Intelligent Data Centres Issue 17 | Page 47

END USER INSIGHT Riaan Vlok, Head of IT at Curro Holdings CURRO SCHOOLS CONTINUE TO PUT LEARNERS AT HEART OF EDUCATION The harsh reality of Digital Transformation means companies and organisations will be left behind if they do not conform and adapt their technology offerings. Curro realised it needed to bring its curriculum to life, digitally. Riaan Vlok, Head of IT at Curro Holdings, tells us how its virtualised data centre now helps the institution to leverage the cloud alongside its education mediums. Future educators are today grappling with how to deliver education solutions that support the changing demands of learners. Leveraging the power of technology, the independent school group, Curro Holdings, has partnered with VMware to transform its technology infrastructure, enabling it to deliver a truly digital education experience across geographies, endpoints, learners, parents and educators. Established in 1998, Curro is South Africa’s largest independent education provider, with over 178 schools across 70 sites. It develops, acquires and manages independent schools for learners from three months to Grade 12 and seeks to empower every person with the opportunity to achieve their potential as individuals and members of society. Creating future-based education solutions According to Riaan Vlok, Head of IT at Curro Holdings, the real test on educators is using technology to bring the curriculum to life in a digitally-centred world. Curro pioneered the use of digital textbooks or ‘ink behind glass’ in South Africa early on. The Digital Transformation journey that Curro embraced now requires a media and content-rich educational experience that teachers, learners and parents are now used to in other areas of digital life. The Curro infrastructure had to adapt to this requirement where Augmented Reality, asynchronous and synchronous learning blend seamlessly with the physical classrooms. www.intelligentdatacentres.com Issue 17 47