Microsoft Corp announced the launch of Windows Multipoint Server 2011 and its availability in Africa at the eLearning Africa conference in Tanzania last week. By utilising shared-resource computing technology, Windows multipoint server 2011 is expected to make technology more affordable, and thus more accessible for educational institutions.
Windows multipoint server 2011 allows one “host” computer to be shared by multiple users, dramatically reducing both initial setup and ongoing operational costs. Windows Multipoint Server 2010 has already been deployed in many African schools, proving highly effective in extending the reach of the computing experience, and the 2011 version promises to provide more features, new delivery options and an even better ratio of access to total cost of acquisition and ownership.
“Educators everywhere want the same thing: technology tools that help them and their students achieve more,” said Louis Otieno, Microsoft’s general manager for East and Southern Africa, at the conference. “As educators strive to prepare their students for the 21st century workplace, aspiring for one PC per student is understandable, but not always feasible in the context of strained budgets, a lack of available IT resources and the demand for energy efficiency. Shared-resource computing offers a way to address these challenges”.

A recent Forrester study commissioned by Microsoft showed that schools can triple their reach without increasing budget, thanks to a 66% reduction in the overall costs using Windows multipoint server 2011.  The schools in the study reported lower hardware costs, energy cost reductions, and lower labour and IT skill requirements. They reported quieter operation in labs (with fewer fan-cooled CPUs running), as well as a greater ability for teachers to leverage class time thanks to the new management console included, multipoint manager. This provides the teacher with the ability to see desktop thumbnails, zoom in on a student’s desktop, broadcast the teacher’s screen or the student’s screen to the class, and also features the “eyes on me” blocking feature. Both teachers and students expressed excitement in being able to use new technology — Windows 7 and Microsoft Office 2010 — instead of sharing older machines and operating systems. And with extra budget available thanks to lower costs, schools may have more money to widen access even further, or direct it into other improvement initiatives.

Gashora Girls Academy in Rwanda is just one of shared resource computing’s success stories. “Some of these girls have never seen a computer before. Through Windows Multipoint Server, they can experience the most current software and technology,” said Clare Kadede, computer teacher and IT support manager at Gashora Girls Academy. Her goal is to position the academy as a model of efficiency to demonstrate to other schools that it is possible to provide technology access to their students on a limited budget.

The Forrester study demonstrates just how affordable Windows Multipoint Server 2011 can be: it notes that the total cost of ownership is lowered by 66 per cent compared to traditional PC deployment, with the largest savings being for hardware and energy. This means that schools can triple the reach of workstations for the same budget, and expect a 206 per cent return on investment (ROI) within five months. The study notes: “The importance of computing labs in a school in an emerging-market country is growing. No longer used just for teaching IT skills, school computer labs are becoming ‘dynamic learning centers,’ where a teacher can bring a class for specific computing-intensive sessions in academic or vocational subjects, from foreign language to science to job training.”

Otieno said, “Schools everywhere are faced with the task of keeping their students abreast of technological advances and yet remain within their budgets. In African schools, budgets are even more squeezed, and this is typically compounded by other challenges such as a high student-teacher ratio and energy shortages. Shared-resource computing allows teachers to do more with less, and is a perfect solution for schools grappling to extend PC reach to their students. We are excited to work with our partners to make PC access a reality for all children.”