Espresso and Equiinet end the broadband postcode lottery

5th February 2003

Pre-loaded e-learning appliance announced at NAACE Show.

Network Appliance specialist Equiinet and digital educational content provider Espresso Education are announcing a new collaboration which delivers interactive teaching and learning resources that make e-learning fast, straightforward and secure, and which is able to provide all schools with first-class video-rich educational content, no matter where they are located.

Equiinet's CachePilot content delivery and storage solution is now available pre-loaded with Espresso's pioneering and market-leading digital content service, 'Espresso for Schools'. Espresso offers primary and secondary schools a comprehensive and growing digital library of video-rich, interactive resources that support teachers, motivate pupils and raise standards in classrooms.

CachePilot with Espresso is designed to meet precisely the needs of schools, as defined by the Department for Education and Skills and BECTA. New Government initiatives are being launched to meet the increasing requirement of schools to share video-rich learning materials whether or not they have broadband connection to the Internet. CachePilot gives all schools, no matter the location, the same opportunity to enjoy the experience of true broadband content across their school network. Besides hosting the massive and growing Espresso archive of content, CachePilot is large enough to store media from other providers if required, as well as content from websites required for teaching.

E-learning packages put an enormous strain on data networks and it is vital that content delivery methods keep pace. CachePilot uses a variety of clever techniques, including a unique and extremely secure automatic updating system, to ensure all steps are taken to avoid wasting valuable bandwidth, slowing down networks or compromising network security.

Keith Baker, Equiinet's special projects director, says:

CachePilot is compatible with content from any of the recognised providers but this is the first time we have offered a pre-loaded package. We are launching this turnkey solution for schools with Espresso because we recognise that Espresso's richness and interactivity make it the ideal type of content for the CachePilot. We have respect for Espresso's high quality resources that are winning acclaim from schools all over the country.

Lewis Bronze, CEO of Espresso Education, adds:

We are an education company committed to delivering schools the very best in curriculum-based content. Our TV clips and interactive challenges and quizzes are built to serve educational needs, not to match the available bandwidth. We are pleased to partner with Equiinet because they have recognised the unique needs of the educational market and developed a product specifically oriented to deliver these needs. CachePilot is an ideal solution for delivering, storing, serving and updating Espresso content to provide simultaneous access for multiple PCs.

A paper from Equiinet - "Caching for e-learning" ( Acrobat document, 69Kb)

Equiinet

Equiinet, based in Swindon, specialises in integrated solutions that provide cost-effective, easy, fast and secure access to the Internet. The NetPilot range of Internet server appliances provides all the hardware and software needed for extremely secure Internet connectivity and networking in a single multifunctional unit. VPN-specific products offer Virtual Private Networking capability. New to Equiinet's family of products is the CachePilot e-learning content delivery solution, making video-rich content available to schools and businesses regardless of bandwidth constraints. Equiinet's managing director Bob Jones has previously founded three successful networking start-ups: Steebek Systems, Mayze Systems and Sonix Communications.

Editorial contact: Neil Madle, marketing & PR Manager, Equiinet, Phone +44 1793 603759 Mobile: +44 7990 887628 Email: nmadle@equiinet.com

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For further press information or paper versions of this release please contact:
Espresso Marketing, Riverside Studios, Crisp Road, Hammersmith, W6 9RL
Tel: +44(0)20 8237 1200
Fax: +44(0)20 8237 1201
Email: info@espresso.co.uk