Seamless Solutions for More Than 200 Massachusetts Customers
More than 200 Massachusetts public and private schools, cities and towns, libraries and non-profit organizations today rely on MECnet for their Internet access and networking solutions. MECnet services start with high-speed Internet access arrangements and extend to integrating the Web into the existing local data networks. Here are just a few examples of how MEC Technology Systems is providing turnkey solutions throughout the Commonwealth.

Homework assignments going onto the Internet
NORTH ANDOVER -- "Forgetting" a homework assignment is an excuse some students will have more trouble getting away with this fall.

A new online homework posting service being piloted by the School Department will allow parents of children in 21 classrooms to log on to the Internet to see their children's assignments starting Sept. 20.

Teachers who are piloting the new service called EZPost at Franklin Elementary and North Andover High and Middle schools will post homework assignments, Web links, announcements and answers to frequently asked questions on the site.

North Andover joins Andover and Haverhill schools that also have assignments and other information for parents online.

Daniel Murphy, chairman of the North Andover School Committee, said the service will give parents from his town a way to check when their child says they don't have any homework for the night.

"It's very important for parents to understand what the expectations are of their child so they can help or nudge their child to make sure they're staying up on the work that's expected," Murphy said.

Although some North Andover teachers already post homework assignments on the Internet, the School Department is hoping to come up with a system that would allow more teachers to get involved.

"What's nice about this is that it can be uniform throughout the district and the ease of use for teachers," said Anne Bate, a technology consultant working with the School Department. "One of our primary concerns is finding something that is easy and fast for teachers to use."

The new Web site will be provided by the Merrimack Education Center in Chelmsford, said Bate, who recently trained teachers to use the system.

Letters will be sent home to parents of children in the pilot classrooms later this month to notify them of the service and give them instructions for registering for a free EZPost account and log-in. Families with more than one child in school can get one account for each of their children.

The letter will also remind parents that students in the pilot classrooms will still be responsible for recording their homework assignments in class.

"Since computers, Internet access, and Websites can malfunction, this service should only be used as a backup for clarification of assignments," reads a draft of the letter.

At the end of the year, the School Department will weigh feedback from parents and teachers to decide whether to use the homework posting service throughout the district.

Using technology to improve communication between the school and students' homes is a trend taking hold more and more in districts throughout the region.

Andover recently launched a new Web site designed for parents of sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders. The site allows parents to find out what their children are learning in math class and view practice math problems and sample MCAS questions.

Haverhill is already piloting a program for teachers to post homework assignments, and the city is hoping to eventually post individual students' test scores and homework averages online, said Christopher Hottel, executive director of information and support services for the district.

Hottel said that kind of system, which would require a more secure Web site, could be a reality within a year, after a new fiber optic network is fully connected in the city.

"Everyone is going slowly allowing the public in," Hottel said. "When you start getting into students' records, that takes real security."

Chicopee Partners with MEC to Tap the Web for Education
The Chicopee Public Schools were among the first Massachusetts school systems to tap the educational resources of the Internet. Backed by a federal grant, the Chicopee Schools in the mid-1990s began implementing a comprehensive plan to wire and interconnect the district's buildings, provide them with high-speed Internet access and begin taking advantage of the emerging Web-based technologies.

To assure a successful deployment, however, the Chicopee school system needed a partner who could not only provide the required access to the Internet but also guide the district's small IT staff through a complex and fast-changing technology. Chicopee chose as its Internet partner MEC Technology Systems, a division of the Merrimack Education Center.

During the past four years, MEC Technology Systems has helped the Chicopee schools create a wide area network that provides high-speed Internet access and networking services to more than 8,000 students and staff throughout the district, as well as hundreds more city employees working major municipal buildings. "MEC has worked closely with us on all phases of building our network," says Rose Blais, technology assistant for the Chicopee schools. "The MEC staff has supported us from the initial deployment through the various hardware and software upgrades, including the Y2K transition. When issues do arise, whether they be with routers, cable modems or Linux operating software, the MEC Help Desk responds quickly with valuable advice and assistance."

John Dumont, the director of the Chicopee Schools' Telecommunications Department, says "we have been very satisfied with MEC and recommend them all the time. MEC has been instrumental in our success and we look forward to working with them in the future."

