Queensbridge Education Authority Deploys SimplyRDP Thin Client Software
Situation
Queensbridge is a Local Education Authority, mixed comprehensive school in a cosmopolitan suburb on the south side of Birmingham, UK. Queensbridge has 80 members on staff and 600 students.
The IT department at Queensbridge had been heavily under funded in the years prior to 2004. Curriculum desktops were still running Windows 95 and Windows 98, and the schools single server ran Windows NT 4. Students did not have access to the latest technology placing them at a disadvantage compared to students at other schools.
The appointment of a new school Principal in January 2004 prompted a complete re-development of the schools IT systems. Two new servers were bought and three computer labs had their contents replaced with high specification workstations. Windows 2000 was implemented on servers and workstations. In December 2004 the school migrated to Windows Server 2003 and upgraded some of their desktops to Windows XP.
Problem
Due to budget restrictions, not all of the desktops at Queensbridge could be replaced at once. This left two computer labs with desktops that were out-dated and unable to meet the requirements of the new IT environment.
Solution
The IT team at Queensbridge investigated the possibility of adding a terminal server. The first solution evaluated used the Linux Terminal Server Project. This required Queensbridge to invest in an additional server to manage the Linux terminal sessions. This proved to be unreliable and client sessions were prone to crashing.
The second solution evaluated at Queensbridge used Linux both as a Terminal Server as the desktop OS. The solution was reliable and worked well but only with the specific hardware that Linux was originally configured with. This led to many external support calls when configuring additional hardware, something which ultimately became frustrating for both IT staff and teachers.
The decision was made to look for a new, cost-effective solution to eliminate the need for external support and most importantly, to provide a reliable front-end to the schools Microsoft Windows Terminal Server. Queensbridge selected SimplyRDP as the preferred solution because it offered the following advantages:
Centralised management of client configuration
-
Support for a wide range of hardware
-
The capability to diskless boot desktops
A key measure of success for the IT team at Queensbridge was to install a desktop in every classroom, as quickly as possible. Using machines that were in a store room and earmarked for disposal, SimplyRDP allowed staff to roll-out a complete solution of 20 desktops in a few days, including the time taken to rebuild the old hardware into new cases.
The existing desktops contain a wide variety of hardware but with SimplyRDP this isn’t a problem. All of the desktops were immediately useable on their first boot up. The central management of clients makes it easy for staff to change screen resolutions, color depths and hardware specific settings.
Conclusion
The IT team recently completed the roll-out of SimplyRDP across 20 desktops in one of the school’s computer labs. Feedback from students and staff is very encouraging. Everyone is able to successfully use network resources and printers just as they would at any other desktop in the school. The team is now deploying a second computer lab of SimplyRDP empowered desktops.
SimplyRDP provides an immediate and extremely positive impact on IT at Queensbridge. SimplyRDP enables the school to recycle otherwise redundant hardware and provide more students with simultaneous access to IT facilities. Delaying investments in new desktops allows the school to develop a rolling upgrade plan and spread their IT investment over a number of years.
