Unify helps South Staffordshire College to transform how students learn with technology

Unified communications system allows students to learn using Wi-Fi and BYOD

South Staffordshire College has chosen collaboration and communications provider Unify to help it to transform how both staff and students work and learn.

The deal will see Unify, alongside its accredited partner Midlands Telecom, provide a full unified communications suite, including web collaboration and mobile conferencing across South Staffordshire College's five campus sites.

Jamie Smith, South Staffordshire College director of strategy and infrastructure, told Computing earlier his year that the further education institution has one of the most high-tech campuses in the UK, with the Unify deal set to bring further advancements.

Unify's OpenScape Business platform will replace an existing HiPath 3000 solution, with the new set-up designed to deliver cost savings and new ways of working for the colleges 900 staff and over 10,000 students.

"Collaborating with Midland Telecom has enabled the college to transform its business operations. The solution has delivered both efficiencies and an enhanced, more resilient service to both internal and external clients," said Jamie Smith, welcoming the new deal with Unify.

As director of strategy and infrastructure, Smith has helped oversee design of South Staffordshire's Cannock campus, building it in such a way that students are encouraged to use mobiles, tablets, laptops and more.

"The new campus has been designed for the digital age from the ground up, everything we've done has been designed with the digital student in mind," Smith previously told Computing.

Tony Smith, sales director for the indirect channel at Unify, welcomed the new deal with South Staffordshire College.

"Alongside our partner Midland Telecom we have been able to deliver a robust and future proof communications infrastructure to South Staffordshire College. The college is one of a handful of forward-thinking educational institutions that are realising the benefits of modern communication technology," he said.

"OpenScape Business can deliver the resilience, flexibility and scalability to support the education sector's drive to find new ways to work," Smith added.

Earlier this year, The University of East London provided 4,000 Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 tablets to students, free of charge, in a £2m technology investment by the university.