WHY STONE? SOLUTIONS COST SAVING SUPPORT SUSTAINABILITY PRODUCTS
WHY STONE FOR ACADEMIES?
WHY STONE FOR ACADEMIES? Today, more and more schools are converting to academies, allowing you to experience the benefits of adapting to a new change and take advantage of the power and control you have in how you deliver education to young people. You can have greater freedom regarding how you use your budget to best benefit your students. With this new found freedom however comes a requirement to ensure that funds are invested wisely. You’re looking for innovation and something to engage students with on top of saving money. In potentially opting out of local authority provided services, a robust service and support offering is more important than ever. Our approach You can partner with one of the leading technology providers in the UK safe in the knowledge that with our own in house team the support offering is second to none. The service and support we’re renowned for on end user devices doesn’t just stop there. We also offer great support and solutions for a multitude of other areas too. We can provide a bespoke ICT package across the board for your institution that goes hand in hand with your vision for ICT; seeking to complement your existing team to deliver a high quality service and support offering that’s relevant to you. All academies large and small We work with academies of all sizes to bring you innovative solutions that enable your students to get the best out of your ICT provision. You’ll learn more of how we’ve helped out many academies within this brochure, highlighting the depth and breadth of our service and solutions portfolio. Take a look at our extensive range of services and see why we’re already the ICT provider of choice for hundreds of academies in the UK.
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CONTENTS WHY STONE?
02
INTRODUCTION
02
WHY STONE FOR ACADEMIES?
04
COST SAVING
18
PAYMENT SOLUTIONS
18
BYOD/EMPLOYEE BENEFIT SCHEMES
19
@CCESSABILITY
SUPPORT STONE SUPPORT
06
SOLUTIONS STONE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
06
NETWORK AND WIRELESS
07
SERVERS
08
STORAGE
09
VIRTUALISATION
10
CLOUD
12
SECURITY
13
MANAGED PRINT
14
AV SOLUTIONS
15
ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY
16
TRAINING
17
20
22 23
SUSTAINABILITY LIFECYCLE MANAGEMENT
24 24
26
PRODUCTS STONE NOTEBOOKS
26
STONE DESKTOPS
28
TABLET DEVICES
30
WHY STONE FOR ACADEMIES? | 03
WHY STONE? OVER 22 YEARS EXPERIENCE Proudly serving the UK education sector with cost effective, high quality hardware and associated services.
INDUSTRY LEADING, UK-BASED TECHNICAL HELPDESK Staffed by helpful, qualified technical engineers.
RELIABLE HARDWARE – CUSTOM BUILT & CONFIGURED UK assembled devices in our state-of-the-art Granite One Hundred 100,000 sq ft ISO-accredited production facility.
BELT AND BRACES APPROACH TO DATA SECURITY Full encryption solutions, in addition to the use of Blancco data destruction software as standard on every PC.
OUR OWN FIELD ENGINEERS Highly skilled, fully CRB checked and employed by us.
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We’re a UK specialist in the supply of IT hardware and associated solutions to the education and public sectors...
IN HOUSE STONE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES TEAM To provide a full infrastructure solution, from front end devices to supporting back-end architecture.
FLEXIBLE WARRANTIES With everything from 12 month RTB right through to 5 year next business day on-site warranty.
DEDICATED NAMED ACCOUNT MANAGERS To ensure you get the personalised service relevant to your individual organisation’s needs.
The ‘3 Rs’ Repairs, Recycling and Refurbished Devices providing a total lifecycle management service for IT hardware.
WHY STONE FOR ACADEMIES? | 05
STONE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES With the explosion of data and the challenges associated with information obesity, we’ve witnessed a big increase in educational institutions wanting to leverage our education experience to provide them with a resilient and future proof network. That’s why we formed Stone Professional Services. Our Professional Services Team provides value-added IT consultancy, based on over two decades of education sector experience. Spanning design, implementation, knowledge transfer and personalised support – the team focuses on providing best value all the way from the device to the data centre. We work across the entire IT stack and have a supreme selection of technology partners to provide education specific solutions. You can read more about these specialist areas further in this brochure.