In the latest upgrade, MEC Technology Systems is converting the Chicopee Schools to MECnet Wrap-Around Service, a new offering based on a collaboration between MEC and Verizon. MECnet Wrap-Around Service uses Verizon's Frame Relay Services to provide Internet access at T1 speeds but at significantly lower cost than the traditional T1 circuit. Frame Relay is a high-speed, commercial grade packet switching service that many large businesses and organizations depend on for their data networking needs.

MECnet Wrap-Around Service, available everywhere in Massachusetts, includes network installation and maintenance, e-mail accounts, Web hosting, content filtering, help desk support and technical training. And because it's based on Verizon's Frame Relay network, MECnet Wrap-Around Service also will allow Chicopee to extend its network by easily creating secure, high-speed links to other MECnet Frame Relay users.

MEC Provides Walpole Library With Internet Solution and Savings
Like many small institutions, the Walpole Public Library had run into its share of problems finding an Internet service provider who offered reliable, high-speed and affordable access. Having graduated from dial-up to 56K service, the library for several years bounced from one small ISP to another, with the last in the series suddenly going out of business.

Faced with the prospect of finding another ISP, the library was also in discussions with town officials about extending Internet access and networking to municipal buildings. It was then that Jerry Romelcyzk, the library director, learned from a school system contact about MEC Technology Systems, which had been successfully providing Internet access and network services to educational institutions throughout the state.

"In the past, my experience with ISPs went along the line of 'bring me your solution and we'll see whether we can accommodate you,'" Romelcyzk says. "With MEC I had the exact opposite experience. They came up a comprehensive solution and helped us through the entire process."

That process began by quickly and seamlessly moving the library's domain name to a MEC server from the former ISP and providing a T1 link to the Internet. "I've been very impressed with MEC," says Romelczyk. "They're very reliable, their service is rarely down and they're always ready to help."

MEC Technology System's latest innovation will help the Walpole Library save even more money. MEC is now converting the library's traditional T1 Internet link to MECnet Wrap-Around Service, a new offering based on a collaboration between MEC and Verizon. MECnet Wrap-Around Service uses Verizon's Frame Relay Services to provide Internet access at T1 speeds but at a significantly lower cost than the traditional point-to-point circuit. Frame Relay is a high-speed, commercial-grade packet switching technology that many large businesses and organizations depend on for their data networking needs.

Because it's based on Verizon's Frame Relay network, MECnet Wrap-Around Service also will allow the Walpole Library to extend its network by easily creating secure, high-speed links to other MECnet Frame Relay users. MECnet Wrap-Around Service is available everywhere in Massachusetts. The affordable monthly flat rate includes network installation, 24x7 maintenance, help desk support and technical training, plus a portfolio of valued-added services. Depending on needs, customers can also obtain e-mail accounts, Web hosting, content filtering services.

MEC Helps Small Non-profit Use the Web to Serve Members
For small non-profit organizations, the first hurdle to electronic communication and collaboration is acquiring the technical skills needed to fully tap the resources of the Web. Networking knowledge is seldom on staff and often expensive to hire. As a result, non-profits look for a partner who can expertly but affordably guide them into the electronic world.

That was the challenge the Boston-based Massachusetts Association of School Committees faced several years ago when Michael Gilbert arrived as the organization's technology specialist.

As Gilbert says, "MASC had not really been a player in the Internet world. We basically had four personal computers hooked together and an AOL account. We needed an ISP who could manage the process of providing Internet service to our staff and also help us provide services to our members statewide." MASC also wanted an ISP that understood non-profits and the educational marketplace. MEC Technology Systems met those requirements, according to Gilbert, and quickly provided MASC with a 56K frame relay connection to the Internet and showed the staff how it could use networking techniques such as list serves to quickly get information out to the membership.

"MEC has been very reliable, responsive and has helped keep the cost down," says Gilbert. He anticipates further service improvements and additional savings as MEC converts MASC to MECnet Wrap-Around Service, a new offering based on a partnership between MEC and Verizon.

MECnet Wrap-Around Service uses Verizon's Frame Relay Services to provide Internet access at T1 speeds but at a significantly lower cost than the traditional point-to-point circuit. Frame Relay is a high-speed, commercial-grade packet switching technology that many large businesses and organizations depend on for their data networking needs.

