Desktop virtualization makes inroads in education
Published: January 23, 2012
Schools that took the plunge into virtualization early on are seeing huge benefits now.
According to a Network Computing article, the Silicon Valley-area Campbell Union High School District first implemented desktop virtualization in 2009, when it found out it could run its traditional system for $1,000 per device or switch to virtualization for $600 per system. Now saving more than $250,000 thanks to the switch, the school district is also seeing improved security due to the fact that students can no longer run autonomous applications on devices, and, therefore, cannot accidentally introduce malware into the system.
Extremely happy with the efficiencies of virtualization, Campbell Union is looking to expand its use to mobile systems within the district.
In the higher education sphere, Indiana University has undertaken a desktop virtualization project to investigate the full spectrum of options available. Indiana found the best solution was to virtualize its operating systems and applications, and chose a vendor to meet its needs. This resulted in considerable cost savings to many departments, which can extend the life of their hardware with the assistance of virtualization. In the project's next phase, IU is looking at ways to virtualize software delivery and enable more optimized mobile computing solutions for faculty and students.
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