IOCOM grid node case study

Taalus completed its 25th university installation of the IOCOM Grid Node (GN), an IP-based multimedia conferencing solution.

The installation took place in UniS’ newly refurbished Department of Computing. Certain stages of testing involved support by videoconference from IOCOM technicians in Chicago and "just one day after installation we were using the IGN on student recruitment events" according to Gary Dear, Computer Support Manager. Within 2 weeks of installation, Quality Assurance checks had been undertaken on the node by the Access Grid Support Centre (AGSC), Manchester, enabling UniS to make use of further services offered by AGSC.

The IGN is part of the Science Research Investment Fund (SRIF-3) programme of improvements at UniS, and will soon be supplemented by a High Performance Computing (HPC) system from a leading provider.

According to Research Fellow Dr Lee Gillam
"Most existing UK IGNs are used for research activities, particularly within the e-Science community, to run distributed meetings and provide seminars, lectures, tutorials and training. The Department intends to use this facility for increasing collaborative research activities and will be exploring the potential for improving the student experience on Surrey’s MSc degrees in Internet Computing and Information Systems, and in our portfolio of Undergraduate programmes."

Taalus worked closely with both IOCOM and UniS to deliver this project. This involved the installation of a dual-xeon based workstation with a video capture card set to capture and convert 4 camera feeds into live internet video stream, and a set of 3 projectors along with audio peripherals including 8 microphones. The streaming video is then transmitted over the university’s network and out through the internet connection to remote hosting centres at the AGSC and at IOCOM Chicago; these servers control the conferencing rooms of all IGN users. This particular installation also includes an induction loop for the hard of hearing and wireless interactive whiteboard capability.

The Department of Computing chose IOCOM for its leading reputation in the provision of these collaborative technologies, especially in the UK, and to ensure compatibility with existing IGN systems at other UK Universities and, importantly, with the first IGN installed at Surrey.

Surrey’s first IGN, also installed by Taalus, was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). It was "the first (IGN) in a Department of Sociology anywhere in the world", according to Sociology Professor Nigel Fielding and is being used for virtual fieldwork and evaluated for e-Learning.

"Installation of Computing’s IOCOM Grid Node highlights UniS’ continued commitment to innovative research and teaching. The system will easily allow more communication of ideas, both internally and with external organisations"
- UniS’ Deputy Vice Chancellor, Professor John Turner

The IOCOM Grid solution provides an innovative, state-of-the-art conferencing and collaboration software platform. IOCOM Grid solutions include client and venue software, documentation and technical support, and a comprehensive range of professional services including installation, network consulting and training.

In 2003, IOCOM introduced its product to the UK for the University and Enterprise markets. During this time, Taalus was approached to provide a comprehensive installation service.

"After interviewing several integrators, IOCOM chose Taalus because of their professionalism and customer focus. We now work closely with Taalus and continue to be impressed with their approach to Project Management and their installation practices"
- Terry Burke, Vice President and COO of IOCOM Integrated

Taalus has installed IOCOM Grid platforms in over 18 University locations and is the only installer of these systems in the UK.

"We are pleased to have supported IOCOM in the UK for some three years now. Taalus specialises in working for the IT Channel, providing a range of installation services across the country. The varied nature of an IOCOM installation demonstrates the calibre of the Taalus engineering and project management team. However, we can still provide this range of services at a cost effective rate, thus also providing value for money for the Universities.

This 25th system installation demonstrates our commitment both to our end users and to our channel partners, and we look forward to continuing and growing this relationship in the coming years."
- Andy Duck Sales Director, Taalus

Taalus continues to work with IOCOM to integrate value add services to the IOCOM Grid solution, such as addressing security issues, meeting Disability Discrimination Act guidelines with induction loop systems and providing maintenance support.

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