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Desktop Optimization

Give faculty, staff, administrators, and students powerful desktops that are secure and easy to manage.

 

 
 
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The Optimized Desktop

You can reduce the costs associated with securing, managing, and supporting your institution’s desktop infrastructure by combining Windows 7 and the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack. Both are available to you if you have Software Assurance coverage for your desktops.

When you add powerful student and teacher tools—such as Microsoft Office OneNote, Microsoft Office Learning Essentials, and Microsoft Student with Encarta Premium—you can create optimized desktops that are customized for your education setting.

More Freedom for End-Users, Better Control for IT Pros

Nobody wants to think about the technology infrastructure that helps them be successful, whether they are running the business of the school, teaching, or learning. They just expect it to work. If a firewall blocks access to content they want, they may become frustrated with the technology and the IT department. Often, this creates tension between end-users who want access to everything and an IT department that needs greater control and manageability. Desktop optimization provides the technology you need to achieve the right balance for your institution’s desktops—from educator PCs to student labs; from the campus bookstore to the registrar’s office.

To achieve an optimized desktop, you can combine technology and practices, specific repeatable methodologies, procedures, and policies that put your technology into action. Critical to success in achieving desktop optimization is a roadmap that defines and prioritizes concrete steps to advancement. Desktop Optimization is part of the Microsoft Core Infrastructure Optimization (Core IO) model, which provides that roadmap, while Microsoft technologies and tools provide the vehicles to get you there.

Key Benefits

Desktop optimization can help you:

  • Increase productivity. Educators and students can use the university’s network while off campus.
  • Keep your data safer. Quickly deploy security patches across your desktops and use the BitLocker Drive Encryption of Windows Vista Enterprise to protect data on lost or stolen laptops.
  • Work and learn from anywhere. You can give students and employees the flexibility and rich user experience offered by a local desktop PC but with the ability to roam on and off campus, using PCs in different locations to access their own data and applications. At the same time, the IT department can ensure that data remains protected and that the computing environment remains well controlled.
  • Extend the useful life of older computers. You can make older computers part of your useful desktop infrastructure by equipping them with Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs. Even for laptops without enough RAM to run Windows Vista, you can enable end-users to connect to a Windows Vista virtual machine using the Remote Desktop Protocol. With Forefront Client Security, the older computer is better protected against viruses and spyware infecting the operating system. When users log in, they get the entire Windows Vista desktop experience.
  • Reduce IT complexity and support costs. By delivering applications from a central server, virtualization—a core component of optimizing desktops—helps to dramatically reduce the complexity of software deployment, asset management, system monitoring, and software updates.

Customer Success

Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center

By moving to Windows Vista, the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center (SVHEC) is able to provide faculty, students, and partners with desktop computers that are more secure, more stable, and easier to use. The IT staff has reduced the time required to deploy new computers from two days to two hours, reduced desktop configuration and support work, and reclaimed the 200 hours spent annually on repairing malicious software problems, for a total annual savings of about $30,000.

Next Steps

More Education Solutions

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Managing the Institution
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The following Microsoft partners offer Core Infrastructure Optimization solutions for education:

Ascentium Corporation
(425) 519-7700
Ascentium Corporation is an award-winning, integrated technology and marketing consultancy with a proven track record in delivering information-driven solutions to achieve the strategic objectives of its clients. Ascentium develops solutions based on Microsoft technology and development platforms. Ascentium partners and employees offer education institutions the benefit of decades of experience in strategy, application development, Web development, and integrated marketing.

Avanade
(206) 239-5600
Avanade can help you achieve your goals with a collaboration and communications solution that is cost-effective, easily integrated, and scalable, enabling users to share information more efficiently across your institution.

BVA Inc.
(602) 307-1800
BVA works with clients both small and large to realize the value of their technology investments. The company can supplement the expertise and lighten the workloads of your existing IT staff, or it can be your third-party IT department. From emergency support to proactive visits and professional consulting services, BVA offers all the resources an education institution needs to get the most out of technology.

