KSD's vision was to provide each secondary student with a computer that they could use during school hours and at home. These computers would enable students access to personalized educational software, team workspaces, online resources, and a plethora of other tools. In addition, KSD wanted the students to enjoy this access from any computer in the school district. This meant the computers would be required to load the appropriate, customized desktop image based on the student's login credentials.
To support this vision KSD needed an agile, flexible, software infrastructure - something KSD currently did not have.
Delivering the Right Applications and Tools to Each Student
Initially KSD had more than 200 different desktop images across the district. In addition, the school district was supporting approximately 500 software applications. Compounding this complexity, most educational software is not created to be used at an enterprise level. This design limitation caused frequent compatibility issues between software packages and, as a result, KSD was forced to do extensive testing of all 200 desktop images before updates could be deployed. The labor-intensive nature of updating these desktop images meant that KSD could only undertake the endeavor once per year, during the summer school break.
Proven, Repeatable Processes
Given these challenges and KSD's vision of an "anytime, anywhere" learning environment, the district knew it needed a "smarter" infrastructure. It needed a software infrastructure capable of delivering the right applications and tools to each student based on login credentials, regardless of which machine they selected to use. In addition, it needed a more efficient process for keeping its desktop images up-to-date.
To meet these aggressive requirements, KSD worked with Getronics and Microsoft to devise a baseline imaging platform, leveraging application virtualization through Microsoft Application Virtualization (MAV/SoftGrid), and a flexible environment to meet of KSD's needs.
A Standardized, Flexible Imaging Platform
Getronics worked with KSD desktop engineers to design a pilot program in which Microsoft's SoftGrid infrastructure was installed and configured for deployment to a limited group of test users. The key objective was to get the technology in-house and provide the IT staff with a deeper understanding of the application virtualization process, as well as familiarize them with leveraging Microsoft's SoftGrid product within KSD's environment.
Also, through the application virtualization process, KSD realized that of the 500 applications originally supported, 350 of those applications were actively used and needed to be maintained moving forward.
Piloting the Project Forward
Getronics began the pilot phase by helping KSD define its system architecture needs. Once those requirements were defined, Getronics moved on to assisting KSD with the implementation. Working with KSD's staff, Getronics consultants packaged a few test applications, got the system configured and running, and deployed the first virtualized applications to pilot users within two days.
Based on the success and acceptance of the initial project, the project was granted the green light to move into full production.
A team of Getronics engineers began the process of packaging applications for delivery via Microsoft Application Virtualization. In parallel, Getronics also began to train KSD's desktop engineers in best practices. Soon, the KSD staff was up-to-speed, desktop clients were deployed with the new baseline image, and trained KSD's IT department houses top-notch engineers.
The new application environment, incorporating all 350 KSD applications, was launched into production at the beginning of the 2007-2008 school year. Delivery of these applications is now customized based on school location and tailored to each student within each school. In addition, with application virtualization, provisioning new applications and users is simplified.
10,000 Workstations Available - Anytime, Anywhere
KSD system administrators and users have been very pleased with the results. Application virtualization enables the KSD technology team to build and deliver the right software to the teachers, classrooms and students, anytime and anywhere. For example:
Broken machines are no longer an obstacle to learning - based on their log-in information, students have access to their own personalized tools and software on any machine.
By reducing the number of supported applications from 500 to 350, KSD was able to remove the unused applications, reducing its application management burden.
KSD now has the flexibility needed to deploy new applications in a timely manner - a week instead of a month or once per year.
By managing software deployments and desktop re-imaging centrally, KSD can do more with the same IT staff.
Standardization and central management of the infrastructure means that KSD's IT managers are able to focus on more strategic projects.
KSD's new centralized IT model enables the staff to support more students without increasing resources. The model minimizes the requirement for all staff to be highly technical in expertise, enabling the district to balance salary with actual job requirements.
Why Getronics?
Getronics uniquely focuses on the workspace - the place where people connect with technology. By starting with people as opposed to technology, we are able to better connect the workforce to the needs of the business - unlocking the full potential of an organization. Getronics is a results-oriented global organization with demonstrable progress in delivering managed services and improving workplace productivity. Our consulting and best-practice development efforts are crucial to our ability to compete and may be leveraged by organizations regardless of their sourcing preference.
