AMG India International is a non-government organization that is tirelessly working towards providing the basic essentials of life, such as education, to the less privileged sections of the society. Its endeavor to deploy NComputing to enable access to modern education for thousands of underprivileged students is also a step in the same direction.

The need for a larger, affordable computing infrastructure

AMG India International is a registered Christian social service non-profit organization that is incessantly working towards empowering the underprivileged children of Andhra Pradesh and the adjoining states by providing them with the much needed educational services so that they grow up to become self sufficient. Through its eight residential schools located in the Guntur/Chilakaluripet districts of Andhra Pradesh, India, AMG helps more than 100,000 poor, needy and destitute people situated in Andhra Pradesh and adjoining states of Orissa and Tamil Nadu.

AMG’s management well realized that enabling access to modern education could help effectively prepare the next generation of workers for jobs, especially in a service driven economy like India. However, AMG’s existing computing infrastructure was inadequate to service the educational needs of students studying in its various school campuses. Thus, the organization decided to expand its computing infrastructure to provide computing access to its large student base. Being a non-profit organization, the organization needed a cost-effective solution that would fit into their budget.

NComputing emerged as the clear choice

AMG chose NComputing X-series for vSpace—an end-to-end desktop and application virtualization solution comprising X-series thin client access devices and vSpace server virtualization software— to expand their computing power. In each of the five AMG labs, around 30 workstations are running merely on 5 PCs. So, there are less PCs and minimal power backup infrastructure to maintain and support. The solution has also helped AMG save valuable desk space and power as the NComputing access devices consume as less as 1 watt of electricity.

Since the NComputing solution was compatible with the existing IT infrastructure of AMG, it allowed them to re-use and extend the lifespan of their existing PCs. Now, in each AMG lab, a very small and rugged thin client access device connects each user’s monitor, keyboard and mouse to the host PC running vSpace server software. Since the access device does not have a CPU, memory or movable parts, it is durable and easy to maintain. Overall, the solution has helped AMG to reduce the hardware cost by up to 50 percent, maintenance cost by up to 75 per cent and electricity consumption by up to 90 per cent.

Achieving more with less

Mr K.V. Rao, Director, Cluster Infotech, an NComputing partner, said, “AMG was looking for a cost-effective solution to expand its computing infrastructure and NComputing’s desktop virtualization solution fitted the needs of the organization like a glove. The solution was easy to deploy, required very little maintenance and was well within AMG’s budget. Additional savings were recorded on power as the solution reduced the number of PCs required in each lab. The rugged nature of the access devices reduced the need for air conditioning. All these factors helped drastically bring down the TCO (total cost ownership). Since each NComputing lab can be centrally managed, the time required to support and maintain the lab is also minimal.”

By deploying NComputing’s desktop virtualization solution, AMG has successfully achieved its goal of providing quality education to a growing number of students. NComputing has provided AMG the flexibility to scale up its computing facilities to support additional users. With this, AMG has been able to integrate technology into its classrooms, and provide a wholesome teaching-learning experience to teachers and students. In the first phase, AMG has installed the NComputing solution in five out of its eight schools.

The management of AMG is happy with their decision to choose and deploy NComputing. “Installing NComputing’s affordable and green computer labs in our schools has made a huge difference to how we function today. We are glad to have a modern, scalable, cost-effective and energy-efficient IT infrastructure that has helped us to enhance the student learning environment in our campuses by leaps and bounds,” said Mr. Danam Bethu, IT Manager, AMG India International.