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Our Professional Services Team allows us to provide a greater depth of resources for everything from a new server to a new disaster recovery solution. Working with you we can help to provide the right solutions to match your vision for technology in the classroom. To talk to our Stone Professional Services Team contact us on 08448 22 11 22 or email marketing@stonegroup.co.uk
SOLUTIONS
NETWORK AND WIRELESS Networking is the foundation you need to improve education through ICT. When it comes to enabling anytime, anywhere access for your students or staff then it’s essential you have the right network backbone to fulfil your device needs. With a solid network infrastructure comes more productive and confident users. It’s imperative that you have a network infrastructure to cope with truly mobile learning and working. Wireless has moved on leaps and bounds in the last couple of years, with new innovative solutions providing seamless connectivity experiences across the whole computing continuum. Hatch End High School successfully converted to an academy in 2011 and we’ve recently had the pleasure of working with them to introduce a wireless environment to create a more flexible learning experience for their students.
There are a variety of next generation managed wireless systems out there, with innovative vendors always offering something new. By understanding how you want to enable mobile learning, we can work with you to recommend the best vendors to support your vision. Our skilled wireless team are on hand to come on-site and appraise your individual requirements. As always, you can be guaranteed of the same supreme level of support, regardless of technology. With our own CRB checked field engineers coming out and performing site surveys, installing your next generation network infrastructure and carrying out any ongoing support requirements – you can be assured that the personal safety of you and your students is always at the heart of everything we do.
“We chose Stone as they fit our criteria. They are education specialists so understand our business and their absolute focus is on design. We are very impressed by Stone’s professionalism, quick support, fantastic
Vendors we work with:
products and competitive price. “When it came to thinking about a wireless solution, we found it to be a minefield with so many different options. We took Stone’s consultancy on this, as you need someone you trust and whose opinion you value to help you make the right decision. We can now use wireless anywhere on the grounds to enable flexibility when it comes to teaching and learning.” MATT PEARN, TECHNICAL SERVICES MANAGER HATCH END HIGH SCHOOL
WHY STONE FOR ACADEMIES? | 07
SERVERS As Intel®’s biggest customer across Europe, Middle East and Africa, there’s no one better placed to custom build your server requirements. From small workstation servers to replace an ageing CC3 Network, to high-end rackmount Intel® Modular Servers delivering dizzying levels of floating-point operations per second – we cover it all. In the same way as our industry leading PCs and notebooks, you can build and configure an Intel® Xeon® based backend that will provide you with a robust and reliable infrastructure on which to develop an improved end user experience. We’ve been building and supplying high quality servers to UK education organisations for as long as we’ve been supplying PCs. Here are a few things that make us different: Custom builds and configurations Builds based on leading edge Intel® Xeon® processing technology Flexibility Delivering everything from small workstation servers, to large rackmount offerings The full Stone service and support wrap Inclusive of Stone’s next day on-site warranty option
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SOLUTIONS
STORAGE Some estimates put data increasing up to a factor of 4 in many educational institutions, which means even the smallest primary academy now needs to be looking at their storage. Modern storage solutions provide the capability to centrally store your data, without directly impacting on network traffic. We work across all the big vendors to make your part as easy as possible. Tell us your challenge, and let our skilled solutions consultants go off and find you a cost effective solution. With 22 years experience of working with education sector networks, we’re in a prime position to ensure that your data capabilities don’t lose pace. We work on a consultative basis, across a multitude of vendors to provide the solution that’s right for you. Here’s a selection of the leading edge technology providers we work with:
Let us come in and understand your data challenges, and let our consultants advise you on a cost effective method of reducing the total cost of ownership associated with your data storage costs.
WHY STONE FOR ACADEMIES? | 09
VIRTUALISATION As a technology, virtualisation is finally reaching the masses. Why? It’s a network based technology – whether desktop, server or storage – that can make a demonstrable difference not only to the return on your IT investment, but also on your ability to create a next generation network.
“Network downtime is now minimised, as any rebooting will be seamless and centrally managed. If one virtual server goes down, there is another waiting in the wings so we can bring our learning-critical
Working with the industry’s top vendors Working across a variety of vendors, we have the capabilities, the expertise and the sector knowhow to ensure that virtualisation delivers all the cost savings it promises – and more.
systems back online quickly and without disruption. “The result is resilience and high availability, as well as scalability to cope with the growth in demand
Here’s some of the industry’s top vendors who we work with:
as the school moves forward with
—
Microsoft Gold Certified Partner – enabling you access to our technical competence in Microsoft Hyper-V server
ICT. Whether for file or print
VMware Professional Solution Provider – with skilled technical architects able to work from VMware View for Desktop Virtualisation, to VMware vSphere when consolidating your physical servers
large multimedia content, there will
—
Citrix Partner – working across all versions of Citrix XenDesktop, XenClient and Citrix XenServer
PAUL ROBERTS, NETWORK MANAGER
—
Thin and Zero Client Hardware – from the biggest names in the business, inclusive of; LG, Samsung, IGEL, NComputing and Wyse
—
Our specialists have proven track records working on large virtualisation implementations, such as the William Allitt School in Derbyshire, and can impart the knowledge to help you improve the service you deliver to end users. We can be that technical helping hand that’s often required when you’re journeying into new territory with your IT stack.
