THE MINISTRY OF Education is the lead agency for the education sector spanning early childhood education, primary and secondary education and tertiary education. The Ministry, in conjunction with the sector agencies, has created an Education System Digital Strategy which aligns the investment strategies of sector agencies into a common and aligned future state, harnessing the full transformative potential of digital technologies in education to lift student achievement.“Supporting schools to make the most of cloud computing is a key focus for 2016,” says CIO Stuart Wakefield.The Ministry is piloting a cloud based option for software currently used in schools in an on-premise model, and will be working with schools to transition them to this service which will reduce the costs and administrative burden in managing infrastructure and software upgrades. This further leverages the significant investment in fibre based broadband delivered by Network for Learning as a key enabler for cloud.Another key element of the Digital Strategy is the creation of a shared information commons, based on a student-centric data model, that provides a real-time view to all stakeholders of the information they need. “We expect this to also make the process for students transitioning between education providers a smoother experience with data being able to be shared more readily,” says Wakefield. At a corporate level, the Ministry has moved all Wellington staff into new premises, with a technology refresh that supports fully f lexible, mobile and remote work.“During 2016 we plan to rollout this f lexible working capability across all Ministry offices, including the use of Skype for Business to replace traditional desk phones and legacy Video Conferencing systems,”says Wakefield. “We have also created a shared infrastructure environment across the sector agencies to reduce costs and provide a platform for closer collaboration on customer facing systems such as digital channels.” Related content News Amazon to lay off 9,000 more workers, including some at AWS The latest round of Amazon layoffs will impact AWS, Twitch, advertising and PXT, CEO Andy Jassy said. By Jon Gold Mar 20, 2023 3 mins Technology Industry Cloud Computing BrandPost What’s next for network operations Broadcom: 2023 Tech Trends That Transform IT By Serge Lucio, Vice President and General Manager, Agile Operations Division Mar 20, 2023 8 mins IT Leadership Networking BrandPost Digital transformation obstacles: Stubborn challenges, what to do about them Value Stream Management is an increasingly essential approach to strategic transformation initiatives. To help teams more fully capitalize on the opportunities it presents, Broadcom is holding its third annual VSM Summit. By Marla Schimke, Head of Product and Growth Marketing, Broadcom's Enterprise Software Division Mar 20, 2023 3 mins Devops Software Development Feature CEO directives: Top 5 initiatives for IT leaders As organizations change course with economic gyrations, collaboration between IT and business becomes priority No. 1 for CEOs. By Stacy Collett Mar 20, 2023 7 mins IT Leadership Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe