Academy soups up with Compaq.(Company Operations)

Reseller Triware Technologies goes to school and strikes its biggest deal

At Newfoundland's Academy Canada, college students ranging from hairdressers to computer programmers will have access to cutting-edge technology, thanks to a deal with Compaq Canada Inc. and reseller Triware Technologies Inc.

Academy Canada claims to be the largest independent college in Eastern Canada, with three campuses in Newfoundland and a student population of more than 1,100. Students will have access to more than 450 Compaq desktops when the deal is complete this summer.

Under the agreement, which is worth about $1 million, the college had already received 289 Compaq Deskpro computers, four Proliant servers and three Armada notebooks. The plan is to refresh the lineup of systems every 18 months on an ongoing basis, says Colin Burridge, Academy Canada's technical support system supervisor.

St. John's-based reseller Triware is helping put all the pieces together. Account manager Robert Burke says the Academy's ongoing upgrade plan is the "largest deal ever struck" by the company, which sees the college leasing the systems for two years. Afterward, they give the systems back and the reseller gives them different hardware.

Triware is being leaned on heavily as a consultant, Burke says, indicating the company was chosen partly because of its personal touch and Compaq expertise. "We sit down with Academy Canada to determine what their needs are and help them roll out the technology and maintain their network on an ongoing basis."

What are the needs of the Academy? Simply put, Burke says the college needs to keep pace with the perpetual changes in technology, keep its administration costs down, as well as streamline the look and feel of its computer systems throughout the campuses. While the college already had a solution in place for ...