South West Grid for Learning
RM PLC
31 August 2005
RM selected as sole supplier of broadband and Internet services to the South
West Grid for Learning
RM plc, the UK's leading supplier of information and communications technology
(ICT) and other services to education, has been re-appointed by the South West
Grid for Learning (SWGfL) as its sole supplier of managed broadband services.
The new contract, which has an initial term of three years and the potential for
two one-year extensions, is expected to result in business worth approximately
£10 million per year.
SWGfL is one of ten regional broadband consortia (RBC) funded by the Department
for Education and Skills to provide broadband and Internet services to schools.
It currently serves 2,400 schools, other educational establishments and
libraries in 15 Local Education Authorities in the south west of England. RM has
been the sole supplier of managed broadband services to SWGfL since it was
established in 2000.
Under the terms of the contract, RM will be responsible for the delivery,
development and day-to-day operational management of the network providing
broadband connectivity to schools in the south west of England. As well as
secure, high-speed Internet access, the SWGfL network provides a range of
added-value services including:
• RM EasyMail Plus (web-based e-mail);
• RM SafetyNet Plus (Internet content filtering);
• RM SecureNet Plus (secure data transfer);
• Application and web hosting;
• Internet security services;
• Video conferencing and media streaming.
Commenting on the contract, Guy Chappell, Chair of SWGfL, said:
'Over the last five years, SWGfL has offered schools in the south west of
England dependable high-speed Internet access and an innovative range of
web-based services. Our aim is to provide schools with the educational benefits
of 21st Century connectivity whilst taking away the technical complexity. An
important factor in achieving this has been forging a relationship with RM - a
partner that combines technical expertise with educational understanding.'
Tim Pearson, CEO of RM, said:
'I'm delighted that SWGfL has decided to renew its contract with us. SWGfL is an
important strategic relationship for RM; working in close partnership with them
we have developed some highly innovative services and products and we look
forward to continuing this innovation over the next five years.
'We've worked hard to deliver high levels of educational value and customer
satisfaction - as well as an excellent technical solution - to the schools and
LEAs that make up SWGfL. The opportunity to work with them for a further five
years is the best possible indicator that we've been getting things right.'
- Ends -
For further information, please contact:
Mike Greig/Phil Hemmings, RM plc 08709 200200
Mark Antelme/Andrew Fenwick, Brunswick 020 7404 5959
Notes to Editors:
1. RM was originally contracted by SWGfL to provide managed broadband
services in November 2000, with an initial contract value of £6.2 million
over three years. In September 2002, the Group announced that the contract
had been extended to August 2005. As the number of educational establishments
involved has increased - and the scope of the service provided has widened -
the value of the business to RM has grown.
2. RM EasyMail Plus is the most popular web-based email service in UK
schools. As well as all of the standard features of an email service, it
provides educational features including banned word filtering and email
restriction lists.
3. RM SafetyNet Plus is the most widely-used educational Internet filtering
service in the UK. It has recently been enhanced with the integration of the
Internet Watch Foundation's Child Abuse Images database and the addition of
search engine thumbnail filtering.
4. RM SecureNet provides secure data transfer between schools, local
education authorities, examination boards and so on. It was developed in
conjunction with SWGfL and is widely used by schools to transfer sensitive
data securely, efficiently and cost-effectively.
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