TMCnet Vertical Sites Week in Review

Welcome to the latest edition of TMCnet's Vertical Sites Week in Review. This past week was very exciting for TMC (News - Alert), with the kick-off of the bi-annual INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference & EXPO in Miami, Florida.

 

TMC witnessed one of the most successful ITEXPOs yet, proof that IP communications is a booming market despite the financial crisis the country is currently facing. Companies from all over the country came to the Miami Convention Center to showcase their latest innovations, discuss market opportunities and trends, and share their insights with buyers, vendors, and carriers. Click here to see event photos and videos.

 

With the rise of third generation (3G) services and the increasing consumer demand for connectivity on-the-go, it comes as no surprise that more and more devices are gaining wireless capabilities. And interestingly, wireless technologies are becoming the norm in many schools across the country.

 

Using technology to improve communication and collaboration is exactly what Los Angeles-based Marymount High School is working towards. To enhance wireless connectivity for its staff and students, the high school deployed Xirrus 802.11n WiFi (News - Alert) Arrays on Thursday.

 

Another school embracing the wireless trend is New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), which deployed Meru Networks’ 802.11n Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) solution this week.

 

Based in Manhattan, the fashion and design school says the new Meru network allows students the flexibility to work in laboratories, classrooms, dormitories and in hallways.

 

FIT is looking to wireless as the infrastructure of the future, according to Gregg Chottiner, FIT's vice president of information technology and chief information officer.

 

“As parts of our wired infrastructure reaches end-of-life, rather than replacing them we will use wireless as our primary vehicle for data access, and even voice and video. This will save on capital costs, since we won't have to keep expanding our switching closets and installing all the associated cabling,” explained Chottiner.

 

Another technology trend we are seeing in the education sector is the adoption of Web-based software to help familiarize students with 21st century learning. Announced this week was Antelope Valley Union High School District’s selection of Pearson’s PowerSchool Premier as its student data management solution. With this solution, the high school hopes to prepare its high school students for the next phase of their academic life- for many that means college.

 

Also this week, the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate received praise from major education and business associations, including the International Society for Technology Education (ISTE), for their efforts to modernize classroom instruction through the Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) program.

 

According to the ISTE, classroom technology enhancements will be a main focus for recovery legislation as House and Senate leaders will work with the Administration to achieve this goal. The U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate have targeted one billion dollars in the economic recovery legislation directly for this purpose. This $1 billion funding level is seen as an encouraging step in making students ready for the 21st century economy.

 

In the healthcare industry, hospitals are also beginning to take advantage of technology to increase productivity and cut costs. Robots are becoming more widely-recognized for their ability to offer a helping hand in the operating room. Eventually they might even replace doctors and nurses- no Harvard Med. School Ph.D required.

 

Dr. Richard Rosenfield, founder and medical director of Pearl Women's Center in Portland, Oregon made history this week by conducting the first documented unaccompanied, laparoscopic hysterectomy with only ViKY the robot to assist him.

 

ViKY is a lightweight robot designed by EndoControl, an enterprise involved in computer assisted and robotics surgery. ViKY was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in December 2008 and has managed to conduct about 300 medical procedures in Europe involving gynecology, general surgery, urology and thoracic surgery.

 

In other news this week, UMass Memorial Health Care selected dbMotion to help create a single electronic, interoperable patient record across numerous information technology environments and care areas.

  

UMass Memorial Health Care is the largest integrated healthcare system in Central and Western Massachusetts. The healthcare center has more than 10,000 employees including 1,500 physicians and 2,500 nurses.

 

The dbMotion Solution helps healthcare organizations to meaningfully integrate patient-centered information. Apart from offering a platform for rapid development to solve new clinical problems, this solution can extend the life of working clinical solutions that do not fit into a homogenous IT architecture.

 

The healthcare industry is also catching on to the advantages of Wi-Fi. On Tuesday,

North Carolina-based assisted living operator Resources for Senior Living (RSL) selected Intelligent InSites to deploy wireless nurse call and resident care solutions.

 

The system from Intelligent InSites uses information received through wireless pendants worn by the staff and residents and ensures the safety of each resident.

 

According to Intelligent InSites, communities that have adopted its resident solutions have already realized a 25 percent gain in staff productivity, an equivalent of two hours for every employee shift.

 

Below are some other stories as evidence that technology is increasingly being implemented in the healthcare industry.

 

 

For more information on the latest technology innovations in the healthcare and education sectors, check back next week with TMCnet. Next week, we will discuss how technology can help hospitals and schools cost-effectively modernize their operations and environment despite the economic downturn.