TANDBERG and Veterans Affairs Officials Inaugurate VA’s Distance Learning Center
TANDBERG (OSLO: TAA.OL) executives stood alongside Veterans Affairs (VA) officials yesterday in Falling Waters, WV as the VA inaugurated its first national distance learning center dedicated to training IT staff, the National IT Training Academy. The Academy, a former warehouse, was repurposed to facilitate training of security content to the VA’s information security and privacy officers through a state-of-the-art distance-learning classroom. The classroom is fully integrated with TANDBERG video conferencing solutions designed specifically for classroom training environments.
The Academy’s solution integrates TANDBERG video conferencing systems, which enable live “face-to-face” trainings across multiple locations, web-based courses and on-demand recordings, with GTSI technology. Combined, these technologies will enable instructors to hold on and off site trainings in the 74-seat classroom, and facilitate collaboration with several classrooms at other VA locations around the country. GTSI upgraded existing servers, built a virtual desktop environment, and introduced a storage area network (SAN) to create this highly available and dynamic environment capable of giving employees the latest information quickly, efficiently, and cost-effectively.
“It is a real pleasure to open this state-of-the-art facility and see the great potential VA has for getting the latest information to our employees quickly and efficiently,” said Roger Baker, VA CIO. “This is a great example of the expedient use of IT to make a substantial contribution towards training that will ensure benefits to Veterans and the public.”
“We are incredibly pleased to work with the VA and GTSI to develop this large-scale training network,” said Joel Brunson, President, TANDBERG Americas Public Sector. “Our video endpoints and infrastructure connect the VA IT National Training Academy with training centers across the country to facilitate training of its entire 7,000 IT staff members. We pride ourselves in providing customers with innovative solutions and are happy to help the VA’s Office of Information and Technology achieve its mission to become a Veteran centric service provider through the delivery of effective technologies.”
“GTSI is proud to have worked alongside the talented staff of the VA to bring up this training facility on time and on budget,” said Tom Kenney, GTSI’s Vice President and General Manager, Federal Civilian Agencies. “We take pride in our ability to integrate facilities such as this which will serve as a model for the VA and other agencies who need to train employees both on-site and in remote locations around the globe. In today’s economy, training is not an option, but necessary for staff to keep current on important information. Using remote locations means that training dollars go further. Last, but not least, working with innovative partners like TANDBERG can help agencies fulfill their educational missions while making their training dollars go further.”
Source: Tandberg
