Keyano College
Campus Connection Vol. 25
December 12, 2008

Enterprising Solutions!

Collaboration is the cornerstone of education and Keyano College and Red Deer College (RDC) have come up with a classic example of how working together produces great results.

Red Deer College is hosting Keyano College servers, allowing remote access to critical data via the Alberta SuperNet. One of the largest private IP networks in the world, the Alberta SuperNet is a high speed performance network connecting over 429 communities in both urban and rural Alberta. Data that fuels the College’s ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) software travels back and forth seamlessly, providing secure offsite storage that would be unaffected in the unlikely event of a local disaster. Having servers from several institutions in one location also enables the concentration of expertise to maintain equipment for both organizations.

The collaboration was possible thanks to the expertise of CampusWorks, an information technology management and strategic planning services firm dedicated exclusively to technology support to higher education. “It was always the Alberta government's vision to provide a rich high speed network in which institutions could collaborate to enhance information sharing and improve services,” said Jim Foote, Keyano College President.

“The size and security of the SuperNet pipeline means that large data files can travel quickly and
securely between our institutions. Now, with RDC providing remote hosting of our Keyano
enterprise systems, we are realizing the government's intentions for this network.”

“We are pleased to work with Keyano College to ensure information is safe and secure for our
partners,” said Ron Woodward, RDC President. “The value of the SuperNet to assist us in this effort is great. This project is one more example of how post secondary institutions are working together to ensure the success of our students and our communities to create a Campus Alberta.”

Brad Yoder, Senior IT Executive with CampusWorks Inc, says the collaboration helps Keyano College with many elements. “The ability to put the major administrative functions of the College in an environment that is stable, scalable, and flexible enough to respond to changing needs is an important milestone,” explains Yoder.

Yoder adds this collaboration is a first of its kind in Alberta. It not only represents to other colleges what can be done with the SuperNet, but opens doors to more collaborative initiatives, specifically, province wide sharing of resources using the SuperNet, such as disaster recovery that are proven to be possible.