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management, email or working with be no loss of productivity during the school day.”
WILLIAM ALLITT SCHOOL
SOLUTIONS Vendors we work with:
So, how can we help? Virtualisation is a great way to reduce costs, simplify network administration and make your IT stack greener along the way. Here’s some of the areas in which we work: Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Reducing the capital costs of your workstations, along with associated support costs, is a key objective for many educational organisations. For academy trusts we have experience in deploying full virtual desktop infrastructures across multiple campuses, all conveniently managed in a central location. With the majority of day-to-day tasks within a modern day classroom being low level computing – often there isn’t the need for end user access to fat client devices. We can help you assess the user need, and decide if VDI can deliver you efficiency and cost saving improvements without impacting on your reputation in the eyes of employees or students. Server virtualisation Server virtualisation is a key way in which you can minimise the operating costs of your data, while simplifying resilience and network availability in the event of an issue. By making use of the latest Intel® Xeon® processing technology, you can reduce the number of physical servers you have in operation and run multiple virtual servers on each physical box. Modern management software from VMware and Microsoft make creating, deploying and managing physical servers a breeze and give you all the management tools you would need to keep your systems running in the event of a technical problem. Storage virtualisation By virtualising your Storage Area Network (SAN), you can perform common tasks associated with your network maintenance in a more efficient way. Archiving, backup and recovery are made easier by masking the complexity of the SAN’s hardware profile. Storage virtualisation is also a great way to reduce the hardware required for your next big storage investment.
WHY STONE FOR ACADEMIES? | 11
Vendors we work with:
CLOUD With the education sector facing not only budget constraints but more stringent legislation towards data protection and e-safety, educational institutions across the UK are turning to cloud services to address these challenges. Why? Cloud services provide academies with a means of utilising feature rich services at low predictable costs which represent the total cost of ownership, removing the need to account for increased electricity, insurance and management costs. Benefits of cloud for academies: Flexibility and scalability: Cloud is a more open, cost effective model that doesn’t tie academies down to one system. This means you have the flexibility to sample new systems and your solution can evolve as you do. Enhanced student integration: Contemporary learning often requires an anytime, anywhere approach. The flexible, non-geographical nature of cloud means that collaborative working and learning can be made much easier.
Endless software possibilities: With cloud, academies can have the flexibility to meet the rapidly changing software requirements. There’s virtually an unlimited hardware and software offering for you to choose from. Multiple client platforms: Academies will want to determine the combination of rich client platforms and cloud services that best suit their needs. With thin platforms, some applications and operating systems are installed and some delivered through the cloud. Whatever choice you make, cloud computing works with any combination of platforms – desktop, laptop or tablet.
We offer the full cloud offering across: Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) —— Cloud wireless —— Storage, backup and recovery
Consistent evolution: By using cloud services you’re not constrained to using the services and applications that your infrastructure is able to cope with. You’re able to increase service requirements simultaneously to your usage, which also means you only pay for what you need when you need it. Data security: The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) enforce the importance of having appropriate security in place to prevent the data you hold being accidentally or deliberately compromised. A breach of this could mean your institution faces up to a £500,000 fine.
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—— Desktop provisioning —— Server provisioning Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) —— Windows Azure Software as a Service (SaaS) —— Office 365 —— Google Apps for Education —— Microsoft Exchange Online —— Learning Management System —— Virtual Learning Environment
SOLUTIONS
Vendors we work with:
SECURITY ICT is a fundamental part of modern education and as such there’s an ever increasing need to ensure that your resources are managed and used securely. We understand that keeping students and staff safe whilst exploring the internet has never been more important. You need to ensure that they’re using your facilities and resources for the right reasons. That’s where we come in. We’re at the forefront of developing innovative solutions to assist with the management of ICT and can offer you the right systems to provide a safer environment for all. The concept of e-safety has never been more important – particularly within educational institutions – as you have to ensure students are using ICT resources correctly and are kept safe whilst using the network. An adequate security policy should reflect this by keeping up-to-date with the many continuous changes that take place in a connected, digitally-led world. But, it’s not just e-safety that’s an important aspect for education providers. You need to ensure students are kept safe when on‑line but you also have to ensure all data that is stored on the school’s database and network is kept secure so that hackers and malicious viruses can’t access or harm it. Our solutions combine a blended approach to security, utilising layers of protection without constraining users or their creativity and productivity. There are numerous solutions we can offer to help you keep these risks minimal, including: —— Firewalls
—— Encryption
—— Anti-virus
—— Asset management
—— Web filtering Working with a variety of vendors such as Microsoft, Sonicwall, Huawei, NetIntelligence, Securus, Impero and Cisco, we have the capability to consult with companies to design and implement a security blueprint that removes any vulnerability surrounding your ICT network.
