"The ICT Team in the Learning and Leisure service of Aberdeen City Council decided last year to equip all our schools with ADSL connections and SmartCache 2. The existing ISDN connections were sufficient when Internet usage was more limited but teachers were increasingly frustrated with the interminable waiting to get 10 or more children connected to the Internet. At a time when we were promoting Internet use as a valuable curricular enhancement, the slow connections meant that teachers were unable to make proper use of web-based resources.

"The increased speed of ADSL would be an improvement but we knew that it would not be enough to meet the needs of the classroom. SmartCache 2 offered a solution, which would allow teachers to use the Internet as they had always wanted - as a quick, easily accessed resource, which could enhance the curriculum in many exciting ways.

"The current program of installation is not yet complete but the feedback from those with ADSL and SmartCache has been extremely positive. The increased speed of access alone has been worth the investment and we know there are other aspects of SmartCache 2 such as pre-caching, video streaming and SmartTracker, which we have yet to fully exploit.

"In our own training rooms, the effect has been dramatic. We used to have an ISDN Internet connection to feed over 20 computers. Letting a large group of trainees loose on the Internet was impossible, everything just ground to a halt as the demands on the connection increased. With ADSL and SmartCache 2, everyone can access web pages quickly and simply. We now take this ease of access for granted and have almost forgotten what it used to be like.

Even at this stage of the project, it is clear that the provision of ADSL and SmartCache 2 has been a very worthwhile investment, which has made a significant improvement to the Internet use in our schools."

In addition to purchasing RM SmartCache 2 for most schools, Aberdeen City has implemented RM SmartCache 2 in each of their 4 ICT training centres. According to Andy, the implementation took less than a day and required little technical knowledge to set up. The training centres are used to deliver CPD training to teachers across the region and slow Internet access has the potential to seriously affect their delivery. Since the installation, course tutors have noticed fewer delays in accessing the Internet and course participants subsequently have a much better experience of the Internet.