Digital Education Systems
Technology that lasts.
Education that reaches
further.
Your hardware isn’t obsolete. Your software is.
Speaking at EDUtech AU 2026 · 3–4 June 2026 · ICC Sydney · From e-waste to equity:
Rethinking the role of technology in Australian schools
O U R M I S S I O N
Making technology last longer, and go further.
Digital Education Systems was founded on a simple premise: the most sustainable piece of technology is the one you already have. We work with schools and institutions to extend the productive life of their existing infrastructure, reduce unnecessary hardware cycling, and build ICT strategies that deliver long-term value rather than short-term convenience.
“Roughly 80% of a laptop’s carbon footprint is generated before it ever reaches a classroom.”
ON EMBODIED CARBON AND THE CASE FOR DEVICE LONGEVITY
R E A L W O R L D I M P A C T
Technology that changes lives, not just budgets.
🧒 Children with Cerebral Palsy
We use hardware that others write off to give children with cerebral palsy a voice, repurposing devices into communication tools that make a real difference in their daily lives.
🏫 Low-Budget Schools
We built a fully functioning classroom of 20 laptops for $2,000 in Australia. Schools that can’t compete on procurement can still compete on outcomes and we’re proving it.
💡 Cost-Effective Solutions
Expensive doesn’t mean better. We develop practical, open-source alternatives to proprietary systems that deliver the same results at a fraction of the cost.
T H E C H A L L E N G E
Sometimes it’s not the hardware that’s obsolete, it’s the software.
Embodied Carbon
The majority of a device’s lifetime carbon footprint is created during manufacturing, before it is ever switched on. Every year you extend the life of a device, you amortise that upfront environmental cost.
Planned Obsolescence
An estimated 240 million computers globally cannot run the latest operating systems — not because they have worn out, but because software requirements have moved on and left functional hardware behind.
The Equity Gap
Schools in regional and lower-income communities bear the greatest burden of forced hardware cycling, widening the digital equity gap for the students who need access most.
A P P L I E D W O R K
Ideas put into practice.
BURST.PLUS™
Cloud-Ready Secure Education Distribution. A purpose-built, inexpensive, school operating system designed to revitalise older hardware and replace costly proprietary ecosystems with a secure, modern alternative built specifically for Australian classrooms.
Crystal Eye EDU
Developed in partnership with Red Piranha, Crystal Eye EDU brings defence-grade cybersecurity to Australian schools — making enterprise-level protection accessible to institutions of every size and budget.
S P E A K I N G E N G A G E M E N T S
Sharing the conversation.
T H O U G H T L E A D E R S H I P
The conversation we need to be having.
How We Kept a 20-Year-Old Program Alive Using Ubuntu
A practical case study in extending the life of critical software on existing hardware without costly redevelopment. Some software just works. It was built carefully, maintained well, and over the years it became so embedded in how an organisation operates that the...
Digital Equity Isn’t Just About Internet — It’s About Access
Connectivity is only part of the story. What happens when the device itself is the barrier to learning? Digital Equity Isn't Just About Internet — It's About Access For the past decade, the conversation about digital equity in education has been almost entirely...
The End of Windows 10: What It Means for Schools
The case for rethinking device lifecycle management when software — not hardware — drives the upgrade cycle. In October 2025, Microsoft officially ended support for Windows 10. No more security updates. No more bug fixes. And for thousands of schools across Australia,...
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