Two years ago I was proud to announce that the ANME had been running successfully for 3 years, although 80% of businesses fail in the first 18 months. When I realised a couple of weeks ago that the 5th anniversary was approaching, I found an article published by the Telegraph, only a few months after the ANME was founded in 2014, stating that 50% fail within 5 years. It’s hard to believe it has been going for 5 years already!

What an incredible 5 years it has been! The ANME has gone from strength to strength, attracting members from across the UK, gaining support from over 70 companies, and building great relationships with some incredibly supportive sponsors, not least of which is our current Platinum Sponsor - NetSupport. The team at NetSupport has been extremely supportive and helpful in many ways since we started working with them, and we are proud to announce that NetSupport will continue to be our Platinum Sponsor for the next twelve months!

“We’re really proud to be ANME’s platinum sponsor. It’s such a great platform for school network managers to get together and share ideas, plus it provides us the opportunity to speak directly to schools using our solutions and get their feedback and input into new features. Every event is always different, with fantastic speakers providing real insight and ideas on all things edtech. Happy birthday ANME and keep up the great work!”

Al Kingsley, MD of NetSupport Limited.

This last year in particular has seen some significant changes for the ANME:- starting the ANME member blog and giving the members opportunities to collaborate with third-party publications such as Education Executive magazine. July 2018 saw the start of meetings in a 5th region - the South West; in January 2019 we launched the ADME - Association of Data Managers in Education, catering for Data Managers and Data Protection Officers in schools and colleges across the UK, and in February 2019 we finally launched the ANME Ambassadors officially.

We are also looking forward to making another exciting announcement in the next few weeks!

 

“The ANME is a priceless resource for anyone working in an IT support role in the education sector. The online forum is lively and informative and the regular meetings provide insight into new products and valuable networking opportunities with peers from other establishments. I've lost count of the number of valuable conversations and helpful tips that I've had since becoming a member. If you've not been to a meeting before then try to attend the next one in your area, you won't be disappointed.”

Dave Leonard, ANME Ambassador and ICT Manager at Matthew Moss High School

"The day I joined it helped me with alternatives to the expensive SIMs support. It is very easy to use and has many additional pieces of information on the website as well as the forums themselves."

Rowena Gaiger, ADME Member & Data Manager at Langley Grammar School in Slough

The ADME is focussing on the online side while it gets established and member numbers increase, but we have already had interest in starting meetings similar to the ANME - so the next 5 years are already looking to be equally as incredible as the last 5!

“The ANME has been a great resource when you're a lone IT manager, now you have friends going through the same obstacles as you, with plenty of advice and guidance.” Michael Frost, ANME Member & IT Network Manager at Parkwood Hall Co-operative Academy “Being part of the ANME is like being part of a large corporate IT department, there's always someone you can ask for advice.” Paul Gillon, ANME Member & Network Manager at West Hill School, Stalybridge “ANME is like having a team of IT experts at my fingertips. It helps me keep up to date with the latest trends in IT education. Rick and the ANME members have always helped when I've needed extra guidance to make great IT decisions.” Clifford Fernandes, ANME Member & IT Manager at Claremont High School

“If in doubt, ask ANME!!! The ANME has lots of experienced and talented IT Managers & technicians all working together to support each other.  It's become my first point of call for help and advice over recent months. Everyone is willing to help or offer advice.  If you have a problem, someone on ANME is likely to have experienced it too and can offer support. I attended my first ANME regional meeting recently which was great.  It was Informative, relevant and useful! Unlike some meetings I attend where you get one or two useful nuggets of information but other bits have been added to the agenda as fillers.  Glad to be a member of this group of like-minded individuals. The ANME is like one big IT Support Team! Long may ANME continue!!!!” Adam Hall, ANME Member & IT Operations Manager at Four Oaks Learning Trust

I would like to say a massive thank you to the members, sponsors, and Ambassadors, and especially to Ben Whitaker, the co-founder, that have been so supportive over the last 5 years. I look forward to welcoming new members in the future!
 

Rick Cowell

Director and Founder of ANME Ltd.

Association of Network Managers in Education
Association of Data Managers in Education