Less than six months after the successful launch of the Alberta post-secondary ShareIT procurement service, K-12 schools are now invited to benefit from this cost-saving program.
ShareIT is an Alberta-based shared service that was formed by 19 post-secondary institutions in the province. Together, they have leveraged economies of scope and scale to give participants access to a broader, more powerful, and more economic suite of computing technologies.
After completing two successful procurement pilots, ShareIT was officially launched in June 2017, offering networking devices and end user computing hardware (including Chromebooks). Alberta K-12 school districts are now welcome to join the ShareIT program to purchase equipment from these two offerings.
What products are currently available in the ShareIT catalogue?
End-User Computing Hardware:
- Windows Desktops
- Standard
- High Performance
- Laptops
- Desktop Replacement
- Ultra portable
- Monitors
- Thin Clients (including Chromebooks)
- Mac Desktops
- Mac Laptops
Networking Hardware:
- Edge Switches
- Core Switches: small, medium and large
- Data Center Switches
- Edge Routers
- Wireless LAN Controllers
- Wireless Access Points
Which vendors are providing these products?
- Hewlett Packard Enterprise (Networking hardware)
- Juniper Networks (Networking hardware)
- Microserve (End-user computing hardware)
- WBM Technologies (End-user computing hardware)
How does ShareIT work?
ShareIT is governed by an oversight committee representing Alberta’s post-secondary institutions. This committee collectively decides which hardware and software products and services should be prioritized for group purchase. Committee members also share best practices based on their own purchasing experiences. The goal of the service is to increase service offerings at Alberta’s institutions, while driving down costs.
Cybera’s role is to facilitate the service delivery lifecycle of ShareIT. This includes: managing the program; identifying opportunities; working with technical experts from participating institutions to build the requirements; and overseeing the service design, acquisition, and operations.
What products will be offered in the next round of procurement?
The ShareIT project team is currently in the process of building the procurement ask for the following products:
- Survey tool applications
- Managed security services
- Virtualization technology
Can K-12 members have a say in future procurement decisions?
While K-12 members are welcome to take advantage of existing ShareIT master agreements, the procurement and governing decisions for the service will continue to be led by Cybera’s post-secondary institution members. Its management team is looking into ways to replicate the governance model for K-12 procurement, and will notify members as this process evolves.
How can my K-12 school district get started on ShareIT?
This service is available to all Cybera members who are in Alberta’s education sector. Visit Cybera’s “Current Members” page to see if your organization is already a member.
If you are a Cybera member, you will be asked to to sign: 1) The ShareIT memorandum of understanding, and 2) A participation agreement for each service you wish to take part in. Contact ShareIT@cybera.ca for more details.
Cybera will also be leading a presentation on ShareIT at the 2017 Convergence Conference in Calgary this October 25-27. Members (and prospective members) are welcome to chat to us then!