FAIRFIELD, NJ, April 27th 2010 – Critical Links, a pioneer in delivering Information & Communications Technology (ICT) infrastructure solutions for School 2.0 - the next-generation of schools, announced today that it is partnering with JP Sá Couto, S.A. to provide comprehensive 1:1 e-learning solutions including the Critical Links education appliance™ to K-8 schools world-wide.

Critical Links is a member of the Intel® Learning Series Alliance and its School 2.0 portfolio of software and hardware is developed based on Intel-powered education appliance recipe and works with the Intel® Learning Series.

This partnership will now allow JP Sá Couto and Critical Links to offer a combined, bundled solution that is unparalleled in the market. This comprehensive solution features JP Sá Couto’s Magellan Notebooks (based on Intel-powered Classmate PC) and the Critical Links education appliance™, the infrastructure solution approved for use with the Intel-powered Classmate PC.

Founded in March 1989, JP Sá Couto is a Portuguese company dedicated to designing and marketing technology solutions and to developing a pioneering global initiative for education powered by ICT technologies. JP Sá Couto also works closely with Intel, and the two companies have worked together to deploy more than 800,000 Magellan Notebooks in Portugal and Venezuela and will surpass the 1.5 Million mark in 2010 based on existing agreements and projects running. JP Sá Couto is the largest OEM worldwide to deploy these platforms, operating currently in more than 50 Countries directly or through partners.

Critical Links’ education appliance is the world’s first fully integrated and comprehensive solution for schools that combines learning, networking and administration capabilities in a single server platform. The Critical Links education appliance has been deployed at over 1200 schools, in the world’s largest school modernization program, and this been recognized with numerous industry awards.

“At JP Sá Couto, our primary focus is on manufacturing and deploying best-in-class hardware such as Magellan and Tsunami, in collaboration with leaders such as Intel. Critical Links’ education appliance has proven to be the most comprehensive, robust education infrastructure solution out there and they are committed to the Intel Learning Series Alliance, just like we are. So this partnership makes a lot of sense for us”, commented Jorge Sá Couto of JP Sá Couto. “We can also achieve a lot of cost synergies through this partnership”.

Joao Carreira, CEO at Critical Links, commented on this opportunity to closely partner with a hardware leader in the industry: “Our partnership with JP Sá Couto brings a pre-tested and well-integrated e-Learning solution to the market that has the full-support of the two companies. Our customers will be the ultimate beneficiaries because they can now buy a complete solution that delivers an enriching & effective learning environment for students, streamlines teaching and administrative activities, while significantly minimizing the costs of maintaining such infrastructure especially for large-scale deployments”.

The Critical Links School 2.0 portfolio comprises of the education appliance series eA60™ for 60 students and education appliance series eA1000™ for up to 1000 students (education appliance SeriesTM 60, 100, 500 and 1000 depending on the number of students). These platforms offer a host of learning, networking & administration capabilities for the next generation of schools. These include comprehensive voice & data communications, collaboration (wikis, blogs, social forums, content creation and sharing), data security, content filtering and student and ICT administration capabilities (Intel-powered Classmate PC management, Theft Deterrence, backup/restore etc). They also feature full-fledged learning management (LMS), activity management (LAMS), client management, asset management and a student information system (SIS).

More information on the Critical Links education portfolio and Critical Links’ education initiatives can be found at the new School 2.0 portal: http://education.critical-links.com.

About Critical Links

Critical Links is a pioneer delivering innovative Information & Communications Technology (ICT) and Learning infrastructure solutions for School 2.0 – the next generation of Schools.

Critical Links’ School 2.0 portfolio provides the 1:1 learning, Networking and Administration necessary to support a highly interactive and content rich & collaborative educational experience; apart from a host of networking and communication capabilities, it also offers comprehensive learning management, client management, asset management and a student information system.

The School 2.0 portfolio is comprised of the Critical Links education appliance (eA) series that can be deployed in both a classroom and on a school wide basis. The Critical Links education appliance (eA) comes in versions to support anywhere from 60 to 1000 students and beyond.

Critical Links’ education appliances have been deployed globally including in the world’s largest school modernization program. More information about the edgeBOX portfolio and Critical Links’ educational offering can be found at http://education.critical-links.com. Follow our School 2.0 initiatives on Twitter now: http://twitter.com/School20

About JP Sá Couto

Founded in March 1989, JP Sá Couto is a Portuguese company dedicated to designing and marketing technology solutions and to developing a pioneering global initiative for education, powered by ICT technologies. JP Sá Couto is dedicated to the manufacture of computer equipment of high quality, Tsunami and Magellan, the leading brands in Portugal. The Magellan is a portable computer, lightweight, shock resistant and small and designed based on ethnographic studies. It is the ideal companion for all students, in order to meet the varied needs of education. Accessible to all levels of knowledge, the Magellan contains a set of specific applications for collaborative education and other educational applications.

Based in Matosinhos with manufacturing plants, JP Sá Couto stands for strength, competitiveness, innovation and quality of its offerings. In the year 2009 they reached a turnover of around 387 million Euros. For more information: rh@jpsacouto.pt or visit www.jpsacouto.pt.

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