Knowledge Exchange, which will pioneer radical learning applications and link to a network of 200 learning gateways across the city.”

Doncaster College’s bold plans are underpinned by a robust and scalable IT infrastructure, which is based on best-of-breed technology from a range of vendors, including IBM and Cisco Systems.

Graeme Tizard, Director of IT for Doncaster College, commented: “The new IT infrastructure will enable us to deliver remote and online learning capabilities to thousands of new students every year. Multi-media content will be streamed via an IP-based network, which will carry 99 per cent of our voice and data traffic.”

The high-speed converged network, which could be as much as 10 times faster than the college’s existing infrastructure, has been designed and
implemented by Computacenter.

The IT services provider is also sourcing, configuring, testing and installing a range of other core systems – from storage area networks and servers to CCTV and audio-visual devices – in time for September 2006, when the college opens it doors to more than 38,000 students.

The audio-visual devices, which include interactive whiteboards, will be used in the college’s 200-plus classrooms, which will also be fitted with smartcard-enabled security and an electronic registration system.

John Bennett, Technology Solutions Business Unit Director for Computacenter, commented: “This is a highly complex project, which involves the integration of multiple technologies from multiple vendors. Thanks to our systems integration expertise, we have been able to help the college not only maximise its investment in the new infrastructure but also reduce the implementation risks.”

As well as using IT to enhance the educational experience, Doncaster College also wanted to ensure it minimised both its ongoing running costs and the impact on the environment.

“Operational efficiency was a key driver behind our technology choices,” comments Tizard. “By deploying a standardised IP backbone, we will be able to simplify IT management and reduce costs. We are also re-using our migration environment to create a disaster recovery provision.”

As well as optimising the efficiency of the new infrastructure, Computacenter has also ensured that the environment has adequate scalability and flexibility to meet the future educational needs of the city.

“IT has an increasingly important role to play in education, and can help widen community access to new skills,” added John. “The college’s IT infrastructure has been specifically designed to cope with considerable growth in the number of students and to support the delivery of seamless and sophisticated education services for years to come.”

Ends

 

Notes for Editors

About Computacenter Services

We advise customers on their IT strategy, helping them to design and implement technology from a wide range of leading vendors, and manage their IT infrastructure on their behalf. At every stage we assist them with minimising the cost and maximising the business value of both their capital and operational expenditure.

As part of Computacenter plc, Europe's leading independent provider of IT infrastructure services, our corporate and government clients are served by a network of branch offices across the UK, Germany, France, Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands and, through our international partners, at locations across the globe.

For more information, contact:

Susie Loughnane     
Octopus Communications                                      
0845 37 00 655

About Doncaster Education City

Doncaster Education City (DEC) is a new concept that is distinctively different, making learning more fun. It will mean that Students can learn different things, by different ways, in different and ultra –modern places.

A new and exciting theme park style building will be located on the Waterfront in the centre of town, where you can study new and existing courses. The 'central hub' will offer courses for people aged 16 to 90+, in anything from plumbing and hairdressing to post graduate degrees.

State-of-the-art technology will be used in teaching, making learning more interesting and relevant. By working together with businesses, schools, training providers and the College, DEC will use the combined knowledge and experiences to tailor courses to help students reaching their ambitions.

For more information, contact:

Charlotte Hill