Critical Links Partners with ITU (UN Agency) and the Portuguese Government for the eSchool International Initiative

New York, NY, October 23, 2010 --(PR.com)-- Critical Links, a pioneer in delivering Information & Communications Technology (ICT) infrastructure solutions for School 2.0 - the next-generation of schools, announced today that it is partnering with ITU (International Telecommunication Union, the UN agency for information and communication technologies) and the Government of Portugal to assist participating countries design and implement state-of-the-art ICT infrastructure for their public schools.

Critical Links’ Education Appliance is the world’s first fully integrated and comprehensive solution for schools and combines learning, networking and administration capabilities on a single server platform. The Critical Links Education Appliance has been deployed at over 1200 schools in the world’s largest school modernization program and has been recognized with numerous industry awards.

Critical Links will collaborate with ITU, the Portuguese Government and other vendors to ensure the success of this program, which was officially launched by ITU last month. Twenty countries will benefit from the first phase, with the initiative supporting the launch of one connected school project per country. Each project will test innovative approaches using ICT in the classroom, measure the impact, showcase the benefits and share the lessons learned. Portugal will help participating countries leverage the benefits of integrating ICT in schools by sharing its own pioneering and successful experiences. The Portuguese Government has assigned the overall management of e-School International program to Fundacao para as Comunicacoes Móveis (Foundation for Mobile Communications).

“We are certain that this project will help transform the lives of children and their families around the world by connecting them to a better future. Our partnerships with ITU and a wide array of companies such as Critical Links, a world-leader in school ICT infrastructure solutions, demonstrate our seriousness and commitment to this program," commented Daniel Oleirinha Adriao, an advisor to the Portuguese Government.

Joao Carreira, CEO at Critical Links, is excited about this unique opportunity to engage in a public-private initiative and is hopeful that this will become a template for schools across the world. “The main goal of this partnership is to help participating countries leverage the benefits of ICT in schools and classrooms. At Critical Links, we have a great track record of working with countries such as Portugal in streamlining and simplifying the deployment and management of 1:1 e-learning infrastructure”, he commented.

The Critical Links School 2.0 portfolio comprises of the Education Appliance models EA60™, EA100™, EA500™ and EA1000™ that support schools of up to 3000 students. These platforms offer a host of learning, networking & administration capabilities. These include comprehensive voice & data communications, collaboration (wikis, blogs, social forums, content creation and sharing), data security, content filtering, policies and student and ICT administration capabilities (Intel-powered Classmate PC management, Theft Deterrence, backup/restore etc). They also feature full-fledged learning management (LMS), activity management (LAMS), client management, asset management and a student information system (SIS).

More information on the Critical Links education portfolio and Critical Links’ education initiatives can be found at the new School 2.0 portal: http://education.critical-links.com/PR. (Contact sales@critical-links.com for information on purchasing the Critical Links Education Appliance)

About Critical Links
Critical Links is a pioneer in delivering innovative Learning & Networking infrastructure solutions for Schools 2.0—the next generation of Schools. Critical Links’ Education Appliance (EA) portfolio provides the learning, networking, and administration capabilities necessary for a highly interactive and content rich educational experience; apart from a host of networking and communication capabilities, it also offers comprehensive learning management, client management, asset management, and a student information system. The EA 60 and EA100 appliances deliver e-learning ICT platforms for up to 500 students, while the EA 500 and EA 1000 appliances provide scalable platforms that support sophisticated learning and ICT capabilities for schools of up to 3000 students.

The Critical Links Education Appliance has been deployed at over 1200 schools in the world’s largest school modernization program and has been recognized with numerous industry awards. Critical Links has also introduced features such as edgeXL, which is a sophisticated caching technology that can speed up the web experience ten-fold, especially in regions with poor internet infrastructure.

More information on the Critical Links Education Appliance portfolio and Critical Links’ education initiatives can be found at the new School 2.0 portal: http://education.critical-links.com/PR. Follow Critical Links' Education Appliance on Twitter (http://twitter.com/schools20).

For more information, contact:

Abdul Kasim
Vice President
Global Marketing & Business Development
Critical Links
akasim@critical-links.com
973.276.9006 x1004
www.critical-links.com/PR

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