WHY STONE FOR ACADEMIES? | 13
MANAGED PRINT With an acute need to reduce overall costs and use existing resources as effectively as possible, printing remains a pain-point for many institutions. Despite drives towards the ‘paperless office’ and leading edge document management systems, there’s still a requirement for most departments to produce and manage documents on a daily basis. Managed Print Services (MPS) as a key driver to solve these issues has only in recent times made it on the agenda of senior leadership teams. By taking a strategic approach to print, organisations can typically reduce their total document cost by 20 to 30%, as well as improving the quality of service to all users and the resilience of the printing equipment on-site.
To find out how we can work together to provide you with an effective managed print strategy contact us on 08448 22 11 22 or email marketing@stonegroup.co.uk
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Our role as the MPS provider is to handle everything; inclusive of toner supply and replacement, servicing of the equipment, fleet management, meter readings, consolidated billing, comprehensive management reporting and the collection and recycling of the devices at our in house Authorised Treatment Facility (ATF). We work to provide you with an effective managed print solution that’s designed to help save time, reduce costs and improve efficiency.
SOLUTIONS
AV SOLUTIONS No modern classroom is complete without a reliable, high-quality audio visual implementation. We have a highly skilled team of AV engineers who set out to ensure that your academy will achieve AV excellence, removing the confusion around acronyms and making it more about what you’re trying to achieve. Whether it be digital signage, video walls or interactive displays, we’re here to provide you with the most current and innovative AV solutions to suit your needs. With the introduction of LED, touch screens and augmented reality devices we can incorporate these to future proof the classroom environment, helping you to teach more effectively and encouraging students to interact and learn more efficiently. With accredited installers and pro partner pricing we can deliver well known teaching brands such as Promethean and SMART to ensure you have the most up to date advice and technology. We’ve done work for thousands of schools including Tibshelf School, Stockport Grammar School, Thomas Lane School and most recently Northview School in Sunderland, to provide them with the very latest AV solutions.
and to assist the development of its pupils. The school recognised that the reliability of technology is key to achieving this so needed to implement a complete AV and ICT solution.
“Essentially, we were looking for a technology partner that had deep insight into the education environment and could guide us on what was needed not only for today but also for tomorrow, future proofing our investment. Having already used Stone products and being subject to their first rate service, I knew they would be a serious contender. I’m really pleased with the installation and the teachers and children are overjoyed with the outcome. Due to the nature of the children, they react better to audio visual aided learning and are engaged for longer so to teach interactively in this way with such advanced state-of-the-art AV kit means progress can only be made.” GAVIN KERSHAW, ICT MANAGER NORTHVIEW SCHOOL
Northview School was opened in September 2012 and with a brand new school came a brand new technology installation. Northview realised that as well as PCs and laptops, they would need a custom designed AV solution throughout the school to enrich the learning environment
As always, our approach is consultative, so we’ll work with you to make sure you get the right solution for your learning environment.
Vendors we work with:
WHY STONE FOR ACADEMIES? | 15
ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY Assistive Technology is a term used for products which give someone with a disability a level of independence and enable them to carry out day to day tasks such as communication, learning, working and living. It can take a variety of forms including specialised equipment, hardware, software or system. Due to the importance of special educational needs across all areas, we aim to bring the most suitable and up-to-date technology available to the education sector. We’re continuously expanding our product range and service portfolio to help cater for a wide range of disabilities. Such disabilities may include: —
Dyslexia
—
Dyspraxia
—
Dyscalculia
—
Visual impairments
—
Hearing impairments
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Other mobility disabilities
Bespoke solutions are created to ensure that the specific requirements and needs of each individual are met. In order to achieve this, we assist in facilitating one-to-one guidance, consultancy services and training in addition to the core assistive technology solutions. Pre-installation on products ensures that they can be fully utilised straight out of the box and help to reduce the administration burden on your staff.
