We are pleased to reintroduce ourselves

For both students and teachers of Catholic education, smooth running technology is the humble servant behind every digital interaction, and depended on equally by schools in the city and in the outback. With a fresh new look and a deeply entrenched belief in the value of technology for education, we are pleased to reintroduce ourselves. We are CEnet.

CEnet. Provider and peer

CEnet (Catholic Education Network) is the not-for-profit shared ICT services provider that exists to service our member dioceses and their schools with Integrity, Collaboration, Accountability, Respect and Excellence. Since we started, our members have been united in the belief that quality education is the right of all, and that a wide area network of internet and data services is the bedrock upon which that vision depends.

What stands us apart from other ICT providers? United in faith, and unlike those that are purely focused on technology, we exist in a supporting role where the work of the Catholic educators and communities they serve are the focus. Their work is our work; their outcomes are the ones we strive for as well.

Founded on a network need

Our organisation was born when, in 2003, a joint venture called CASTnet was formed to create a wide area network supporting internet and data services for Catholic schools in the dioceses of Broken Bay, Wagga Wagga and Wollongong. The foundling network grew rapidly and, in 2005 was renamed CEnet (Catholic Education Network), extending its reach to 11 member dioceses.

Over the years that followed, the need for ICT services grew quickly as technology advanced. Our ICT services now connect Catholic schools across 5 states & territories, 17 member dioceses, 780+ schools, 35,000 teachers & staff and 300,000 students around Australia.

Equitable outcomes before profits

As a member-owned, not-for-profit organisation, we focus on enhancing educational value with beneficial pricing that means services spread further and are felt by more. Our shared purpose with the schools we service is to “achieve common good for our connected Catholic communities”.

How do we know it’s working? To assess the value we’ve delivered to schools and communities, we commissioned an independent Services Benchmarking Review. The review compared the cost to members accessing our services with the cost of using a disaggregated ICT services model instead. The findings were that we make a $20M per annum difference for members on like-for-like services.

Growing means saving our members more

Most big businesses grow to grow profits. Of course, we’re focused on growth, but not for profit, to reduce overheads further. We strive to save our members more, removing barriers and improving access to services and resources that may otherwise be out of reach.

 We are united in the belief that when we share our combined expertise, the scale of our impact blossoms into a much bigger and brighter opportunity than if we were working on our own. Sharing has always been, and will continue to be, a core part of our growth strategy because we know that the need for our schools and communities to connect is growing too.

 Whilst sharing is key, one size never fits all. Technology is complex, as are the individual needs of schools in different dioceses, and so without sacrificing the potential for scale, we strive to deliver solutions that enable flexibility and local control for each of our unique member dioceses.

Evolving with purpose

The more we serve, the more we learn and we’re excited and inspired for the next chapter in our roadmap. Value is never static, and while we can’t write every part of our future in advance, we do have a plan to keep us delivering at the forefront of changing member needs. This plan includes:

• Speed & agility – as the members and customers evolve, we’re innovating to ensure our services are always fast and frictionless.

• Diversity – we’re focused on changing demographics and contexts and are expanding our service offering to match.

• Growth – we’re continuing to expand our footprint so we can deliver increasing economies back to members and reach more schools.

• Excellence – we are focused on achieving world-class standards at every level, from customer service right through to environmental sustainability.

Would you like to find out more about CEnet? We would be happy to discuss how we can partner with you.