Page 221 - Technology Plan ICT Review

Alberta Learning System Technology Standards and Solutions
Overview
* In April 2003, the Alberta Learning Executive Team approved the Technology Stan- dards and Solutions initiative.
* Alberta Learning's Business Plan 2003-04 to 2005-06 includes the following key initia- tive: Work with partners and stakeholders to implement standardization of technology solu- tions across the learning system. (Goal 3, Strategy 3.A)
* Opportunities to reduce existing costs and leverage provincial buying power by making standard solutions available to the learning system will be identified and evaluated. Where appropriate, Alberta Learning will invest in common technology solutions for the provincial learning system.
* Alberta Learning will lead the Technology Standards and Solutions (TSS) initiative with stakeholder involvement throughout. The process will involve the development of a provincial strategic plan for the initiative, including the setting of priorities and timelines.
* The ministry will continue to foster and support research and innovation to ensure that the learning system can respond to changing technologies and opportunities. Standardiza- tion cannot be achieved at the expense of research or innovation.
* Vendors will be invited to showcase their products and services to Alberta Learning on a regular basis. Showcase events will also be organized for stakeholder participation.
Expected Benefits
* This program will result in positive outcomes for learners and the learning system and will address a range of issues related to technology integration:
Enhanced learning opportunities; Affordable technology; Equitable access to technology; Interoperable systems; and Sustainable technology solutions.
SUPERNET SHARED VPN - VIDEOCONFERENCING AND VOICE
OVER IP NUMBER PLAN STANDARD
Category: Network
Effective Date: September 2004
Review Date: January 2007
Summary:
All learning sites will standardize on a videoconferencing and Voice over IP (VoIP) numbering plan in order to enable cross-jurisdictional connectivity in a shared VPN environment.
Specification:
• The 10-digit Direct Inward Dialing (DID) numbering scheme used within the North American Numbering Plan will be used. The 10-digit number is adopted in this case to take advantage of the availability of the full North American Directory in the call manager software.
• This standard works within the subset of the 14-digit international numbering scheme (E.164) with the country code and extension being optional (as per the Government of Alberta Telephone Num- bering Standard).
• Two zones are created using the area codes of 780 and 403 as zone prefixes. Additional zones can be created within the province, as required.
• The gateway service prefixes of 9# for 384 Kbps and 90# for 768 Kbps will be used.
• The MCU service prefix will use the area code and three additional digits to describe the MCU services (8 Kbps to 2 Mbps).
Rationale:
• A standard is required to enable interconnectivity among the Government, Health, Library, and Municipality (GLHLM) sectors.
• A standard numbering plan is crucial in a large-scale implementation of videoconferencing and VoIP applications to ensure each location has a unique address.
• This standard provides a scalable numbering plan that can accommodate a large number of termi- nals, gateways, Multipoint Control Units (MCUs), call managers, and gatekeepers.
Timeline:
This standard becomes effective immediately and must be implemented at the same time that each learning site is connected to the Alberta SuperNet
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