The Challenge
The Wabeno School District thought the only way they could give all their students equal access to fast computers running the most current operating systems and software was by purchasing all new machines. Not only was that expensive, given how fast technology changes, it wouldn’t keep them up-to-date for long. Though they replaced the oldest computers on a rotating basis, a third of their computers were still too old to run the latest software. Entire classes were slowed down by slow boot-up speeds, hardware and software glitches, compatibility problems, and the related frustrations. While our CloudSpirit for Schools cloud-based VDI (Virtual Desktop Interface) sounded promising, Wabeno's administration knew they had a number of IT and political issues to tackle before CloudSpirit could be installed, including:
- Teachers were resistant to change so we would need to keep their Novell platform and install CloudSpirit for Schools just for the students.
- IT funding was secure for the next two years--but CloudSpirit for Schools had to ensure lower per-user IT costs after that period.
- Installation had to be completed early in the summer to bring staff up to speed before students returned in the fall.
- IT personnel were fearful their jobs could be eliminated.
The One Prospect Solution
Our Education Team completed an infrastructure assessment that determined Wabeno's cabling and switching capabilities were fine and, if anything, they had server hardware and software that could be eliminated by converting all users to CloudSpirit for Schools.
Our developers modified CloudSpirit for Schools to run in conjuction with their Novell platform. All testing and development were performed on a parallel development system so as not to disrupt any school or classroom activities. We also started introducing key stakeholders (students, teachers, staff and administrators) to CloudSpirit.
The installation was completed in June, 2011 and will give all Wabeno students and their families password-protected access to a virtual desktop running Windows 7, Microsoft Office 2010 and other programs. Compared to the cost of providing that via new computers, Wabeno's per student costs will be about 40% lower. Students and teachers who've already previewed CloudSpirit in action are thrilled by its speed and security. Teachers and parents also appreciate the web filtering that keeps students on task. And since all work is automatically saved on the CloudSpirit server, there will be no more instances of, as one teacher stated, "the dog ate my homework" excuses in the Wabeno School District.
