Jisc partners with Ajenta to enhance its Vscene video conferencing service for the education sector

Jisc, the education sector’s technology solutions not-for-profit, has chosen Ajenta, experts in audio and video delivery, to enhance, upgrade and take ownership of its Vscene video collaboration platform. Accessed daily by more than 2,000 UK institutions, Vscene can be used to create secure virtual classrooms for up to 500 users and to enable remote teaching, learning and research with colleagues at other institutions in the UK and abroad.

New features of Vscene, all designed to enhance the learning and teaching experience, include an easy-to-use desktop, improved mobile access, and the ability to integrate seamlessly with learning management systems and virtual learning environments.

John Wilson, co-founder and CEO of Ajenta, said,

“Vscene is the only true HD platform in the world to provide a large social community of teachers, students and research fellows with the ability to chat in real-time, share knowledge and collaborate in virtual meeting workspaces with encrypted document sharing and whiteboard collaboration. These features will help to shape a considerable part of each institution’s larger digital strategy.”

Commenting on the partnership, Jisc chief executive, Paul Feldman, said:

“Jisc is committed to helping schools, colleges, universities and research centres to perform at the forefront of international practice by exploiting digital technology, content and connectivity. We are delighted to partner with Ajenta, whose expertise will give Vscene many added benefits for our members and the wider public sector.

Ajenta’s designers, developers and engineers, who were responsible for the design and delivery of Vscene’s latest infrastructure upgrade, will work directly on the Vscene service to ensure it remains competitive and tailored specifically to the needs of the education, research and public sectors.

Ajenta has announced that Vscene will continue to be provided free to current users in 7,500 primary schools, secondary schools and local authorities funded through partnerships with local authorities and regional grids for learning.

A free subscription for the basic service is also available for further and higher education and research institutions. More than 450 existing users have already signed up to be migrated over to the new service, which is to be launched in March this year.