Commenting on the College's investment in Unified Communications (UC), Chris Barron, ICLT Infrastructure Manager, explains, "We are a strong advocate of Microsoft, following years working with their technology, so when we heard of their move into the UC market, we were keen to investigate the opportunities this opened up to us. Following our research, we expect to reap numerous benefits from UC."

By incorporating Microsoft Office Live Meeting, Barnsley also plan to revolutionise their work-life balance by running live broadcasts for staff to attend remotely in place of on-site meetings. Live Meeting provides a collaborative environment for making presentations, sharing files and even desktops, enabling real-time interaction between participants regardless of location.

In addition to the increased efficiency the initial roll out will result in, NEC Philips has been working closely with the College to identify future opportunities to enhance the use of UC. Following the successful completion of the trial across the staff base, Barnsley is currently considering plans to roll out UC across its student contingent.

Barron continues, "We pride ourselves on being at the forefront of the sector in terms of our technology and are keen to pass the benefits of our UC investment onto our students through enhanced eLearning capabilities. These capabilities could see students securely accessing the College network from any number of remote locations, identifying the status of their lecturers, and engaging in tutorials and lectures virtually in the not-so-distant future, which is very exciting for us."