If you’d like to find out more about Assistive Technologies and how we could help you, contact our dedicated sales team on 08448 22 11 22 or email marketing@stonegroup.co.uk
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SOLUTIONS
TRAINING Training is an essential part to any employee’s continued professional development. Training can offer a more innovative approach to teaching and is essential to nurturing a more creative learning environment. Investing in the right training for your staff offers an opportunity to make a real impact to your students and the continued professional development of your staff. Our service offers training solutions specifically designed for your staff and their individual needs, tailored to help achieve your institution’s vision. Here are a few areas in which we can help you: —
Network admin – administrator training on the management of a network and how to keep learning critical systems running without the need of consistent intervention from third parties or managed service providers
—
Operator push button – providing support to staff with a particular focus on the core skills and applications that are needed for using key software or network systems
—
Pedagogy – training staff on how to teach using new and existing software in order to develop more creative ways of using it
Our training solutions operate on a day rate basis, so whether you have one staff member in training or eight the costs are still the same*. Training sessions can also take place within your own environment, which will allow for staff to train using the same ICT as they would on a daily basis. In our experience using the application software on your own network makes training more relevant and increases the chances of getting it to ‘stick’. *For some training, maximum group sizes will apply.
To find out more about the training solutions we can offer, contact our sales team today on 08448 22 11 22 or email marketing@stonegroup.co.uk
WHY STONE FOR ACADEMIES? | 17
PAYMENT SOLUTIONS We have our own Payment Solutions Team to help make your decisions easy and straightforward. They’re on hand to break down the contractual jargon and assist you in finding a solution to help reduce the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) associated with your technological investments. With the education sector facing constant budget constraints; academies are finding it more difficult to keep up with fast moving IT trends and often find themselves stuck-in-a-rut with out of date technology. This makes it difficult for institutions to satisfy a new tech-savvy generation of workers and learners, who require an anytime, anywhere approach to meet their new work/life balance. Payment schemes alleviate these restrictions, by reducing the need for IT refreshes and lowering technology investment costs to liberate budgets for alternative resources. Leaving staff and students with outdated technology is avoidable and it needn’t be the case nowadays. We’ve created a number of schemes for both staff and students that allow the user to take advantage of the latest technology at great savings to them. We’re able to offer the following Payment Solutions: — Operating Lease —
Staff BYOD Scheme (Page 19)
—
Employee Benefit Scheme (Page 19)
—
@ccessAbility 1:1 Pupil Scheme (Page 20)
How we do this? Every customer has a different requirement which is why we take the time to understand your requirements to ensure that the right payment solutions package is created for you. We provide: — Initial consultation —
Analysis of individual circumstances
—
A range of suitable leasing solutions
—
Implementation of the best solution for your budget to ensure that you reach your IT objectives
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COST SAVING
BYOD / EMPLOYEE BENEFIT SCHEMES With the increasing consumerisation of ICT, organisations are under increasing pressure to improve employees’ access to ICT against a backdrop of budgetary uncertainty. In a recent large scale survey on BYOD, 66% of employees surveyed expressed a desire to use their own device at work*.
Employee Benefit Scheme As budgets are valuable, institutions are seeking new ways to replace the pay rise. By implementing this scheme, employees can be rewarded by choosing the device of their choice to use at work or home. Payments are simply made each month through their salary.
With this in mind, salary sacrifice schemes such as Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) and our Employee Benefit Scheme are becoming more popular.
Likewise, our Employee Benefit Scheme can help employees save up to 40% on high street pricing. Not only can the scheme increase productivity and motivation to the workforce but it also allows the institution to save 8.2% employer’s NIC.
We’re able to offer peace of mind with our fully managed and supported services. Employees will see vast savings on high street prices on the device of their choice. The schemes save money for the organisation and can promote engagement between staff and institution; resulting in a content workforce. No credit checks or upfront costs mean that employees can enjoy the latest technology without any hassle. BYOD Scheme With a shift in recent times to more flexible working patterns, we’ve witnessed a significant blurring of the lines between work life and home life. As a result, employees find it more convenient to have a single device in which to manage all elements of their lives. Using the latest technology promotes skills transfer into your organisation improving productivity and work force collaboration. 50% of IT Managers believe that BYOD increases productivity in the workplace*. With small monthly payments from their salary, employees will be able to enjoy the latest technology with up to 60% savings on high street costs.
