The coronavirus pandemic made even more clear what we have already known for some time: schools and educational institutions are in serious need of digital products. EWE offers comprehensive solutions in the areas of digitalisation and telecommunications. The Group is committed to bringing schools and other educational institutions in northwest Germany into the digital age. Opinion polling company forsa was commissioned to carry out a survey on this topic in the Northwest so that we could take stock of the situation.
Poor marks on digitalisation
Lessons via teleconferencing, homework assignments on laptops and teaching materials via online platforms – this has become the norm for many students in northwest Germany in recent months. This is reason enough to get an overview of the situation. The following insights were revealed by the survey commissioned by EWE:
BBS Ammerland (Ammerland Vocational Schools) could be digitalised in a short period of time
How do we intend to address these issues? With its deep expertise in digitalisation, the EWE Group provides services ranging from high-speed fibre-optic network connectivity to the setup and support of servers and IT infrastructure.
We worked in partnership with BBS Ammerland to develop a showcase project. The vocational school was digitalised within a short period of time, and it is now fit for the future.
Following a test, it was quickly revealed that the current bandwidth of the BBS was not suitable for the school’s day-to-day and future requirements. The school was then connected to EWE’s high-performance fibre-optic network as quickly as possible. A second redundant internet connection was also installed so that connectivity could be maintained in the event of damage to the main line. This package can achieve symmetrical bandwidths of up to 100 gigabits per second with availability approaching 100 per cent. This project laid the foundation for stable internet connections in all of the school’s classrooms. EWE specialists then conducted an in-depth, on-site LAN and WLAN audit.
To safeguard data, EWE established separate networks for different applications. All of the networks were additionally secured by an EWE Managed Firewall. This protects the networks from internet-based attacks and complies with all current data protection guidelines. As a result, the systems are continuously monitored and updated. In the event of a disruption, EWE specialists can respond promptly and restore smooth operations.
The digital upgrade has also changed the landscape in the classroom and given rise to new possibilities in approaches to education, thanks to digitalisation. As an example, smart boards can be used much more actively now. The positive effect for learners: They learn how to use digital media, and learning content can be tailored more specifically to their individual needs.
