As students finally make their long-awaited return to the classroom, it is important that schools, colleges, and other institutes of education do not lose sight of the increasingly complex cyber security landscape they must navigate, and ensure the lessons learned throughout lockdown continue to be acted upon.
Middlesex University is a global institution and innovator that continuously seeks to utilise technology to enhance learning, teaching and working across its campuses. The use of Cloud technology and the managed services Exponential-e provides will enable the University to significantly enrich the student and staff experience.
Using the flexibility provided by the Cloud, Middlesex University will be able to easily turn on additional services, such as server provisioning, central processing units (CPU) and Network bandwidth to ensure that reliable, modern hardware is underpinning systems and activities at all time. The flexible service provides Middlesex University with the agility to scale services to cater for short periods of time when additional capacity is required, for example, in response to new multi-partner academic research projects. It also means that test and development environments can be scaled back when they are not required to achieve further cost savings.
Spearheading the project is David Lozdan, Head of Public Sector for Exponential-e, who confirmed that:
"Moving to the Cloud will ensure that Middlesex University can continue enriching the learning and working experience of more than 45,500 students globally and 1,700 staff by easily extending the use of new applications as they become available. Exponential-e will deliver the supporting platforms and services that will enable Middlesex University to concentrate on achieving its vision; to strengthen student achievement, bolster student satisfaction, support leadership and enhance staff performance."
To deliver a highly secure and resilient platform, the Cloud technology is seamlessly integrated into Exponential-e's wholly owned high capacity Network, ensuring that hosted services reside on the clean side of the firewall. Using the Network, the University will also gain greater visibility into the activity that is taking place across its infrastructure to better manage its capacity, quickly respond to changing demands and provide robust security incident and event management.
We selected Exponential-e as it provides the right balance of cost, risk, flexibility and value for money, and has a reputation built on innovation. We are committed to building a long-term, strategic relationship with Exponential-e to assist us in the flexible provision, support and management of our infrastructure. This partnership will be a vital ingredient in the long-term success of the University and we look forward to collaborating with Exponential-e in the future to enhance the reputation and success of our University.
Paula Vickers Director Computing & Communications Systems Service
Middlesex University has selected British Cloud and Network provider Exponential-e, to enhance research opportunities and learning experiences for students and staff, while driving greater business efficiency. Exponential-e will use its UK based Data Centres to provide on demand Cloud technology, which enables a fast and flexible environment that supports the University's wide-ranging activities.
We recognize that educational organisations need to demonstrate the highest possible standards in technology, as well as focusing on cost efficiencies to deliver ROI. Read our education booklet to discover our solutions to specific eduactional IT challenges.
Exponential-e's self-owned, enterprise-class network is the foundation of JTL's IT infrastructure, and - in turn - much of the training they deliver. Scalability is a critical factor here, ensuring new training sites can be opened and closed down as seamlessly as possible. New sites are typically deployed every 2-3 months, with sixteen sites in operation around England and Wales at the time of writing, and four more currently in the works.
This is highly scalable, highly available connectivity is complemented by a Cloud-based, AI-powered Contact Centre platform, ensuring trainees are always able to make contact with the right person throughout every stage of their programme, across an evolving range of channels. All trainee information is fully centralised throughout each stage of their programme, ensuring agents are able to resolve any queries as quickly as possible, with minimal points of contact required.
Exponential-e also provide additional support is also provided around the provisioning and management of key software licences, ensuring all staff and trainees are equipped with the tools they require, for the best possible rates.
JTL's account team at Exponential-e continue to work closely with their own IT team and other teams from across the company, identifying and acting on new opportunities for improvement and innovation. In this way, JTL's IT infrastructure can continue evolving in response to the needs of trainers, trainees, and apprentices, freeing them to focus on the learning experience
"The key thing about our partnership with Exponential-e is the reliability. Our connections rarely ever go down, and we're never in any doubt as to who to talk to for anything, whether that's launching a new site, or further consolidating and optimising our IT ecosystem. In this way, technology remains a powerful driver for the quality of training we are able to deliver."
Parth Parmar, Head of Technology, JTL
JTL's training programmes depend on seamless communication between trainees, trainers, and administrative staff, all of which demands a highly resilient, scalable, and secure IT infrastructure. The deployment of new training sites, wherever and whenever they are needed, is also a critical priority, requiring close collaboration between JTL's own IT team and various third parties, including key technology partners.