Australian seniors learn to Dropbox on Chrome with NEC Australia

Announcement posted by NEC Australia 13 Nov 2012

Melbourne – 13 November 2012 - NEC Australia has revamped the Australian Government-funded Broadband for Seniors website, a newly-designed platform for senior Australians to widen their knowledge of the web, cloud computing and collaboration technologies.

Broadband for Seniors, a highly successful program launched in 2008, has provided training to over 250,000 seniors to help them confidently and securely use software to engage with the world wide web.

NEC Australia implemented the program by installing over 2,000 kiosks at seniors organisations such as community centres across the nation, providing them with the tools to engage with web-based services, ranging from social media, smartphones and tablets, and photo-sharing services such as Flickr. The education also offers seniors important strategies to manage security, identity and information-sharing risks, including threats posed by malware, which do not discriminate between young and old computer users.

The website revamp is part of the Australian Government’s $25.4 million commitment to the Broadband for Seniors program.

NEC Australia delivers the program in partnership with Adult Learning Australia, Australian Senior Computer Clubs Association and University of the Third Age Online.

The Broadband for Seniors program was initially designed to assist over-50s, with minimal experience with personal computers, the web, desktop software and web applications, by introducing them to Gmail, Internet Explorer and document processors. The NEC-supported Broadband for Seniors has helped participants move beyond these basics, and that progress is being reflected in the new website and companion course material, which now emphasises collaboration, communication and social inclusion.

For example, a Broadband for Seniors course currently scheduled teaches participants how to leverage a storage platform, Dropbox, with the aim of simplifying cloud computing and sharing files. Another course takes seniors beyond desktop word processing to Google Docs, emphasising the potential for collaboration, content creation and knowledge sharing.

“This program positions Australia well in a global sense, with many countries focussed on digital inclusion policies to avoid the “digital divide,” in this case one based on age. It has been fascinating to watch the evolution of usage by kiosk users, knowing that this is just the beginning, with new technologies for both health care and social interaction just around the corner,” said David Cooke, from NEC Australia.

The new website will be unveiled by Senator Doug Cameron at the Australian Senior Computer Clubs Association conference on 13-14 November 2012 at Rydges World Square Hotel, Pitt Street Sydney where NEC Australia will display one of over 2,000 Broadband for Seniors kiosks it has installed at community locations across Australia.

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NEC Australia press contact:
Angela Coombes
NEC Australia
angela.coombes@nec.com.au
Phone +61 2 9930 2234
Mobile +61 417 805 441

About NEC Australia

NEC Australia is a leading technology company that delivers a complete portfolio of ICT solutions and services to a wide range of enterprise and government customers across multiple industries. NEC Australia helps customers gain greater business value from their technology investments.

The Communications Solutions division provides a full range of communications solutions and services in multi-vendor environments, including systems integration, specialist communications solutions, data networking, unified communications and collaboration, broadband access network, biometrics, digital signage and display solutions.

The IT Solutions division offers a full range of IT solutions and services encompassing consulting, professional services, application development and application and infrastructure managed services and support. For more information, visit NEC Australia at www.nec.com.au

About NEC Corporation

NEC Corporation is a leader in the integration of IT and network technologies that benefit businesses and people around the world. By providing a combination of products and solutions that cross-utilise the company's experience and global resources, NEC's advanced technologies meet the complex and ever-changing needs of its customers. NEC brings more than 100 years of expertise in technological innovation to empower people, businesses and society. For more information, visit NEC at www.nec.com