Education Plan Encourages Partnerships

In its recently released "National Education Technology Plan," the Department of Education noted inadequate training in the use of hardware provided to the K-12 sector, and advised on action items for improvement. While not earth-shattering, the recommendations offer VARs an opportunity to get in on potential spending as educators ramp up to meet the plan's goals.

"A tremendous amount of funding during the past six or seven years went to broadband, wired access to the desktop, and high-speed Internet," says Adam Robinson, CEO of Irvine, Calif.-based Govplace. "That provided all of the infrastructure needed to roll out new applications."

In response to the plan, schools may seek out partners that can evaluate existing technology infrastructure and provide support to manage and maintain computer networks, maximize educational uptime and integrate data systems.

"IT managers have been hamstrung--unable to decide how they want to focus their IT dollars," Robinson says. "Perhaps the attention that comes from this plan will ease that process."