The Business Need

SetFocus is a training organization that provides the most current and cutting edge technologies in the training market for developers and corporations nationwide. Specializing in Microsoft's .NET technologies, SetFocus conducts instructor-led courses, as well as customized, corporate courses, and serves students from around the United States and Canada, as well as from other countries across the globe. Through its specialized Master's Program alone, SetFocus trains nearly 250 professionals annually and logs more than 100,000 developer hours.

SetFocus' Master's Program is intensive. It represents a 13-week, fivedays- a-week, full-time commitment in order to fulfill the requirements. For most students, this means relocating for the short term to the east coast to attend training at one of SetFocus' New Jersey-based facilities. And, while students feel the commitment is certainly worth the results, for some, the move East can be too much to take on amid other obligations. In order to best serve these students, as well as offer training to a broader section of the population, SetFocus made the decision to integrate video conferencing into its training solution and developed The GRID, a Global Remote Instructional Delivery experience that will set a new standard for on-line learning.

Why Video Conferencing?
SetFocus knew that an audio or web-based training solution would not meet their needs; a self-directed module was not feasible for their training philosophy. The company firmly believes that hands-on involvement and the classroom interaction - student to student and instructor to student -- enhances the training experience by maintaining attention and reducing attrition.

SetFocus was also looking for more than just a product provider. Given the risks of a poorly developed solution - student drop out, student failure and the resulting diminished reputation within the marketplace, SetFocus wanted a partner who could provide value added services, such as upfront consulting, ongoing support and ideas for taking the solution to higher levels of use and effectiveness.

SetFocus turned to BT Conferencing to develop the perfect mix of technology and strategy that could bring distant students into the classroom, give them the benefit of interacting with other students and instructors and make the technology as accessible and reliable as possible to ensure training excellence.

The Strategic Solution
With more than 20 years' experience in developing and managing video conferencing solutions, BT Conferencing first analyzed SetFocus' goals and business and then provided detailed consulting services on how to best develop the solution and deploy it within the organization. BT Conferencing experts provided network design, operations planning and migration strategies to help SetFocus run an efficient, trouble-free video conferencing system. The recommendations also included hardware and network recommendations and leveraged key products from Polycom, the leading manufacturer of conferencing equipment.

BT Conferencing also made training recommendations for SetFocus to ensure high adoption rates and to maximize the solution's effectiveness.

The Technology at a Glance:
Quality Products Paired with Support To bring the best product mix to SetFocus, BT Conferencing recommended a Polycom VSX7000 and VSX 8000 as the central platform as well as a MGC50 bridge. Remote students used the V500 and only needed small TV monitor, router and PC to connect real time with the classroom.

The Results
SetFocus is rolling out its video conferencing training component, known as The GRID, and is enjoying tangible results. In fact, the company expects to realize complete return on its investment within 18 months.

As anecdotal information comes in from students taking training via The GRID, it is becoming clear that nothing is lost in this new training format. Two virtual students recently scored highest in their class, highlighting the effectiveness of the solution.

"This solution has not only made sense for us financially," said Nancy Bukovina,Director of On-Line Training for SetFocus. "It has proven to us that we can expand the ways our students learn without sacrificing quality or the end result. It really opens up the future for us to reach out to more students in more places. And, BT Conferencing has been an outstanding partner. We were impressed with the customer references we received at the beginning of the project and our experience has lived up to what others have encountered."

The future for The GRID could include overseas virtual training as well as partnering with BT Conferencing for ongoing help desk support, which would provide troubleshooting, remote diagnostics reporting, provide information on industry trends and updates and serve as a first line of support for technical questions relating to the solution.