Wanted: IT superhero.
POSITION TITLE: Support Lead Role
REPORTS TO: Director of Information Technology
THE HIGHLIGHTS
We’re looking for someone who is up for a varied work life where no two days are likely to be the same. Our perfect candidate will be able to rapidly skill themselves up on new technologies, won’t have a problem managing fundamental problems and certainly won’t mind the occasional big hairy issue that takes patience to work through.
Unlike some technical roles, we won’t keep you locked up in the office with a headset on. In fact, we’ll give you the tools you need to work effectively, wherever the role takes you. You’ll meet a variety of people whilst you’re out and about – from the chap that cleans the office through to the CEO. That means you definitely need to have had experience in communicating, co-operating, and successfully supporting lots of different people each with their own wants and needs.
We’re looking for someone with extensive experience in the field of creating, implementing and maintaining technology that has enabled users to improve the way they operate in their day-to-day work. We need someone who knows the importance of good communication and creating lasting relationships. We’re offering the right candidate the opportunity to develop their knowledge and experience as well as playing a healthy part in contributing to the success of a growing team.
In everything we do, we recognise that technology is a tool to assist organisational growth – our clients’ and our own. It’s essential that every member of our team understands this so we are always putting our clients’ and therefore our own success first.
Are you the next IT superhero to join our team?
Read more
Energy & Utility Skills implements Microsoft Lync
We’re proud to work with an organisation like Energy & Utility Skills, with their visionary approach to how technology can positively transform the way their organisation works. We’ve worked with their internal IT team to deliver a number of projects, augmenting their existing capabilities.
After working together to define the requirements for the replacement of their legacy telephone system we entered product selection. MIcrosoft® Lync™ not only met Energy & Utility Skills’ existing telephony requirements but offered some exciting new collaboration possibilities, especially for their remote workers.
Following a successful proof of concept deployment we worked to align the full rollout of Lync, including legacy telephony integration via both ISDN and analogue lines with a hardware refresh that included training staff on the new wave of Microsoft products.
Tim Balcon, Chief Executive said:
“I was really pleased with the professional way that RTS has approached this project and their ability to deliver both phases of the project on-time and to budget.
RTS has provided us with a unified solution that has given our organisation far greater capabilities and flexibility than a standard telephone system replacement ever could.
The benefits to EU Skills have been immense, in terms of our productivity and connectivity to our workers. I would recommend Lync to any organisation and also RTS as a go-to Partner, in order to implement it.”
You can read the full case study that was presented to the International Association of Microsoft Partners this November in our Unified Communications service section.
Microsoft and Lync are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.
The Convergence of IT and AV (Audio-Visual) Technologies
Audio Visual (AV) technology is more than just projectors and HD televisions. The rapid growth of online media and entertainment has led to an explosion of interest and development within the industry as new technology such as digitisation and the IT market begin to increase pace. The AV industry should be proud of its growing presence; with the growth of digital signage, videoconferencing, and command-and-control facilities, InfoComm has recorded a 30-percent growth in demand for AV services over the past three years.
AV is now considered an integral part of many projects and planning undertaken by industries that are choosing to revolutionise the way they make their mark. Sixty percent of AV goods and services are purchased as part of a new construction or major renovation project.
Read more
Award-winning internet services provider Gradwell joins RTS at BETT 2010
Last month we mentioned that we were being joined at BETT by our friends at Acousti Products. Today we are very happy to announce that Gradwell, leading internet communication services provider and Best Business winner at the 2008 Internet Telephony Service Providers’ Association (ITSPA) awards, will be supporting us at the BETT show on Wednesday 13th and Thursday 14th of January. Together we will demonstrate how our partnership has enabled us to develop digital telephony solutions tailored to education environments.
Budget constraints and the push for operational efficiently means 21st Century schools need to communicate more effectively than ever. Gradwell and RTS allow schools to get the most from available resources by providing flexible and cost beneficial VoIP technology, making school administration and pastoral care much easier than was previously possible. Gradwell will be demonstrating their award-winning VoIP service at BETT and explaining how features such as number portability and call management make it so attractive to schools.
Read more
Making classrooms quieter – Acousti Products supporting RTS at BETT
As you may know we are exhibiting at the BETT show in January next year (http://www.rts-tech.co.uk/2009/09/01/were-off-to-bett/). We are lucky enough to be supported by our friends from Acousti Products. www.acoustiproducts.com
Acousti provide industry-leading noise reduction solutions, helping to remove server and other IT equipment noise from schools.
We have been using Acousti’s products for years and are keen to demonstrate their effectiveness to a wider audience at BETT. The cabinets we’ll be showcasing are incredibly effective in education environments where students can have their concentration adversely affected or be distracted by the noise of IT equipment.
The clever design of the racks allows equipment to be placed directly in classrooms without disturbing staff and students or negatively impacting the longevity of the hardware.
