Partnership will continue to deliver the successful Shared Data Centre Framework to UK education and research institutions
aql, the trusted communications specialist, today announces it has renewed its longstanding and successful partnership with Jisc, the UK’s digital body for tertiary education and research, for a second five-year term of the Shared Data Centre framework, further securing the digital infrastructure available to the UK’s education and academic community.
The partnership enables eligible institutions to deploy sustainable, scalable, and secure housing of their digital systems and services.
aql and Jiscs involvement dates back to 2008, when aql became a major node on the Janet network, also providing connectivity between the academic operator and the first independent internet exchange outside of London, IXLeeds, in aql’s “DC2” facility. Since 2016, aql and Jisc have worked collaboratively to support institutions in the education and research sector, which require the outsourcing of services, including high performance computing (HPC).
Organisations such as Coventry University, and the universities of York, Sheffield and Leeds all benefit from the partnership’s unique combination of capability in datacentre and connectivity, supporting innovation and future facing smart technologies, such as 5G, unlocked through the power of networks.
With more than 18 million users, the Janet Network connects all UK universities, colleges, research centres and community learning providers, and facilitates the Department for Education’s national schools network programme.
Professor Adam Beaumont, Founder & Chairman – aql, said: “Our scientists and technologists are fundamental to us understanding how we can better protect our planet and the life on it.
“By continuing our successful partnership with Jisc, we can enable universities and further education providers to collaborate on data-intensive projects that will enable the right decisions to drive meaningful and positive change.”
Alec Wright, Cloud and Data Centre Services Manager at Jisc, said: “aql’s portfolio of services helps us empower universities and colleges to deliver the highest quality education and research using the best future-facing technology around.
“The partnership with aql means that our members can procure off-site data centre services that frees-up IT teams to better support staff and students.
“We look forward to working with aql for a further five years via the framework and developing our relationship to deliver more cost-effective, energy-efficient and scalable services.”
