New students and staff at Central TAFE will soon have a brand new service for communication and collaboration following the decision to select Microsoft’s Live@EDU solution.
The new service will not just change the way groups of students communicate with each other and staff. It has the capacity to revolutionise some of the ways work and projects are handled and delivered across all portfolios.
Microsoft Live@EDU provides a simple, practical way to provide advanced online communications and collaboration for everyone at Central TAFE.
The software provides hosted email, calendars, online workspaces, mobile alerts, document sharing, instant messaging, blogs, videoconferencing, mobile access and address books. All of which is accessible on Windows, Mac, Linux and mobile devices.
The Live@EDU suite of innovative online applications and services includes Microsoft Outlook Live, Microsoft Office Live Workspace and SkyDrive storage.
“Microsoft’s Live@EDU platform was exactly the solution we were looking for to meet the growing needs of our students. We will be introducing a multi-purpose online offering, that streamlines the way we work and communicate and enables instant connectivity and collaboration right across our campuses,” said Managing Director Neil Fernandes.
We currently have around 1000 students about to commence the pilot use of Live@EDU commencing in Semester 2, 2009. The pilot group will provide extensive feedback on the suitability of Live@EDU as the application of choice for Central TAFE.
Neil Jackson, Education Director, Microsoft Australia, said: “We’re thrilled about the growing momentum behind our Live@edu student email solution and it’s exciting to see more and more educational institutions in Australia discover its benefits. This offering is providing educational facilities with a cost effective and advanced email service without compromising their budgets.”
The Live@EDU service will host student email accounts and provide a significant number of benefits and opportunities including increased mailbox capacity (10GB) and 20MB attachments as well as calendaring and contact management.
Other features available through Live@EDU include: Windows Live Messenger and file sharing; Windows Live Spaces for personal web publishing, blogging and photo sharing; and FolderShare, a private peer-to-peer network that allows users to synchronise files between multiple devices and share files with other student users.
Live@EDU also makes it possible to create communities that last a lifetime, with e-mail addresses students can keep after they graduate, and a rich set of communication services Central TAFE can use to help maintain an ongoing relationship with graduates.