Because it's based on Verizon's Frame Relay network, MECnet Wrap-Around Service also will allow MASC to extend its network by easily creating secure, high-speed links to other MECnet Frame Relay users.

MECnet Wrap-Around Service is available everywhere in Massachusetts. The affordable monthly flat rate includes network installation, 24x7 maintenance, help desk support and technical training, plus a portfolio of valued-added services. Depending on needs, customers can also obtain e-mail accounts, Web hosting, content filtering services.

MEC Offers Vineyard Schools Rock-solid Internet Reliability
Service reliability and response were top priorities when the Martha's Vineyard School District recently set out to upgrade its Internet access service. The Web can be a powerful tool in helping link the Island's students to the world at large, says technology coordinator Woody Filley, but it loses value quickly if the Internet connection is unreliable or costly to maintain.

"For us, the question was do we want to be out in a life raft all alone or do we have an Internet partner whom we can depend on," says Filley. After considering a number of companies, the Martha's Vineyard Schools two years ago chose MEC Technology Systems who, according to Filley, best met the district's requirements.

"MEC came out on top when we compared service and cost," says Filley. "That MEC was also under the state blanket contract helped convince us to go with them."

Filley reports that MEC Technology Systems has lived up to expectations. "MEC has provided us with rock-solid service and has been very responsive the few times there have been problems," says Filley. "We've also found the user groups sessions and training programs very helpful. Overall, we have been very pleased and have no regrets in choosing MEC."

The Martha's Vineyard Schools can look forward to more service improvements and further reduced costs as MEC converts its customers to MECnet Wrap-Around Service, a new offering based on a partnership between MEC and Verizon.

MECnet Wrap-Around Service uses Verizon's Frame Relay Services to provide Internet access at T-1 speeds but at a significantly lower cost than the traditional point-to-point circuit. Frame Relay is a high-speed, commercial-grade packet switching technology that many large businesses and organizations depend on for their data networking needs.

Because it's based on Verizon's Frame Relay network, MECnet Wrap-Around Service also will allow the Vineyard Schools to extend its network by easily creating secure, high-speed links to other MECnet and Verizon Frame Relay users, including many state agencies.

MECnet Wrap-Around Service is available everywhere in Massachusetts. The affordable monthly flat rate includes network installation, 24x7 maintenance, help desk support and technical training, plus a portfolio of valued-added services. Depending on needs, customers can also obtain e-mail accounts, Web hosting, content filtering services.

MEC Meets the Requirements of a Demanding Technology Buyer
As the technology provider to 13 school districts in the suburbs west of Boston, the ACCEPT/MetroWest Education Collaborative is a demanding customer of Internet services.

"Our schools need high-speed access that's reliable and affordable," explains Executive Director Michael Palladino, "but we also want an ISP who understands how school systems and the public sector work, and can provide us with a comprehensive training and support package."

The Collaborative chose MEC Technology Systems and for the past four years MEC has met the school districts' requirements, according to Palladino. "MEC is a known entity in the educational field and our experience - from service quality and cost to training and professional development -- has been very good," says Palladino. "We're now looking for MEC to help us develop more Web-based services that we can offer the member schools."

The Collaborative, which has leased dedicated T1 lines under the E-Rate plan, will soon enjoy even lower costs and more reliable service as MEC deploys MECnet Wrap-Around Service, a new offering based on a partnership between MEC and Verizon.

MECnet Wrap-Around Service uses Verizon's Frame Relay Services to provide Internet access at T-1 speeds but at a significantly lower cost than the traditional point-to-point circuit. The Collaborative's E-Rate discount will continue to apply to the Wrap-Around Service.

Frame Relay is a high-speed, commercial-grade packet switching technology that many large businesses and organizations depend on for their data networking needs. Because it's based on Verizon's Frame Relay network, MECnet Wrap-Around Service also will allow Collaborative schools to extend their individual local networks by easily creating secure, high-speed links to other MECnet Frame Relay users.

MECnet Wrap-Around Service is available everywhere in Massachusetts. The monthly flat rate includes network installation, 24x7 maintenance, help desk support and technical training, plus a portfolio of value-added services. Depending on needs, customers can also obtain e-mail accounts, Web hosting, content filtering or even firewall services.