Welcome to this year's first edition of the ULCC newsletter.
After our Free Security Assessment Christmas treat in December, this month we have another great offer for you. How do you likefree co-location hosting in 2009? No strings attached with clear SLA's and first-class service!
We are also looking back at 2008 and the two major events we held Moodle Wonderland and FOTE08 plus news on FOTE09.
And we just launched our very own Consultancy Service offering independent expert advice on your IT projects and have news on a joint RSC event on Green IT which is not to be missed.
If you think any of the topics are of interest to your colleagues why not forward this email?
Enjoy and best wishes Frank
Free co-location hosting in 2009 Yes, that's right, we are offering free co-location for 2009. The earlier you sign up the more you could save.
Steve Knibbs, Head of Infrastructure at ULCC, says: "In these tough economic times, we hope to provide potential customers with a reliable and cost-effective solution that helps them achieve peace of mind while keeping an eye on the bottom-line. All there is to pay in 2009 is a one-off installation fee and the electricity the equipment consumes."
This offer is available for a limited time only, to take advantage get in touch with us.
ULCC Consultancy Service Giving you an expert advice on your IT strategy With a long standing history of providing expert advice to clients in the education sector, we announced earlier this week the formal launch of ULCC's Consultancy Service.
This new consultancy service, which capitalises on ULCC's 40+ years of experience of delivering technology related solutions to the academic, not-for-profit and public sectors, offers impartial specialist advice that spans all aspects of the IT landscape.
Martin Sepion, says "The consultancy service aims to ensure that our clients IT investments are delivering maximum value to their business and that they are equipped to face the future with confidence" Furthermore "With such a broad range of skills within the business, ULCC offers the unique benefit of a being able to provide a truly holistic overview of the IT challenges facing our clients".
With previous consultancy clients, such as Robin Shreeve, Principal and Chief Executive at City of Westminster College, stating that they 'were very pleased with the results which identified the key issues and provided practical ways to move forward' ULCC is looking forward to bringing the same benefits to a wider audience.
Last December ULCC held it's inaugural Moodle/e-Learning event, bringing together well over 100 delegates to participate in a hugely successful day. Moodle Wonderland held at Working Men's College, sold out in record time and registration closed weeks before the event took place. Even the inevitable bout of influenza couldn't keep the delegates away, and it was standing room only!
The opening keynote, bravely delivered by a sickly John Gray, set the question early on:
"Much has been said, written and done in pursuit of an e-transformation that could, it is argued, benefit all involved - and their organisations. Has it happened anywhere yet? Will it? Should it? What does the future hold?"
The general consensus was yes! Certainly, the evidence provided by many of the presenters within the workshops suggested that there was indeed a transformation taking place in the education sector; and e-Learning was moving from what was 'innovative' to 'embedded' practice (Notable amongst the many presentations were Redbridge College, Havering SFC, Hackney, South Thames, Newcastle ACL, Dyslexia Action, Royal Holloway, Greenwich, etc.). Indeed, many of the delegates want to see more real-life examples along with additional training as a follow-up. ULCC's e-Learning team are planning a series of Webinars to start in the Spring Term, so watch this space!
Clearly, from the overwhelming response of the delegates, Moodle Wonderland is just the beginning. One delegate remarked 'We've been starved of this type of event for a few years now; not just in London, but anywhere. It's been more than worth my time coming down for the day; I've met some really interesting people, seen some great presentations, taking back lots of ideas. Let's have another one in the Summer!'
ULCC will indeed be organising another event, along with other related online events - we will keep people up to date of developments on our new eL Blog.
Smarter, Greener Learning
The Smarter, Greener Learning Conference is a joint event from JISC RSCs London, Eastern and South East and will bring the latest strategic thinking and practical advice to managers to help them accelerate their implementation of sustainable business practices.
Principals, senior managers with responsibility for IT procurement, network managers, estates and e-learning managers will benefit from a focus on strategic planning and emergent best practice in the FE and Skills sector, supported by regional case studies - Ever wondered how to save over 500t of CO2 emissions and £64,000 in electricity bills? Relevant to colleges, higher education, adult and community and work based learning providers this series of free events will launch at London’s City Hall on 26 February 2009 before moving on to Birmingham's Holiday Inn (18 March) and the Surgeons' Hall in Edinburgh (22 April).
Evan Dickerson, RSC London says: "The Green IT event is important because educational providers need to realise that they can contribute to the public sector’s effort on sustainability, which Government see as an increasing strategic priority. This is a chance to hear not only about what could be done, but about the measures some providers have already taken."
For more information, the full programme of the day and to book your place see the RSC London events page.
Future of Technology in Education FOTE08 JANET (UK) summary and FOTE09 outlook
If you would like to read the final words on FOTE08 from our friends at JANET (UK), we have uploaded their summary report to the event pages. We are also in the planning stages for FOTE09; it will be held around the same time as last year's and now it's on to see a few venues, decide topics, find some smashing speakers and make sure we provide you with some food for thought.
We also set up a twitter account, probably the easiest way to stay in touch with the latest FOTE updates. We love Twitter, and find it a great way to keep in touch and find new and interesting people to collaborate with. Looking forward to see you on there. It's easy and fun, so start tweeting!
Connecting to Facebook
Martin Sepion, says "The consultancy service aims to ensure that our clients IT investments are delivering maximum value to their business and that they are equipped to face the future with confidence" Furthermore "With such a broad range of skills within the business, ULCC offers the unique benefit of a being able to provide a truly holistic overview of the IT challenges facing our clients".