One of the main pillars of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 is the educational sector. Shifting to digital education to support teacher and student progress will no doubt be a cornerstone of the National Transformation Program (NTP) and an area that Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company, intends to play a key role in as an “enabler” through its mobile-first architecture that creates smarter networks for smarter students. Jamil Ahmed, Saudi Arabia country manager at Aruba, said: “Classrooms are changing. We are seeing the impact of the digital revolution. Learning environments are now preparing students for their future work environments. Classrooms are shifting away from rows of desks, to an environment that promotes collaboration between students, teachers and learning devices. It’s what we call the optimized digital classroom. Textbooks are being swapped out for mobile devices that provide up-to-date content in real time. Printed exams are transitioning to online assessments. 1:1 and BYOD initiatives are replacing wired computer labs. Skype and Google Hangouts are fueling new study groups. And personalized learning programs are developed to meet the individual needs of each student. “This digital classroom needs to support 21st century learning, with 1:1 initiatives and project-based learning. It needs to provide anytime/anywhere access to cloud-based apps like Google Apps for education and Office 365. It’s a classroom that easily provides guest access and encourages student collaboration, that can also prioritize critical learning apps such as Online Assessments. As a result, IT professionals in education in the Kingdom need to plan for the future and build a next-generation infrastructure that supports this digital learning environment and emerging technologies.” A little over a year ago, the Education Ministry introduced an initiative called Future Gate to promote digital learning and “change the whole setting” in schools. It handed out iPads to students and teachers in schools and is encouraging more technology-enabled teaching and learning. Aruba is keen to work with government and educational institutions in the Kingdom toward developing this mobile-first strategy that will enable digital transformation of the education sector and e-learning. “Aruba’s mobile-first strategy advocates unifying all things mobility to take the pressure off the educational institution’s IT — access management, the wired and wireless network, as well as the management and security of mobile devices and apps. All these elements need to be combined into one cohesive system, which offers a simpler and more secure way to support the mobility needs of students, faculty and guests,” said Ahmed.