ITWorx, one of the Middle East’s leading software professional services firms, has announced the successful upgrade of the Kent Learning Zone (KLZ), an online collaboration and communication portal for schools, to support 100,000 users.

The environment now runs on Windows Server 2008, fully virtualized using Microsoft Hyper-V technology, said a company statement.

Hyper-V is the latest virtualization product from Microsoft. The new platform works with Windows Server 2008 to create and manage a virtual infrastructure.

This upgrade holds great cost minimisation potential as well as resource maximisation opportunities for Kent County Council by delivering a far more efficient data centre. Kent currently has more than 280 schools created to its learning platform, the KLZ, it added.

Built on Microsoft SharePoint, the KLZ revolutionises conventional teaching by introducing IT into all the areas of  classroom, dramatically improving learning experience.

In the UAE, ITWorx is engaged with 50 schools under Ministry of Education and with 27 GEMS private schools.

“Introducing IT into all areas of the school environment, not just computer lessons, is absolutely essential if schools are to graduate students capable of succeeding in the 21st century workplace,” said Hossam Badr, regional director – EMEA for ITWorx, the global experts on SharePoint-based education gateways for K-12 schools.

Technical strategy manager for EIS Kent County Council, Andy Sheppard said: “Since launching our e-learning platform, Kent Learning Zone, in more than 280 schools, we’ve noted increased collaboration through networked communities.'

'Through the KLZ, teachers and students are provided with new opportunities to work together, conduct research and discussions, as well as to share problems, innovations, and lesson plans,' Andy noted.

“The e-Learning solutions are increasingly becoming part of mainstream education: students benefit from accelerated learning, teachers collaborate better with their colleagues,' Badr pointed out.

'Also parents are able to monitor the progress of their children and communicate directly with staff, giving academic institutions, particularly schools, a far more central role in family life,' he added.

CMMI best practices

In another development, ITWorx said it has successfully renewed its CMMI-DEV V1.2 Level 3 certification after passing a rigorous appraisal process by the Software Engineering Institute (SEI).

ITWorx incorporates CMMI best practices into all aspects of it software development cycle. CMMI is an internationally recognized process improvement approach that provides organizations with the essential elements of effective processes.

Endorsed by the SEI, CMMI best practices enable software organizations to amalgamate management and development activities to their business objectives, implement robust practices, become more compliant with relevant ISO standards, and incorporate lessons learned to ensure that the products and services meet customer expectations.

Renewal of the certification demonstrates ITWorx commitment to continual improvement, and manifests the existence of robust development, maintenance, and project management processes.-TradeArabia News Service