On June 13 the New Jersey School Boards Association and NJEdge, a statewide nonprofit research and education network, entered into an agreement to offer virtualization software licensing and cybersecurity services on a shared-service basis to New Jersey’s public schools.
Signed at NJSBA’s Trenton headquarters, the agreement will enable the two organizations to deliver unprecedented economies of scale by aggregating, or combining, delivery of the technologies that are in demand within the state’s K-20 education community.
“The goal of this partnership is to advance the use of technology with an emphasis on cybersecurity in New Jersey’s public schools,” said Dr. Lawrence S. Feinsod, NJSBA executive director. “The shared services agreement will encourage proactive planning for technology initiatives among our members. Through our shared services arrangement with NJEdge, schools will be able to secure services that align with Future Ready Schools – NJ at an affordable price.”
“We’re very excited to enable the entire K-20 educational community to come together under one umbrella via a shared services agreement with NJSBA,” said NJEdge President and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Samuel Conn. “By working together to unite the leadership, vision, and purchasing power of the K-12 and higher education communities, we’ll speed the adoption of technologies that enable students, faculty, and staff to excel in the modern digital world.”
Prior to the signing of the agreement, the two organization noted the following:
- NJEdge has been working with VMware since 2006 to deliver the lowest possible pricing to education institutions. VMware is an industry leader in virtualization software, offering solutions for desktop and application virtualization, data center and cloud infrastructure, network virtualization, cloud management, and more.
- VMware solutions can reduce costs, increase performance, and enable more efficient use of technology in the classroom. New Jersey’s K-12 schools are already in the process of adopting virtualization technology through the NJSBA TEC program. The shared services agreement between NJSBA and NJEdge will deliver the lowest possible pricing available in an effort to speed the adoption of advanced technology in K-12 districts.
- The shared services agreement also includes EdgeSecure managed cybersecurity services, which will augment NJSBA’s existing cybersecurity portfolio, currently offered through the NJSBA TEC program. NJSBA TEC also includes a portfolio of cybersecurity solutions offered by Carahsoft, which specializes in serving the public sector. These services include a broad range of software, hardware, implementation services and training at discounted pricing.
EdgeSecure is a suite of services designed by NJEdge specifically for the education community. Aligned to the National Institute of Standards and Technology cybersecurity framework, EdgeSecure delivers managed services for security assessments, endpoint protection, internet traffic information and protection, and security information event management. These services are administered by NJEdge security experts and are managed in partnership with district technology staff, delivering added security to K-12 technology environments.
As a result of the economies of scale represented by the K-20 partnership between NJSBA and NJEdge, these solutions are being offered at an accessible price point for the K-12 community, according to officials of the two organizations.