Waterstons go the distance with Durham Business School contract

Waterstons are celebrating a decade in partnership with Durham Business School after being awarded a six-figure contract to supply outsourced IT services for at least the next two years.  The contract was awarded following a competitive tendering process in which Waterstons beat off competition from a shortlist which included three other companies.

The contract will see Waterstons supply a full time IT Manager as well as giving Durham Business School access to its team of business and technology specialists.

Durham Business School’s Chief Information Officer, Colin Ashurst said: “One of the main reasons for choosing Waterstons was because of the flexible resourcing they offered.  In addition to managing the operational IT service, time is built in for the completion of strategic projects throughout the year.  This gives us access to a wide range of resources that we couldn’t possibly match in-house.”

“Waterstons have an impressive track record and have worked with us over the years to make real changes, providing us with energy and vision and opening our eyes to how technology can help us achieve our strategic goals.”

Waterstons will work closely with Durham Business School to identify new projects in line with the School’s business strategy, as well as continuing work on exciting initiatives such as the “Durham Experience” programme.  Arising from an IT strategy derived by Waterstons and members of the Business School’s senior management team, the Durham Experience aims to make learning more flexible, interesting and valuable for all their student groups. 

Web conferencing technology has been used to connect tutors and other academics with groups of students located around the globe.  This has enabled distance learners to attend online tutorials and interact with their tutors as they receive feedback on their work as if they were actually located in Durham.

A live lecture streaming and archiving system known as “DBS Broadcast” is another key component of the Durham Experience.   Lecturers have access to an easy-to-use system which enables them to either record lectures or stream them in real-time over the internet without the need for technical assistance.  Lecturers simply point the video camera and click “record” on their computer screen.  Lecture slides are automatically uploaded and are synchronised with the recording.  Students can then simply log in and access their lectures, any time, any place.

Waterstons’ Ben Leighton works on-site as Durham Business School’s IT Manager and is responsible for driving IT strategy moving forward.  He said: “The Durham Experience plays an important role in helping the school progress towards their objective of becoming one of the top business schools in Europe.  Students can now access lectures online and they can interact with the rest of the student cohort.  We’ve also used some of the latest technology to give them access to the specialist computer programs the school offers from the comfort of their home computer.”

“The aim here is to break down geographical boundaries and make the whole learning experience more personable and accessible, no matter where in the world a student is located.”

Pictured: Durham Business School's Chief Information Officer, Colin Ashurst (left) with Waterstons' Managing Director, Mike Waterston (middle) and Waterstons' Account Manager and IT Manager for Durham Business School, Ben Leighton (right).