CDW
(800) 808-4239
Education institutions continue to look for ways to reduce the cost and complexity of their computing infrastructure so resources and personnel are freed up for more strategic initiatives. CDW's holistic approach to virtualization and optimization is unique, covering servers, storage, and the network. CDW understands the critical role communication plays, and they understand that unified communications is poised to change the way institutions communicate.

CorpInfo
(310) 442-3200
CorpInfo is committed to optimizing Microsoft technologies with the goal of developing dynamic systems—reliable, secure, manageable, and responsive. CorpInfo supports this goal with its proven and mature program management methodology that fully leverages the Microsoft Solutions Framework. CorpInfo understands the challenges that clients face in identifying and planning for changing technology while supporting daily operations.

Fujitsu
(888) 385-4878
Fujitsu can help you offer students, faculty, and staff a wide range of technology products that suit your academic programs in addition to your campus mission and environment.

Hitachi Consulting
(877) 664-0010
Hitachi Consulting has been implementing Microsoft-based solutions since 1995 and has experience with a broad range of solutions on the Microsoft platform. The company's experience has helped customers deploy valuable solutions that leverage investments in Microsoft Office, Microsoft Developer tools, and Microsoft Windows Server system applications. Its proprietary methodologies and frameworks enable clients to shorten their development cycle, reduce project risk, increase the effectiveness of their internal staff, and enhance their investment in Microsoft technologies.

Idea Integration
(800) 433-2266
Idea Integration is an e-business consulting and systems integration solutions provider serving Fortune 1000 companies, government, and middle-market clients. Specializing in information management solutions, integrated e-business solutions, business intelligence and data warehousing, portal solutions, Web design and development, mobile solutions and enterprise resource management, Idea delivers high-return business applications for its clients. Idea has fortified its public sector practice utilizing Microsoft solutions to address security, messaging, business process management, and infrastructure optimization.

Levi, Ray & Shoup, Inc
(217) 793-3800
Focused on technology, LRS IT Solutions is committed to its clients and backed by a financially strong company. LRS IT Solutions has domain expertise coupled with strong technology skills, which are backed by certifications and many years of experience. LRS has the personnel, experience, and willingness to work with institutions toward IT optimization.

Peters and Associates
(630) 832-0075
Peters and Associates assists schools with systems design, integration, and operation. As a Microsoft Gold Partner, Peters and Associates has significant expertise in facilitating parent, student, and teacher interactions in a growing online environment. Peters and Associates is also versed in helping educators align curriculum with technology standards. Peters and Associates was named Microsoft National VAR Partner of the Year for 2005.

Seitel Leeds & Associates
(206) 283-4355
Seitel Leeds & Associates helps customers achieve operational excellence with a focused set of engineering, security, and service management services. The firm applies rigorous engineering methods to the planning, design, implementation, and operation of highly secure and reliable systems using Microsoft advanced infrastructure and security solutions. Seitel Leeds & Associates helps its customers organize and operate their infrastructure by providing training and consulting using the Microsoft Operations Framework (MOF) and Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL).

Sogeti USA
(800) 899-9849
Sogeti specializes in implementing Microsoft-based technology solutions that improve organizational processes and performance, including .NET application transformation, information management, collaboration and productivity, infrastructure transformation, enterprise project management, and enterprise business solutions. Sogeti's Public Sector Practice provides expertise in delivering solutions are built upon proven and repeatable service offerings, based on industry best practices, and coupled with public sector know-how to help tackle the unique challenges faced by educational institutions.

Find a partner

Search for partners in the Microsoft Public Sector Partner Solution MarketPlace, a one-stop Web site for finding technology partners that offer a broad range of products, services, and solutions based on Microsoft technologies. The directory includes packaged software, solutions offerings, and training from Microsoft Gold Certified Partners, Microsoft Certified Partners, and registered members.
 
 

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