When Ara wanted to upgrade their AV educational technology to a digital platform, sourcing a technology solutions provider who worked as a partner rather than just a supplier was key.
In 2015, the Ara Institute of Canterbury began a program to move their dated and highly limited analogue teaching spaces and lecture theatres to more modern digital platforms.
“There have been massive changes in the use of AV in higher educational and technical institutions over the last few years,” says Ryan Roughan, ICT Technology Manager at Ara explains. “That rate of change is only likely to increase given the merger of AV and IT and the new norm created by Covid-19.”
To keep pace with the industry, Ara worked on changing its infrastructure and network capacity and put in place a suitable, scalable network that would allow the Institute to easily adopt and rollout the latest technology to meet their teaching needs.
“Innovative and usable AV equipment is at the heart of our teaching,” Ryan explains. “The quality of technology, correct and timely installation and ongoing support are all essential for seamless and effective teaching and communication for our students and staff.”
PARTNERSHIP APPROACH KEY TO GROWTH
As the changes developed, it became obvious to the Ara team that they needed to bring on board a new AV solutions provider. The final choice came with one big caveat. “We didn’t just want a supplier,” says Ryan. “We wanted a partner who had the knowledge to help us grow into the new world of networked AV.”
During the application process, Ryan recalls that Vega asked Ara what they needed, rather than simply telling them what they could do. He saw the approach as “refreshing” and clearly showed that Vega shared their partnership philosophy.
Andrew Green, Vega’s Chief Visionary Officer, adds that getting in on the ground floor of the redevelopment plan was a big plus. “It meant that both parties could engage in thought leadership around what could be achieved.”
Another factor that worked in Vega’s favour was their knowledge around ICT and AV user experience. This allowed them to provide the Ara team with in-depth information to deploy a high performance network.
EARLY ADOPTION DELIVERS SUCCESS FOR HEALTH RESEARCH & EDUCATION FACILITY.
The partnership approach was out to the test on some of Ara’s smaller teaching spaces. The successful implementation of this initial project led to Vega working with Ara to develop the AV for the Institute’s new medical teaching building (Manawa).
