Higher Education and K-12 School Systems face restrictive budgets and slow procurement processes as they evolve with the rapid shift to online learning. In light of current events, these digital transformation obstacles have become the foremost strategic business priorities for chief information officers in the education space.
By shifting their IT environments to the digital landscape, academic institutions are elevating the ways they engage students, deliver information to staff, and conduct research. To provide organizations with state-of-the-art technology without the hefty price tag or lengthy procurement process, The Quilt, a collaborative consortium comprised of Regional Education Networks, is bringing state of the art technology to our school systems.
“Not only is the pace of change today in technology development intense, but the threats to information security are unrelenting, and the expectations for what IT can facilitate are equally demanding,” shared Jen Leasure, President and CEO of The Quilt in a recent interview with Today’s Modern Educator. “Just one example of how the demands on IT capabilities has changed can be seen in how a campus supports research. Where research used to be conducted by a single group in a single department, it is now, more common than not, an intra- and inter-institutional activity, crossing over states, countries and continents. Universities must have the technology – from cloud to data management and security – to be able to facilitate this collaborative environment.”
Colleges and universities are finding cloud and data management more important than ever with the current learn remote learning situation. “The procurement process is slow for the education sector. Today, colleges and universities need technology to deliver information securely and quickly to students that are spread throughout the world,” said Red Hat’s Academic Channel Leader Nina Groth.
Using The Quilt, education CIOs can implement technology on campus that will support online learning and research initiatives. “From our earliest days we focused on making sure that our mission was in lockstep with our members’ missions,” said Leasure. “Since its inception, The Quilt focused on building a trusted group of member organizations and then expanded its programs to include a trusted group of technology providers that share a passion for the mission and have a proven track record of understanding and supporting the unique needs of educational institutions and not just the mass market.”
As colleges and universities continue the digital transformation journey, partnering with one of these technology providers not only ensures a secure, budget-friendly option but expertise in technology that is invaluable as the needs of the institution continue to shift.
“Member organizations of The Quilt are here to help higher education institutions discover new technologies, implement new systems, and unlock the potential their data holds,” said Groth.
Download The Quilt and Red Hat’s infographic and explore the value that enterprise open source technologies will bring to your education network!