Acousti will be joining us for Thursday and Friday of the exhibition, on-hand to demonstrate how Quiet Racks can improve learning environments in your school. Don’t worry if you’re attending on Wednesday or Saturday though, the racks will still be there and as certified Acousti resellers RTS have attended the necessary training sessions to talk knowledgeably about the whole Acousti range.
Come see RTS Technology Solutions and Acousti Products at BETT and discover why we’re proud that our stand will be the quietest at the show!
RTS receives a generous ‘Thank You’ (again)
Another happy client sent us a letter of thanks recently. A few months ago the St. John nursing home in Kent asked us to provide a new Audio Visual system and wireless networking infrastructure in order to improve the entertainment and communications provision for the residents.
Mrs J Mitchell, the matron, kindly wrote to us with feedback from the home.
“I wanted to say how very impressed I and my staff were with the way you and your staff conducted yourselves whilst working in the Home. Often it’s difficult to get people coming into the Home to appreciate that this is a Home and not an institution, and this seems to affect the quality of the work done and the care taken doing it.”
We always try to be considerate of our clients so the team was very happy to hear this. We are also considerate of our clients’ environments – much of the success of our solutions is owed to the care taken to fit the equipment with the surroundings.
“I am delighted with the way the installation of the TV and wireless connection has been done and the careful attention that you all gave to hiding all the wires etc away from view.”
Thank you Mrs Mitchell for your kind words, it’s always great to hear that our clients are enjoying their solutions.
The letter is duplicated below with the kind permission of Mrs Mitchell.
Ofcom – 60 per cent of British children use the net unsupervised
Research published this month by Ofcom reveals that 60 per cent of 12-15 year olds use the internet mostly unsupervised, as do 35 per cent of 8-11 year olds. The report also suggests that children are starting to use the internet at a younger age, with numbers of internet users in the 5-7 age group increasing.
Growing numbers of children have internet access in their own bedrooms. One-third of those between 12 and 15 years of age, one in six in the 8-11 age group and 3 per cent of 5-7 years olds have such access.
Many children play video games. Three quarters of 12-15 year olds have a games console in their rooms. When asked who they normally play with, one in seven 12-15 year olds reported that they play with people over the internet.
Such findings highlight the importance of educating our children about the dangers of internet use.
Read more
RTS become NETGEAR PowerShift partners
NETGEAR make great networking equipment, which is why we often choose their kit for our solutions – it not only performs but is also cost-effective.
Our new partnership helps us stay up to date with all the developments in tools and technology at NETGEAR. The resources and training available to us mean that our staff members are more able to support solutions featuring NETGEAR technology. In addition, we are able to receive additional partner discounts and promotions as well as place special bids, offering us greater pricing flexibility.
For more information about NETGEAR and their range of products, please visit www.netgear.co.uk.
Should my school upgrade to Windows 7?
Yesterday Microsoft launched the eagerly-awaited Windows 7. After the disappointment of Vista, people were keen to see whether Microsoft could redeem themselves and make an operating system that improved noticeably on XP.
In the preceding months the Microsoft marketing machine generated an exceptional amount of buzz, with Windows 7 remaining a popular trending topic on Twitter http://is.gd/4vYbR. Such was the hype before launch that Amazon posted that Windows 7 was the biggest pre-order product of all time, even beating the indomitable Harry Potter http://is.gd/4vYp0
From the sounds of things the wait was worth it, with internet reviews finding the system cleaner, faster, stronger and more usable.
So, what does this all mean for schools? We understand that rolling out a school-wide operating system upgrade is no small task, so you need to be sure that the new system will bring strong enough benefits.
Gerald Haigh, education writer and journalist interviewed six UK schools who were early adopters of Windows 7. He writes about their experiences of upgrading to the new operating system in a paper entitled Windows 7 in schools: The early experiences.
RTS receives a generous `Thank You`
We always appreciate feedback from our clients, it’s important to hear what we’re doing right and where improvements can be made. Occasionally we receive letters of thanks from clients who are particularly happy with our work. One such letter arrived last week.
During the summer we helped Quinton Church Primary School advance their network infrastructure. We performed a migration of their legacy curriculum server to brand new hardware, installed new switches and rolled out a wireless network to cover the entire school, allowing their mobile IT suites to be used anywhere.
Mark Mitchell the Deputy Head Teacher was kind enough to provide some feedback, highlighting our ‘professional attitude’ and ‘flexibility’, including:
“The work was all completed in the timeframe you had specified and the quality of the work is of the highest standard”
“I wanted to express my appreciation and would be glad to recommend all of your services to any future clients of yours”
Our focus on improving education meant that we were particularly pleased to hear that our technology solution “is having a really positive impact on the children’s learning”.
Thank you Mr Mitchell!
The letter has been duplicated in full with the kind permission of Mr Mitchell and Quinton Church Primary School.