So, which products are available through these schemes? Your employees will be able to select from a wide range of devices, including; Stone, Samsung, Toshiba and Apple. Help is at hand We’ll work with you every step of the way to ensure that the implementation of our Staff BYOD or Employee Benefit Scheme into your organisation runs smoothly and is hassle free. * www.nowsourcing.co.uk
So if you’d like more information simply get in touch and contact James Gunson or Nuri Bodur on 0844 22 11 22 or email marketing@stonegroup.co.uk
Vendors we work with:
As an organisation you’ll benefit too. Because the device is predominately used for work, our unique tax efficient scheme allows institutions to save 13.8% employer’s NIC.
WHY STONE FOR ACADEMIES? | 19
@CCESSABILITY @ccessAbility, exclusively from Stone, is the first true hassle-free parental contribution scheme for pupils. We work with you to put together a bespoke package that goes hand in hand with your vision for ICT.
By empowering the pupils with a choice, Lymm High School is now reaping the benefits. There’s been widespread adoption amongst pupils, which starts with a simple to follow guide given out with each device.
Anytime, anywhere learning With dramatic changes in learning and teaching styles, an anytime, anywhere approach is required. Educational establishments are demanding flexible and mobile learning solutions. With 1:1 schemes, such as @ccessAbility, students are able to access broad, interactive learning resources as and when needed and at their own pace. Students can also take advantage of the freedom and mobility that this solution brings – transforming any space into a learning environment.
IT skills for life Research carried out by leading analyst firm IDC states that in the future 90% of jobs will require computer skills. Therefore, having access to a mobile device at school and at home will give your pupils the best possible chance at success in their chosen careers.
@ccessAbility scheme Unlike other schemes, @ccessAbility from Stone is vendor independent. As a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner we can work closely with you to introduce technology to suit your needs. This means we can provide whatever devices fit best with your teaching and learning methods, all wrapped with Stone’s unique advice, service and ongoing support. We’ve had the pleasure of working with and helping many educational institutions achieve their ICT visions through our @ccessAbility scheme and none more so than Lymm High School in Warrington.
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Our @ccessAbility scheme offers greater learning device options for the pupils, reduces the need for large capital ICT expenditure and minimises the headaches associated with increased administration. @ccessAbility enables parents to contribute financially to the devices on a monthly basis, meaning less up front payment for you and high quality personalised learning for students. With @ccessAbility, you can realise all the benefits to teaching and learning associated with 1:1 access without the resource headache.
Call our dedicated finance team for more information on 08448 22 11 22 or email marketing@stonegroup.co.uk
COST SAVING
“@ccessAbility from Stone gives us everything that a school needs to enable personalised learning for the effective use of ICT. Stone’s true value lies not only in its hardware but in its service, support and ability to offer a full solution with a single point of contact. Everyone from the account management team to the service and support engineers offer a truly first class service.” SIMON TAYLOR JONES, SYSTEMS MANAGER LYMM HIGH SCHOOL
WHY STONE FOR ACADEMIES? | 21
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SUPPORT
SUPPORT We’ve got over 22 years experience in supporting the networks of a wide variety of educational establishments right the way up to large multi-site universities. Despite the budgetary challenges that many educational organisations face, it’s still important to have the right support at hand. With less money available but increasingly more innovative ICT needed at the forefront of education, you need to make sure you and your students are using these resources in the right way. There are often time challenges associated with limited resources and highly available systems are still expected by students, teachers and senior leadership teams alike. With an increased ICT provision you need to make sure the correct systems and support are available and on hand when needed – but with restricted personnel, time is short and thus high availability proves challenging. Our support operates in a way to suit you. Whether it’s dovetailing in to supplement your internal team on an ad-hoc basis, or fully outsourced 24/7 support with pro-active monitoring. We can be your pillar when it comes to high performing networks. We can provide: UK based service help desk Our dedicated Support Team are fully integrated at the Stone headquarters, meaning you get the friendly, efficient and personalised service you deserve Trained engineers You can be assured that whenever you need help, our fully trained support team will offer you quality assistance Dedicated service manager Specifically available to answer any questions or discuss any concerns you may have Progress co-ordination department This will ensure that our stated delivery time will be far more rigid, and you are less likely to be on the receiving end of delayed delivery times 99% success rates: —— Support desk phone answered by a real person within 12 seconds —— Response by email / web / voice within 1 hour —— Next Business Day Hardware Fix by skilled engineer
WHY STONE FOR ACADEMIES? | 23
LIFECYCLE MANAGEMENT With the ever increasing need for institutions to become environmentally responsible, we aim to provide new ways to allow you to achieve this. Our entire range of devices, professional services, solutions and software all reflect our ethical stance towards the environment.
