~ For Immediate Release ~

EPIC Information Solutions Sets the "Stage" for WorldSkills Calgary 2009

Winnipeg ~ In less than four months, EPIC Information Solutions will deploy an extensive information technology system for WorldSkills Calgary 2009, an event that is 2/3 the size of the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary.

From May 25^th-29^th, a team assembled by WorldSkills Calgary 2009, “hot staged” the Network Operating Centre (NOC) that will eventually run the event from September 1-7^th in Calgary. A team of 8 people, which included employees from EPIC Information Solutions and MTS Allstream, spent those five days doing set-up, configuration and testing of the entire NOC at the MTS Allstream building in Winnipeg.

“The purpose of doing the hot stage was to test and verify that the system was capable of handling the complicated needs of the event,” says Roger Dery, IT Manager for WorldSkills Calgary 2009. “The system includes multiple layers of security and reliability methods.”

“It is comparable in size to TransCanada Pipeline building networks in downtown Calgary, AB, Canada.”

The main goal of the IT Project is to ensure a reliable and secure network for the 40^th WorldSkills Competition. Testing the NOC with a reliable representation of the equipment involved provided the WorldSkills organizers with insight on enhancements needed for the event. Other companies involved in the hot stage were Cisco, MTS Allstream, and HP. The IT project also includes contributions from Fluke Networks, Draka, VM Ware, Microsoft, and Autodesk.

The seven-day WorldSkills event will involve approximately 900 Competitors from 51 countries/regions competing in 45 different skills, and will showcase some of the best up-and-coming young professionals from trades, service and vocational programs from around the world. During the hot stage, each skill was tested from both a Competitor and judging perspective to ensure its effectiveness and reliability. Other systems tested include streaming audio and video and secure wireless Internet that will be available for Competitors and guests throughout the grounds.

John Cox, the Manager of Information Systems for WorldSkills International, was also in town to take part in and oversee the hot stage project. He says he hopes that the IT project for this event will eventually serve as the blueprint for the next Competition after Calgary, which is in London, and for all other Competitions there after.

“Designing at this level gives us lots of options for the future. Yes, software and technology moves on from Competition to Competition but having designed the infrastructure here we can update the components as they come through,” says Cox. “We’ve got a great team of people, with specialists in each of the areas and components of the system, including servers, wireless, router, etc.”

“I’m looking forward to a very well-planned and well thought out network being rolled out in Stampede Park.”

The network will remain set-up at MTS Allstream for the next two months while it is being configured and tested. It will then be packed up, and distributed on-site at Calgary Stampede Park. During the 40^th WorldSkills Competition in September, the NOC is set to manage an extensive network of equipment, which includes 1,100 monitors, 105 46” LCD displays, 900 desktops, 100 laptops, 200 personal printers, 4 enterprise printers, 9 plotters, 450 cell phones, 200 CB radios and over 43 kilometers of cable.

For more information on WorldSkills Calgary 2009, and EPIC Information Solutions, please visit the websites at http://www.worldskills2009.com and www.epic.ca.

About WorldSkills Calgary 2009
WorldSkills Calgary 2009 Ltd. is a not-for-profit organization that was established to plan and host the 40th WorldSkills Competition in September 2009. The competition will take place from September 1-7, 2009, to be held at Calgary Stampede Park. 1,000 competitors from 50 member countries/regions will be participating. The organization's mission is to engage the passion of Canada's young people to pursue the trades and technology as viable and rewarding career options. Nearly 150,000 spectators and 5,000 experts, delegates and judges from around the world will attend the competition. It will require 800,000 square feet of space at Stampede Park. The competitors will be housed and fed at the first ever Competitors' village located at SAIT Polytechnic. Operating budget is estimated to be $60 million.

About WorldSkills International
WorldSkills is a not-for-profit Membership Association open to agencies or bodies who feel a responsibility to promote vocational education and training. WorldSkills is politically and denominationally neutral. It is an international competition that provides a unique means of exchange and comparison of world-class competency standards in industry trades, skills and technology of the economy. The continued growth of WorldSkills is a testimony to the fact that traditional trades, craft skills and newer technology multi-skilled vocations provides an essential and significant contribution to the economic and social well being of people world-wide. WorldSkills provides a cost effective means for international government and industry cooperation in achieving the higher standards and status of vocational education and training on a worldwide basis.

EPIC can offer its clients the skills, training and experience of 50 highly trained employees, all combined to represent over 100 information technology competencies; more than any other information technology company in Winnipeg. These include practice in areas such as Storage, Servers, VMware, Citrix, Microsoft, Networking, Security, VoIP, Linux, Development, and Mobility. As the number one Manitoba partner for HP Canada, EPIC is based in Winnipeg, Manitoba and specializes in the deployment and management of dynamic business solutions for all businesses, with a focus on delivering integrated business management solutions, business technology and application development services. For more information, please visit our website at www.epic.ca.