£10 million digital network boost for scottish schools
Pupils Benefit From Instant Access to Online Learning Tools
The Scottish Executive is investing £10 million in a country-wide digital network to boost delivery of the school curriculum. Pupils in almost 3,000 schools will benefit from this groundbreaking initiative, aimed to put Scotland's schools at the forefront of modern education in Europe.
Edinburgh, Scotland,
June
29, 2005 -
The Scottish Executive selected Bull, Cisco Systems, ntl Business and Serendipity Interactive to design and build the digital network, which will provide both students and teachers with the most up-to-date learning materials to enhance lessons - such as DVD-quality video programmes, which can be delivered country wide using the Internet and streamed for local viewing over the schools local area network (LAN), and interactive websites. Teachers will benefit by being able to use technology more effectively in the classroom environment.
All schools throughout Scotland's 32 local authorities, including those with limited connection in remote areas, will benefit through faster, more reliable and user-friendly access to online resources as part of this visionary initiative.
The Scottish Executive worked closely with the 32 local authorities to select the four technology companies to design and build the digital network, which was implemented in just under three months. The rapid installation of the network means local authorities have an early opportunity to play a role in refining the user interface with teachers over the next few months and to work with the Executive and Learning and Teaching Scotland to develop the service over time.
With Bull serving as G-CAT prime contractor through its G-CAT status, the project includes 100 Bull Express5800 servers; a Serendipity Interactive content directory service, residing on the servers, that will help enable teachers to easily locate curriculum mapped resources for pre-positioning; a Cisco Application and Content Networking System (ACNS), comprising 3100 content engines, to distribute high-bandwidth web materials to each end-user without creating Internet traffic 'bottlenecks'; ntl Business has designed and configured the complete solution while being responsible for the integration, implementation and roll out of the network. ntl Business will also maintain the network as part of a contract lasting for the next three years.
"The decision by the Scottish Executive to implement what will be one of the largest content delivery infrastructures in the world puts Scottish schools right at the forefront of online learning - bringing benefits to teachers and pupils alike," said Mike Dunk, CEO, Bull UK & Ireland. "Undertaking a project of this scale, under a deadline of three months, is a testament to the strength of the relationship between the Scottish Executive and the technology partners."
"The Scottish Executive and local authorities have displayed huge foresight by interconnecting all Scottish schools to the same content delivery network, rather than developing individual networks in each local authority area," said Gordon Thomson, General Manager for Cisco Systems Scotland. "Not only will it cost less to maintain a central system, it will also be easier for content publishers to distribute materials to a broad audience and it will deliver learning benefits to the next generation."
Tony Harris, Managing Director, ntl Business, said: "This project ensures that real benefits are delivered to all school children across Scotland by ensuring that curriculum content is updated, managed and delivered consistently in an effective and timely manner by exploiting technology. This initiative has placed Scottish education ahead of most other public sector and commercial organisations."
"Serendipity Interactive has worked closely with Learning and Teaching Scotland to deliver MYcontentdirectory, a customised Scottish curriculum version of our established MYiNTERNET software, to allow teachers to quickly locate relevant online Scottish curriculum content shared between their peers across the country. Our 'teacher friendly' interface maximises the Scottish Executive's investment in Cisco's excellent content delivery technology and delivers a powerful opportunity for shaping and sharing leading digital content in every classroom and for every child," said Brian Dickson, Director of Client Sales & Services for Serendipity Interactive.
About Cisco Systems
Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO), the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet, celebrates 20 years of commitment to technology innovation, industry leadership, and corporate social responsibility. Information about Cisco can be found at http://www.cisco.com. For ongoing news, go to http://newsroom.cisco.com. Cisco equipment in Europe is supplied by Cisco Systems International BV, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cisco Systems, Inc
About ntl Business
ntl Business is a leading provider of communications services to businesses and public sector organisations. It offers a range of reliable voice services supported 24x7 by ntl's network and service management centres, and data solutions, from broadband internet access to fully-managed business critical communications networks.
ntl Business makes it easier and more cost-effective for customers to do business by bundling products and services together. Customers include T5, Cambridgeshire County Council, Southampton City Council and Next.
ntl is the UK's largest cable company with 3 million residential customers, and the UK's leading supplier of broadband services to consumers with over 1.3 million broadband customers. ntl's network can service 7.9 million homes in the UK.
ntl Press Contact: Kate Richardson, Nelson Bostock for ntl, +44 (0)207 229 4400, kate.richardson@nelsonbostock.com
About Serendipity
Serendipity Interactive's vision is "to develop software solutions that deliver productivity that benefits everyone".
Since 2000, it has developed Internet Access and Email Management Solutions, Next Generation Digital Signing software for Secure Document Transfer and Anti-Fraud Ticketing Solutions that have been bought by the Oil & Gas industry, Scottish Police & Local Authorities, Central Government and various Stadia/Sporting venues.
The company markets its solutions through approved Sales & Systems Reseller Partners who vary from small local consultancies to some of the largest and most respected International ICT Systems Integrators.
www.serendipity-interactive.com
Serendipity Press Contact: Stephen Arnott, Serendipity, 0800 074 4748, steve@mysi.co.uk
Cisco, Cisco Systems, and the Cisco Systems logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of Cisco Systems, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and certain other countries. All other trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company. This document is Cisco Public Information.
About Bull, Architect of an Open World
As one of the leading European IT companies, Bull delivers open, flexible and secure information systems. The group helps public and private sector customers transform their information systems, applying its know-how and expertise in three main areas:
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Capitalizing on its extensive mainframe experience, Bull designs and produces robust, innovative and open servers, based on industry-standard technologies;
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Building on its alliances with leading ISVs, Bull develops and implements flexible and interoperable application infrastructures which give business processes the freedom to evolve;
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Bringing together recognized expertise in end-to-end IT security, Bull secures data and exchanges that are so critical in preserving customers' business integrity.
Bull has a particularly strong presence in the public, healthcare, finance, telecommunications, manufacturing and defense sectors. Its distribution network and business partners cover more than 60 countries worldwide.
For more information visit: http://www.bull.com
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