Wireless Solution is Safe Solution for Schools
17 October 2005
Child safety is at the heart of the latest wireless technology provided by Northgate-IS (formerly Sx3) to schools across the province.
Northgate's specially designed wireless Information Communication Technology (ICT) network, currently being piloted in four NI post-primary schools, is the first and only impenetrable wireless system in NI that safeguards pupils' details and confidential school information from unauthorised users.
By containing the network's signal transmission within the school walls and incorporating the latest dynamic encryption keys and port-based authentication programmes, teachers and pupils will benefit from a more flexible learning facility, safe in the knowledge that their network is secure.
"Child safety is at the top of every school's agenda," explains Stuart Gunning, Northgate Education Client Director, at the first presentation of the wireless technology at the Education NI (ENI) exhibition. "This wireless solution has the capacity to transform learning and teaching in classrooms in a really dynamic way without jeopardising the confidentiality of pupil information stored on the network.
"The system's benefits are entirely teacher and student focused, where they can now log on to a secure wireless network from anywhere inside the school without having to physically plug-in. This enables them to be fully mobile inside or outside a classroom when teaching, learning or administering," he added.
The wireless technology forms part of Northgate's investment in ICT in the NI education sector, and through its strategic partnership with C2k, it is now available to all NI post-primary schools with the ability to be scaled up to meet the needs of primary schools. Also demonstrated at the show were RM Tutor, RM Auditor and Local Support Tools designed to assist with the day to day management of ICT within today's schools.
