Customer
The East Midlands Broadband Community (embc) boasts one of the largest integrated ICT infrastructures in the world to provide learning opportunities for over 2200 schools and up to 900,000 teachers and learners across eight Local Authorities in the region, for schools, libraries, teachers, learners and parents.
embc is a not for profit organisation wholly owned by Derbyshire, Leicester City, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottingham City, Nottinghamshire and Rutland Councils. The main objective of embc is as an enabling body to assist Local Authorities and schools in meeting their educational aims and obligations. The LA’s, with embc, are focused on improving teaching and learning through the provision of high quality and cost effective services.
The Contract
Synetrix* was selected as the ICT managed service provider for the embc network and services to serve 2200 schools across eight East Midland Local Authorities. The network will connect schools into a learning community, allowing them to access Synetrix’* educational systems, where they can access learning tools online, chat, email and create personalised web sites, in a secure environment.
The service is based on the most advanced Identity Management solution available in the education sector; a fully auditable and federated single sign-on system based on Active Directory. This enables users to access to their workspaces and email based on a unique profile that will seamlessly follow them through school moves and educational phases, even ensuring their interface is age-specific. The service also enables mobile access to learning opportunities via laptops, PDAs and SMART Phones as well as school, delivering ‘anytime anywhere’ access to learning.
In 2010 Synetrix* upgraded the ebmc network to be more responsive and resilient, including the replacement of end of life routing equipment, replacement broadband connections and re-routing of the network to ensure that the service is able to meet the growing demands placed upon it by teachers and learners. Together with Synetrix*, embc is continually improving the range of services offered, for example replacing WAT with SUMS and is working on providing a range of new services in response to local requirements, such as High Definition Video Conferencing, SIF, Online Reporting and Parental Access.
Benefits
The service provided by Synetrix* sets a new benchmark for integrated and managed educational ICT services, which ensures that 660,000 pupils across the East Midlands schools are able to meet DCSF targets for Personal Workspaces, and have access to an Integrated Managed Learning Environment and online real-time reporting of student progress to parents.
The latest Microsoft SharePoint technology also provides a portal for each of the eight Local Authorities that enables collaboration, communication and sharing across the East Midlands.
Synetrix* provides and manages a network which will not only allows the eight local authorities involved to meet imminent government targets and is also able to support future demand in scale and evolution of personalised services using specially designed technology for anticipated growth.
Key Objectives
Increase broadband speed and availability for over 2200 schools and 900,000 teachers and learners across 8 Local Authorities in the East Midlands region
- Design and manage the ICT architecture - including application and systems integration, propriety IP around SharePoint extensions and turnkey solutions
- Provide a multi-service learning environment to transform education by providing all learners with an experience suited to their differing needs
- Provide a best value business standard broadband service to East Midlands schools
Key Outcomes
Over 600,000 pupils from across the East Midlands now benefit from a groundbreaking service that helps to boost learning
- Collaboration, communication and sharing across the region enabled
- Services now in place offer better value for money and are a better use of tax payers money
"The embc network ensures that valuable teaching time is not lost, delivering a robust service to effectively support teachers and learners and help alleviate the many pressures of the modern timetable. The strength and reliability of the network managed by Synetrix* has ensured that our teachers and pupils can get easy, consistent access to the applications and multimedia resources they need, when they need them."
Mike Kendall
Managing Director
embc-PL
*Synetrix is now part of Capita IT Services. Synetrix was acquired by Capita IT Services in December 2009