GTSI executives stood alongside Veterans Affairs (VA) officials as VA inaugurated its first national distance learning center in Falling Waters, West Virginia. GTSI, an enterprise infrastructure solutions and services provider, built and integrated the virtual desktop environment to create a dynamic on-site and distance learning facility. The physical structure, a former warehouse, was repurp...
GTSI executives stood alongside Veterans Affairs (VA) officials as VA inaugurated its first national distance learning center in Falling Waters, West Virginia. GTSI, an enterprise infrastructure solutions and services provider, built and integrated the virtual desktop environment to create a dynamic on-site and distance learning facility. The physical structure, a former warehouse, was repurposed into a classroom whose main function is to teach security content to VA's information security and privacy officers.
The solution integrates servers with Tandberg video conferencing systems to create a 74-seat classroom facility that will serve as the first IT distance learning classroom in the northeast. Instructors at Falling Waters can train on-site employees as well as collaborate with several other classrooms at other VA locations around the country. GTSI upgraded existing servers, built a virtual desktop environment, and introduced a storage area network (SAN) to create this highly available and dynamic environment capable of giving employees the latest information.
To demonstrate its reach, VA teleconferenced the ceremony to one of its central office locations in the District of Columbia, housing a regional extension of the VA Falling Waters classroom.
"It is a real pleasure to open this facility and see the great potential VA has for getting the latest information to our employees quickly and efficiently," said Roger Baker, VA CIO. "This is a great example of the expedient use of IT to make a substantial contribution towards training that will ensure benefits to Veterans and the public."
"GTSI is proud to have worked alongside the talented staff of the VA to bring up this training facility on time and on budget," said Tom Kenney, GTSI's VP and GM, Federal Civilian Agencies. "We take pride in our ability to integrate facilities such as this which will serve as a model for the VA and other agencies who need to train employees both on-site and in remote locations around the globe. In today's economy, training is not an option, but necessary for staff to keep current on important information. Using remote locations means that training dollars go further. Last, but not least, working with innovative partners like Tandberg, can help agencies fulfill their educational missions while making their training dollars go further."
"We are incredibly pleased to work with GTSI and the VA to develop this large-scale training network," said Joel Brunson, President, Tandberg Americas Public Sector. "Designed to facilitate training of its entire IT staff, our video endpoints and infrastructure connect the VA IT National Training Academy and 7,000 staff members in training centers across the country. We pride ourselves in providing innovative solutions to help the VA's office of Information and Technology achieve its mission to become a Veteran centric service provider through the delivery of effective technologies."