Repair: Increasing the life of your IT hardware Even though a product is out of warranty, it may still make economic sense to have it repaired. Our highly skilled team of on-site repair engineers can undertake cost-sensitive repairs on any out of warranty PC, whatever the brand.
This is why we focus on the ‘3 Rs’ to provide you a total lifecycle management service for IT hardware – Repairs, Recycling and Refurb.
—— Get in touch with us to let us know about your issue —— We’ll make arrangements for collect/return at your convenience —— Fix and return
repair.centre@stonegroup.co.uk
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SUSTAINABILITY
Vendors we work with:
Recycling: Doing our bit for the environment We’re proud to be the only UK IT hardware manufacturer to operate its own in house recycling and refurbishment facility (fully licensed by the Environment Agency) and proudly maintain a zero landfill policy. —— ADISA Certified – distinction against the enhanced ADISA 2012 ITAD Standard – positioning us at the top of the market as the only hardware manufacturer globally to have achieved this exclusive status —— Blancco Data Destruction – we use industry leading Blancco data erasure software on all PCs and laptops, offering you piece of mind and the ability to perform your own Communications Electronics Security Group (CESG) approved end of life data erasures at the point when your equipment is decommissioned
Refurb: Making the most of your redundant IT hardware We bring a new lease of life to redundant IT equipment through our Encore range of refurbished desktops, notebooks and tablets. Each device that comes through our facility has its data fully wiped using Blancco software and is managed to the ISO 27001 standard so you can rest assured of the highest quality. Encore gives you the opportunity to roll out devices that will be perfect for the majority of day to day computing tasks such as browsing the internet, word processing or working on spreadsheets. To see the full range of refurbished PCs visit us on the web.
If you have IT equipment that is broken, incomplete or too old for recovery, we have the ability to collect, recycle and recover the constituent. recycling-enquiries@stonegroup.co.uk
www.encorepc.co.uk
WHY STONE FOR ACADEMIES? | 25
STONE NOTEBOOKS We’re committed to offering excellent value and service which is why we continue to develop our own range of products to suit all needs.
As a result we’ve developed our range of notebooks to make sure you’re kept up-to-date with the latest Intel® and Microsoft technologies.
Movement to mobile Mobile learning has seen a sharp rise with more and more academies adapting their IT solutions to accommodate this. By giving your students more access to IT anywhere anytime, there’s no doubt that you’ll reap the benefits of enhanced learning and productivity.
Take a look at some of the latest Stone Notebooks added to the family:
View our full range online
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PRODUCTS
NT310
N120
Boasting the latest 3rd Gen Intel® Core™ processor, the NT310 offers a host of features including the latest Intel® HD Graphics 4000, TPM as standard and additional security features in a slimmer chassis.
Bring mobile learning to life with this thin and light 11.6” laptop. Designed to compete with entry level devices and provide the capability of doing much more than a normal netbook.
Subject to rigorous heat and stress tests, the NT310 chassis has been designed to withstand the particular pressures of academic use. Customisation options need only be limited to your imagination and you can be certain of a high performing and cost effective solution to match any requirements.
Powered by the latest Dual Core Intel® Celeron® processor, it has enough oomph to run full fat versions of Windows 8 and Windows 8 Pro. This means you get the power and performance of a larger form factor notebook with the portability of a netbook. A robust and reliable device that’s small enough for the classroom but big enough for collaborating and creativity – the N120 provides you with the ability to do everything you want.
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Up to Windows 8 Pro
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Up to Intel® Core™ i7-3612QM Processor
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Up to 16GB DDR3 1600MHz
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Up to 750GB Hard Disk Drive or 256GB Solid State Drive
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15.6” HD LED Display
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Intel® HD Graphics 4000
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Blu-Ray, DVDRW or Optical Drive Blanking Plate to reduce costs and prevent damage
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2MP Webcam
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TPM 1.2 for increased data security
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High capacity battery for improved usage
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Up to 5 Year Warranty
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CC3/CC4 compatible with Stone DDU
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Up to Windows 8 Pro
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Featuring the latest Dual Core Intel® Celeron® processor
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Up to 8GB DDR2 memory
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11.6” HD LCD display
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Optional external DVDRW, reducing costs and preventing damage
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1MP Webcam
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Multi-gesture touchpad for easy navigation and scrolling
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TPM as standard for increased data security
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Supports 64-bit operating systems
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Up to 5 Year Warranty
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CC3/CC4 compatible with Stone DDU
WHY STONE FOR ACADEMIES? | 27
STONE DESKTOPS Whilst the benefits of mobile learning cannot be questioned, in many educational institutions the need for an IT suite is still present and desktop PCs still commonly required. As an established builder of high quality PCs we also have our own range of desktops that are built to suit your individual requirements. Our desktop cases are specifically designed with you in mind, with a commitment to put ongoing service and support at the forefront of everything we do. All our PCs are custom built to ensure you get the right product to suit you and your students’ needs.
