NetStar Australia helps Victorian schools collaborate and learn

This aggregation point is the first of its kind in Australia and it will channel high-speed broadband to AISV independent schools in Victoria. It will allow rural and regional teachers and students in Victoria to communicate globally using video conferencing and classroom content sharing technologies. VICTOR was designed by NetStar in partnership with AISV and under the contract, NetStar will build, monitor and maintain the network.

The aggregation point will act as a gateway to allow these Victorian schools to access national and international online educational resources. NetStar’s contract for VICTOR includes maintenance, managing existing and new connections to schools and deploying new equipment and services until 2011.

Oliver Descoeudres, Marketing Director for NetStar Australia said, “This is a strategic win for NetStar as it emphasises our skills in designing and managing complex networks. NetStar is delighted to be selected by the Association of Independent Schools of Victoria for this project.”

Dr Gerard Calnin, Director, Policy and Research of the AISV said, “AISV was looking for a partner who understood education and had extensive experience in information communication technologies. We selected NetStar because they were aligned with our vision and goals. NetStar demonstrated their experience in executing projects with high quality technical provision and have a very good reputation and understanding of our needs.”

This project is supported by funding from the Australian Government under the Clever Networks program.

NetStar was engaged by AISV to provide advice on the design and technical completion of the proposal. It conceptualised and designed the aggregation point in conjunction with AISV. Besides delivering videoconferencing capabilities to rural and regional schools, VICTOR will also act as a conduit for professional development opportunities and the sharing of curriculum material between all the schools on the network.

The ISP-style aggregation point is expected to be completed by November 2008.

ABOUT NETSTARLOGICALIS

NetstarLogicalis is part of the Logicalis Group, which is a division of Datatec Limited (DTC), a $4.2 billion multi-national Group listed on the AIM market of the LSE and the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. NetstarLogicalis offers a complete range of end-to-end solutions for converged data, security and Data Centre infrastructure. NetstarLogicalis’ state-of-the-art network management facilities help customers reduce the cost of managing their infrastructure. Our goal is to help customers better run their business, leveraging our proven networking and Data Centre expertise and experience.

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