Lan2Lan helps charity get better connected

Integrator speeds up Skillshare International's internet connectivity in 11 countries across Africa and Asia

System integrator Lan2Lan has helped a UK-based charity slash operating costs and improve its communications infrastructure for staff across two continents.

The VAR recently completed the installation of IBM-based collaboration technology, including LotusNotes and Domino, at Skillshare International, which it says will connect the charity’s staff across 11 countries in Africa and Asia in a "more unified" way.

Skillshare International’s Leicester-based server has been replicated at Lan2Lan’s Point-Of-Presence (POP) in Woking. This has allowed the charity to take advantage of the optimised and high-speed Lan2Lan infrastructure, avoiding the need for substantial additional investment in its own network. The architecture provides for an accelerated international connection, which further reduces the time workers in the field have to spend online.

Caroline Frankland, facilities and administration manager at Skillshare International, said: “In the UK, with broadband widely available, we take it for granted that we can keep connected all the time if we want to.

“In some of our more remote locations, it made more sense to connect only for the purposes of updating local and central systems, which may be once a day or even less frequently. Lan2Lan’s work on our collaboration and communication infrastructure has allowed us to foster a stronger sense of community within our own organisation, even with volunteers working in some of the most isolated regions of the world.”

Gary Duke, director of Lan2Lan, said: Many charities are restrained by the amount of money they can invest in communications. For Skillshare International, which operates in some of the world’s most disadvantaged communities, technical issues add to the burden of running an efficient organisation.

“By deploying collaborative technology in an innovative way, we have created a resilient framework that gives staff access to new and essential online resources without the need for permanent internet connections. By supporting and maintaining Skillshare’s network from end to end, we provide valuable services to the charity’s IT specialists and assist in liberating much-needed resources.”