Huawei Enterprise underlines role of technology in taking education to next generation

The discussion will focus on how students at HCT are using some of the latest cloud technology on campus to improve communications and foster an environment conducive to learning and sharing of ideas among students and teaching body.

In conjunction with the growing global trend of e-learning and integration of ICT solution into education systems, Ankabut is the UAE's National Research and Education Network (NREN) which provides academic institutions with connectivity to education networks around the world. Managed by Khalifa University, the purpose of Ankabut is to provide cutting edge network infrastructure to centres of learning and research within the UAE to promote cooperation and collaboration between institutions.

Andrew Childs, principal consultant for Huawei Enterprise Middle East and moderator of the panel discussion, commented, "Cloud computing and Unified Communications and Collaboration solutions are two areas of technology that UAE educational establishments are showing a strong interest in. The UAE is a comparatively small country with a large number of higher education institutions in the tertiary sector, many of which are linked across multiple campuses in different areas. Even institutions that are not formally linked often have professional partnerships with one another to share teaching resources or facilities."

The education sector is a growing area for Huawei in the Middle East region, as institutions realise that selective investment in the latest advanced technologies can help improve collaboration and reduce operational and capital expenditure costs. Andrew Childs will be joined in the panel discussion by high-level delegates including his colleague Amit Mathur, Huawei's cloud solutions expert. They will be joined by Mohamed Arif Amin, lecturer and researcher at the Department of Computer Science and Information Systems at HCT, and three students who will share first-hand insight into how technology is helping their studies and giving them the inspiration towards their future career plans.

Andrew continued, "Cloud computing works well to help education institutions share materials, allowing students and teaching staff to access resources, exam papers, course-work and course materials from any location. Telepresence and video conferencing is another technology sparking strong interest, as it facilitates remote learning and virtual lectures, allowing universities to source 'visiting' talent from anywhere in the world."

Huawei is an active member of Ankabut and also began a successful collaboration recently with the Higher Colleges of Technology. As well as its work with educational institutions in the United Arab Emirates, Huawei has successfully deployed VDI solutions for educational institutes in China, Madagascar and Sudan, providing e-Education to all three countries and improving their educational infrastructure.

Fahem Al Nuaimi, Chief Executive Officer of Ankabut, concluded, "We welcome Huawei's participation in the Ankabut Users' Meeting, as we're firm believers in showcasing the benefits of technology in the education sphere to inspire and encourage other academic institutions. Huawei's support, as well as that of other organisations, has enabled us to open up the doors to the Ankabut Users' Meeting to a broader range of participants."