Equiinet is preferred supplier

Resellers could be set to benefit as vendor Equiinet is chosen by the London Grid for Learning as a preferred supplier

Internet appliance maker Equiinet has been awarded preferred supplier status for content delivery by a London schools IT advisory organisation, and resellers are set to reap the rewards.

The London Grid for Learning (LGfL), which advises 33 local education authorities in the capital, has recommended Equiinet's CachePilot to deliver e-learning content.

The appliance, part of the company's NetPilot range of internet servers, delivers content onto networks with caching capabilities that enable e-learning packages to run and be accessed.

All 2,600 schools that fall within the LGfL's catchment area will be informed of Equiinet's preferred status.

Equiinet's channel partners in the area, Kerridge Distribution Services (KDS) and Equinox, will supply schools that choose the appliance. Schools can buy a managed service or outright purchase and installation.

Jeff Sellick, business development director at KDS, said the 10 other learning 'grids' in the UK are likely to consider the products following the LGfL's decision.

Sellick added that government investment into IT in education is opening up good sales opportunities for resellers. "The education sector is a big opportunity for us this year because of government investment as well as the need for third-party support."

He added the channel can make good margin providing services around the appliances. "Our profitability comes from the services around the boxes," he said.

Brian Durrant, chief executive of the LGfL, said CachePilot is attractive for e-learning because schools require media-rich materials available that are stored, updated and accessible.

He added that the channel, in particular managed services, are ideal for supplying IT to education establishments. "We wanted partners to support us because teachers usually end up sorting out problems, which is a waste of their time," he said.