Whatever your need we’ll help you to get the right mix of devices to match your wider teaching and learning objectives.
View our full range online
STONEGROUP.CO.UK
PRODUCTS
Stone All in One
USFF with UniStand
Contemporary, stylish and touch enabled, this Windows 8 compatible PC is the ideal choice for those wanting a flexible solution. Allowing for the same bespoke configurations that you’ll find with our traditional desktop PCs, the Stone All in One is completely customisable.
Our most popular desktop for education now comes with a tool-less chassis as standard. This allows easy access to internal components for servicing and efficient upgrades.
Versatile by nature, the Stone All in One is an elegantly simple way to create a clutter free learning environment where optimal space may be a challenge.
With the capability of supporting the Ultra Small Form Factor, All in One and Mini ITX desktop cases, the UniStand provides an excellent management solution for a tidy and secure environment. The ultimate offering in portability and flexibility, the UniStand with the Ultra Small Form Factor is built to suit all requirements.
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Up to Windows 8 Pro
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Up to 3rd Gen Intel® Core™ i5 featuring Intel® HD Graphics
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Maximum personalisation – from Pentium® Dual Core™ to Core™ i7
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Available in 21.5” or 23.6” edge-to-edge design
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Desktop or tower orientation for versatility
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Up to 16GB DDR3 memory
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Optional DVD Super Multi Double Layer or Blu-Ray ODD support
Optional UniStand for height adjust and cable management
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1.0MP HD webcam
Low-profile expansion ports for discrete graphics and audio
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Stylish L-stand
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Slimline optical drive
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Sleek design
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Optional stand featuring height adjust, added security features and VESA mount functionality
Multiple connectivity and expansion options to suit your requirements
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USB 3.0 and dual video output available
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CC3/CC4 compatible with Stone DDU
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Front mounted card reader optional
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Designed to save desk space with Front panel I/O raised for ease of use
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Full height expansion, allowing for professional video and audio cards
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Built for customisation and expansion
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CC3/CC4 compatible with Stone DDU
WHY STONE FOR ACADEMIES? | 29
TABLET DEVICES We work alongside many academies to help improve their ICT efficiency and availability. We offer an end to end solution and help integrate this technology into an academy infrastructure. For us it’s not just about supplying hardware, but linking together technology and educational outcomes. We bring you a balance of knowledge and technical support to integrate tablet devices across disparate operating systems onto a Windows based network to help you get the results you need.
“Tablets are a new tool in the classroom environment and we could have faced problems with infrastructure and teachers technological know‑how. Stone’s technical specialists have provided the support and guidance that has allowed us to familiarise ourselves with the software used and overcome these challenges. Consequently, we’ve been able to easily integrate the use of the tablets in the classroom and are seeing benefits to pupils’ learning as a result.”
One academy in particular that we helped to deliver a tablet based vision was Delamere Academy.
STEPHEN DOCKING, PRINCIPAL DELAMERE ACADEMY
Find out more online STONEGROUP.CO.UK
PRODUCTS
You can find out more by visiting our website www.stonegroup.co.uk. Or to find out how we can help you, call us on 08448 22 11 22 or email marketing@stonegroup.co.uk
Delamere Academy have steadily increased their offering to pupils and staff to incorporate a greater use of ICT into the education experience. In a technology-driven world, they view the effective use of ICT as an integral component for furthering a pupil’s learning. Through our service and support the ICT infrastructure at Delamere Academy has now reached a standard that allows the school to utilise the new technology to its fullest.
WHY STONE FOR ACADEMIES? | 31
Granite One Hundred Acton Gate Stafford Staffordshire ST18 9AA Tel: 08448 22 11 22 Email: marketing@stonegroup.co.uk Twitter: @StoneComputers
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