Non-stop advances in networking, computing and multimedia communications are expanding the traditional classroom beyond four walls and radically transforming how teachers teach, how students learn and how investigators conduct research. In short, new and merging technologies are changing how institutions function at every point along the educational continuum, from kindergarten through university and on into the realm of lifelong learning.

The drive to keep pace with rapid technological change is now central to the mandate of virtually all educational organizations as they prepare students for a world that is at once shrinking and growing more complex – and for a knowledge-based economy that is fast-paced, competitive and increasingly digitized. At the same time, many educational administrators have to take on these challenges despite tightening budgets and legacy IT systems that mix disparate technology platforms with limited flexibility.

Whatever technology challenges your organization faces, you can expect to enhance teaching environments and improve learning outcomes with Allstream’s high-performance IP Connectivity solutions. Backed by our industry-leading expertise, you can run voice, data and video communications over a single network, securely connecting students, instructors and administrative staff at multiple locations, and enabling a free flow of information between all points.

In the K–12 realm, we help provincial ministries and individual boards equip schools with the latest IT and wireless technologies. We provide vital communications links for teaching and learning, and for expanding teachers’ professional development opportunities online. And we can help at the front lines of computer-based education, whether providing high-speed Internet access for student research or improving family and community outreach programs.

At the postsecondary level, Allstream’s advanced communications solutions can seamlessly link students and instructors to one another, to other education institutions and to the world at large. We help support off-campus and distance learning opportunities. We connect researchers across Canada with powerful data-transfer platforms. And we save students time and money by providing better access to e-books and other online learning materials.

On the administrative side, we can help your entire team work more efficiently and productively, aided by powerful collaboration tools that enable people to quickly locate and connect with co-workers, share files and documents between desktops, and come together in virtual meetings through a range of conferencing options. Supported by Allstream’s secure, dependable network, you can make the connections you need to make today – and count on the scalable bandwidth you’ll require down the road, whether you’re building future capacity or handling seasonal fluctuations in program enrollments and other services.

Expand learning opportunities.

Extending IP connectivity across a campus environment or between remote locations can help you better engage students who are already accustomed to learning and interacting through digital and multimedia platforms. When Allstream has your institution securely and efficiently connected, you can: 

• improve student access to information, research materials and academic specialists on campus and around the globe
• enhance in-class lessons or lectures with multimedia applications
• streamline administrative duties for teaching staff, giving them more time for core tasks and face-to-face student meetings
• attract international students, instructors and research talent via a strong web presence.

Boost productivity across your organization.

Network downtime, slow connections and disparate technology platforms cost your administrative staff valuable work hours and distract them from core tasks. With Allstream’s industry-leading connectivity solutions and our coast-to-coast 30,000 km fibre-optic network, you can get everyone on the team working together more effectively.

• Ensure efficient information flow and optimum support for students, faculty and staff, with reduced risk of network downtime.
• Provide fast, reliable voice and data communications for better information sharing and decision making.
• Streamline grading and record-keeping processes.
• Extend program delivery through multiple-channel access points and online information gathering.
• Boost productivity with instant virtual meetings enabling geographically dispersed staff to share files and collaborate on applications in real time.
• Use digital technologies and audio, web and video conferencing to expand professional development and training opportunities.
• Promote improved work-life balance – increasingly important for both attracting and retaining talent – with teleworking and mobility applications that let people work from home and on the road.
• Stay up to date with the latest business applications and service-delivery technologies, ensuring your network is ready for seamless upgrades.

Save money.

By converging your networks, applications, classrooms and offices onto a scalable, end-to-end network infrastructure, you can generate greater workplace efficiencies and maximize the value of your existing technology investment.

• Save money and IT resources by eliminating the hardware and software required to maintain multiple technology interfaces.
• Cut travel expenses with real-time audio, web and videoconferencing.
• Reduce real estate costs by minimizing the size and number of dedicated meeting areas in your facilities.
• Cut down on office space and equipment by enabling remote workers to share desks and computers.

Stay secure.

Allstream can help protect confidential data with innovative security solutions built into every connection point of our national network. With our experts working alongside your own IT people, you can transfer and store data and records efficiently, knowing that students and staff are getting maximum protection against cyber threats, spam and malware.

You can also shift your organization’s server and data storage needs to one of Allstream’s comprehensive data centres, which provide round-the-clock security and monitoring, climate controls and alternative power sources for immediate, guaranteed backup in the event of a crisis.