Polish schools have been dealing with computerisation for years now. Recently, the process has gained in importance as well as becoming subject to a growing number of requirements. Schools are forced to increase the numbers of their computer stations to ensure they are available to as many pupils as possible. Yet schools are facing budget constraints which means that they can rarely afford new PC purchases or foot the growing bill for computer maintenance. These needs and constraints are effectively addressed by NComputing whose desktop virtualisation solutions provide a reliable computing environment at lower rollout costs compared to traditional PCs.

The Challenge: “One Computer Per Pupil” with Outdated PCs

Publiczna Szkoła Podstawowa Nr 21 im. ks. Jana Twardowskiego in Radom is a state-funded primary school with 601 pupils aged 5-12 across 24 classes. In the face of the statutory requirement of “one computer per pupil” in a lab, the school’s principal, Mr Robert Bartkiewicz, had some tough decisions to make as to the school’s future computing choices.

A number of possible solutions were considered and analysed, leading to a decision that the school’s new computer lab and its 17 stations would be based entirely on NComputing vSpace platform with L300 client devices and Microsoft Windows MultiPoint Server 2012. With this architecture in place, every user sees a familiar Windows 8 desktop on his or her monitor.

The decision was significantly influenced by earlier experiences where the labs were using traditional PCs . Year by year, this became an increasing burden: maintaining 20 PCs in a good working condition was a never-ending strain on the budget and a disruption to the teachers’ work. Slowdowns in operation and technical glitches during classes meant less material could be taught to pupils. Obsolete solutions would require frequent call-outs for lab personnel whose involvement in trouble-shooting meant they neglected their other duties, leaving the school’s governing body with no other choice but to hire more staff.

Deploying NComputing’s vSpace Solution

Deploying NComputing’s vSpace solution proved to be a simple and seamless experience with no hiccups or downtime, allowing pupils to take to their new stations with no further instruction. The new lab offers computer classes to grades 4 to 6 but is also used for teaching other classes, such as English, natural science and mathematics, as well as hosting pupils pursuing other interests as part of their extracurricular activities. Teachers appreciate simplicity, intuitiveness and transparency when working with NComputing thin client devices whose fan-less design guarantees that the classroom is a quiet place. As a result of choosing the NComputing solution, the school will save up to 50% compared to traditional desktop PCs. vSpace software allows tracking the progress of whatever work pupils are involved in, and makes it an easy task to install additional applications or updates.

Ultimately, the school intends to replace all of its traditional PCs with NComputing thin clients to ensure interoperability between the two of its labs and resolve its current problems with computerisation.