VDIworks, a virtual desktop software provider with a long history in centralized computing, today announced that Donna Independent School District (Donna ISD) has selected the VDIworks Virtual Desktop Platform for all of its 64 computer lab facilities and 840 classrooms for a total of more than 5,400 individual seats. Donna ISD will deploy virtual desktops using VDIworks technology to streamline IT operations, optimize use of computing resources, and save money and time by easing management of individual workstations.

Donna ISD’s selection of VDIworks demonstrates the clear value of virtual desktops to schools and classrooms. Since computers are spread among Donna ISD’s several campuses, supervising use to prevent abuse is difficult, and 10 full-time technicians are required to keep up with the volume of support calls, many of which require a visit to the problem machine. By deploying VDIworks, Donna ISD will benefit from ease of management, as the virtual machines are centralized, resulting in significant savings and better security controls.

“The diverse nature of our IT department is natural for a virtual desktop solution,” said Marie Evans, director of IT at Donna ISD. “VDIworks Virtual Desktop Platform will provide immediate benefit, as we are expecting a near 50 percent savings in necessary support time, as well as savings in power consumption. This means we can spend more time teaching our students and less time worrying about the PCs they are using to learn.”

Highlighting their close working relationship, VDIworks, Austin Ribbon & Computer (ARC), Wyse Technology and Dell Inc. collaborated to develop the most effective solution for Donna ISD. The four companies recognize the value and potential for K-12 schools of centralized, virtual desktop solutions, which provide the following benefits:

• Ease of system administration: IT administrators do not need to travel to each school to update individual machines.
• Desktop security: Students can be limited or denied access to specific software applications or web content, and data loss is reduced by moving critical information to the data center with centralized desktops.
• Energy savings: Replacing desktop PCs with thin clients and virtual desktops can result in a 90-percent reduction in energy consumption.

• Control of license sprawl: Applications can now be assigned to specific users instead of the general student population.

Donna ISD’s Technology Vendors Target Expansive Market

Universally, the technology providers for Donna ISD recognize the significant potential of the solution built for Donna ISD within the broader education market:

“With its purchase, Donna ISD made a practical decision, as centralized computing technology has matured to the point where wide deployments have been proven and the virtual desktops are on price parity with box PCs,” said Rick Hoffman, president and CEO of VDIworks. “VDIworks history is in centralized computing, and our platform has been deployed within PC blade environments at some of the most challenging IT environments. Deploying our technology for virtual desktops at Donna ISD is a natural evolution of our heritage.”

“As ARC has met and exceeded the technology requirements for public entities across Texas for many years, we are constantly looking for new technologies that cater to the specific IT needs of our customers,” said Jana F. Grimes, CEO at ARC. “Virtual desktops in many ways are tailor made for schools. They are perfect for disperse PC deployments, IT environments with limited budgets, and enforcing security policies regarding data control. With the leading technology from VDIworks, we feel the Donna ISD solution can be easily replicated in other school systems.”

“Wyse Technology, the global leader in thin computing, is excited to be a key partner in the continued successful effort towards K-12 educational virtual desktop solutions,” said Maryam Alexandrian, senior vice president of worldwide sales and channels at Wyse Technology. “In an era of tightened education budgets, more complex IT challenges, and rising energy costs, Wyse thin computing has emerged as an extremely popular and successful solution for schools across the country. The VDIworks and Wyse Technology solution, built with the help of ARC, is being adopted in an increasing number of educational IT environments.”