Teradici, and VMware, Inc. today announced that 25,000 seats of VMware Horizon virtual desktops and Teradici PCoIP zero client devices have been deployed as part of a national program to bring digital learning to 1,250 rural and inland schools across Malaysia. The private cloud deployment gives students access to high-quality computing and digital education resources, in some cases for the very first time, as part of an effort led by the Malaysian Ministry of Education to modernize education and bridge the digital divide.

The Ministry has established an ambitious vision for preschool through university education in the Malaysia Education Blueprint, 2013-2025, which is ultimately expected to impact approximately 6 million students at 10,000 schools. Among the key tenets of the Blueprint is an investment in information and communications technology (ICT) to improve educational outcomes for Malaysian students, advance the country's overall competitiveness in the global labor market and bring educational parity to urban-rural schools. Together with Bitara Induk, a leading ICT systems integrator, VMware and Teradici collaborated to assist the Malaysian Government in fulfilling its vision.

As of March 2014, approximately 25,000 students, teachers and administrators at 1,250 schools have gained access to desktops, applications and data using virtual desktop infrastructure for the first time. With minimal onsite IT setup or modification to the classroom environment, high-performance computing and educational resources are delivered to students and teachers across devices - even in rural and inland areas with limited access to connectivity and electricity.

Educational resources are now shared among these schools, and IT administrators have been empowered to manage, secure, and broker services to students and staff in accordance with Ministry policies.

"We're honored that the Ministry of Education has entrusted Bitara to be a key contributor to an equitable education for every child, using ICT as a tool," said Dato'Amirul Rahman Bin Abdul Rahim, Chairman of Bitara Induk. "If the enthusiasm among teachers and students throughout this first phase of deployment is any indicator, the Ministry's investment in virtual desktops will pay off in a very bright future for the nation's school children."

"It's been a privilege for Teradici to work hand-in-hand with the Malaysia Ministry of Education, Bitara and VMware to bring educational parity to the public school system and make a lasting impact on the lives of thousands of school children," said Dan Cordingley, president and CEO of Teradici. "Access to high performance computing in the classroom is an essential aspect of today's educational experience for every child, no matter where they live. The Ministry has taken a bold approach to overcoming geographical and environmental conditions to fulfill a compelling vision for teachers and students in Malaysia. We expect other governments and educational organizations will be watching this deployment with interest."

"VMware is committed to helping make the world a better place, so we are delighted to be working with Malaysia to help students achieve their highest potential and become the future leaders of industry regardless of their circumstances," said Sanjay Poonen, executive vice president and general manager, End-User Computing, VMware. "Our industry leadership in end-user computing has been a function of customer-centric innovation from corporations to governments to educational institutions. We look forward to our desktop solutions helping the Malaysia Education Blueprint go from vision to reality."