London Grid for Learning Connects up to 1 Million Primary and Secondary Students

LONDON - 14 Jan 2009

London Grid for Learning (LGfL), a consortium of all London’s local authorities, has today launched Microsoft Live@edu services for up to 1 million students across London. This is the first network of its scale for schools, and the LGfL is the only network globally providing fibre optic connections to every school, positioning London at the forefront of 21st-century collaborative education worldwide.

Branded "London Mail" by LGfL, the new service will incorporate 33 local authorities and 2,500 schools, and is the largest potential deployment of Microsoft’s Live@edu mail services worldwide. Schools will be making significant cost savings using the hosted service, as Live@edu includes applications such as mobile, desktop and web-based e-mail — encouraging students to collaborate, create online communities, and make learning and the sharing of information easier.

"Part of our responsibility within education is to bridge that gap between school and the world of work; London Mail gives students an e-mail experience in line with what they will use when they graduate,” said Brian Durrant, CEO of London Grid for Learning. “Amongst the 25,000 students we have been piloting the system with, we have enabled an increase in teamwork across schools, which is extremely positive. And, practically speaking, using this service has helped schools make significant savings. We estimate the average secondary school could save around £18,000 a year using London Mail, so across the 2,500 schools in London, it’s a multi-million-pound reduction in costs."

The e-mail inbox can be used by students as their primary account, but they will also benefit from additional services, including these:

• Office Live Workspace, which provides an online place to save, share and access documents without having to download anything
• Windows Live SkyDrive, which allows students to store documents and photos online, accessible from any computer connected to the internet
• Windows Live Spaces, which lets students set up a space for weblogs and links to documents stored in SkyDrive

“We know that students want technology to help them communicate with their peers and access and share information easily,” said Ray Fleming, education marketing manager at Microsoft Corp. “The rollout of Live@edu services across London is already enhancing education by allowing students to learn from one another and teachers to share best practices. Working with LGfL allows us to reach as many students as possible, and truly embed ICT into schools — which will give students the advanced IT skills they need to be successful in the workplace.” Already, 25,000 users are registered to use Live@edu in London, and this is estimated to double to 50,000 by April 2009.

About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realise their full potential.

About Microsoft EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa)
Microsoft has operated in EMEA since 1982. In the region Microsoft employs more than 16,000 people in over 64 subsidiaries, delivering products and services in more than 139 countries and territories.

#########

This material is for informational purposes only. Microsoft Corp disclaims all warranties and conditions with regard to use of the material for other purposes. Microsoft Corp shall not, at any time, be liable for any special, direct, indirect or consequential damages, whether in an action of contract, negligence or other action arising out of or in connection with the use or performance of the material. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting any kind of warranty.

PR Contacts
Vicky Gomes, Edelman for Microsoft
Phone: 020 3047 2220 / 0790 547 2097
E-mail: victoria.gomes@edelman.com

Emma Turner, Edelman for Microsoft
Phone: 020 3047 2202
E-mail: emma.turner@edelman.com

For more information on Microsoft Ltd:
Phone: 0845 602 5628, lines are open 9am to 6pm GMT, Monday to Friday
Fax:0870 20 77329
E-mailukprteam@microsoft.com/http://www.microsoft.com/uk/press

Note to editors
If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft in EMEA, please visit http://www.microsoft.com/emea or the EMEA Press Centre at http://www.microsoft.com/emea/presscentre. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at the time of publication, but may since have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact the appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/emea/presscentre/contactus.mspx.
If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft Corp, please visit the Microsoft web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass on Microsoft's corporate information pages.