We’re conditioned to assume, especially in education, that a cost-saving measure will threaten the quality of what we’re able to offer. That being so, the news is more than welcome that in many schools, colleges and universities, information technology professionals are turning that assumption on its head. They have found a proven way not only of saving significant sums of money for their institutions, but of doing so while delivering better and more effective ICT for staff and students.
Already the questions are forming. How is that done? Can any school do it? Exactly what cost savings are in the offing? Is the end product really good enough for us?
Our latest eBook, titled ‘Virtualisation with Hyper-V’, attempts to provide you, a decision-maker in a school, college or university, with the information you need to make informed decisions about how to save money within your institution. One of the solutions, and the key focus of this eBook, lies in server virtualisation using Microsoft® Windows® Server 2008 R2 with Hyper-V.
Within this eBook, we’ll tell you what Hyper-V is already doing for real UK schools, and arguably more importantly, in broad terms what it could do for your school.
The content covered within this eBook is structured in two parts. Part 1 provides a non-technical introduction to the concept of server virtualisation. Part 2 presents a more technical guide to help you implement a virtualised environment.
This eBook has been co-authored by Alan Richards, West Hatch High School, and Gerald Haigh. The full eBook can be viewed and/or downloaded below.
With the plethora of device types now available, the power to work and study where you choose is now a reality. Want to revise in the park sipping a latte, or update a presentation on the bus, there is now an app and device perfectly suited to your needs.
This trend, commonly known as the Consumerisation of IT in Education or BYOD, is driving the demand for flexible working and studying often using more consumer orientated devices. Within an academic institution, this is not without its challenges, though, and IT professionals within schools, colleges and universities need to consider the impact and management of BYOD from a more holistic perspective to ensure the needs of both the user and enterprise are met.
Lets consider the needs of the students for a second. Gen-Y, who are predominately active users of social media and mobile technology, expect to also use these technologies as a core element of their learning experiences. Is this is often a reality within institutions, though?
Furthermore, with Forrester research reporting that 35% of workers in the US already use a personal device at work, and I am sure the UK numbers are not far off this, the BYOD trend in the enterprise is rapidly gaining momentum. With people becoming more tech savvy, how are institutions also embracing the opportunities of consumerisation of IT in education/BYOD with faculty and admin staff within institutions? Are institutions working to meet the needs of their users?
Via my conversations with network managers and teachers at institutions across the UK, I get a mixed set of responses to these questions. Some institutions are openly embracing BYOD, while others are passionately against these trends.
Ultimately, I don’t see these trends as a threat to an institutions IT strategy, but does require IT managers within institutions to work in a new way and to think differently.
People power, or BYOD, is not without its challenges but requires a balance between freedom, risk and cost to ensure a practical and workable solution for IT users within an institution. IT Managers want to enable anytime, anywhere learning/working for all, I am sure, but also have a responsibility to keep systems and data safe.
To make this a reality, a solution needs to provide anytime, anywhere access to data and apps, consider the most suitable device type to meet the needs of users and, as mentioned previously, mitigate cost and risks.
The consumerisation of IT video below discusses this in more detail.
So, how do IT managers within academic institutions make this a reality?
From a device perspective, multi purpose devices should be front and centre of BYOD strategies. With the pace of change in devices types, it is now possible to get devices that are light weight, have a great battery life and are well suited for both content creation and consumption. These multi-purpose devices can also be managed within a standard IT management environment with increases the security of the device and reduces the overall cost of ownership.
UltraBooks, for example, offer much of the flexibility of slate devices but, in the case of Windows 7 devices, can be managed and secured electronically.
iPads, for example, are fantastic content consumption devices, but offer challenges when it comes to content creation and security/central management. This often leads to the need to have multiple device types to cater for both sets of needs. This adds to the overall cost of the device estate and, particularly in the case of education, adds significant cost to an overall IT budget.
The video below showcasing some of the latest PC's, for example, gives a good feel for how powerful multi-purpose devices are becoming.
With the advances in the cloud, access to data and apps via the browser irrespective of platform is also becoming commonplace. App virtualisation, via VDI and remote desktop, can also help provide flexible and secure access to core apps and act as a fundamental element of an institutions BYOD strategy.
When these 3 elements, device type, the cloud and unified management comes together, institutions have the perfect recipe for BYOD success.
Food for thought, for sure. What do you think about this topic? How are you meeting the needs of your users in the age of BYOD? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
We want to your feedback on the DreamSpark service within the UK
We know a lot of you use DreamSpark but we’d like to know a little more about its value to you. So we are running in conjunction with c3education to get a more detailed understanding.
We would like to see if it is helping raise attainment levels for educators and students and get general feedback on the programme. We need this so that we have evidence to share with the public and with journalists interested in the story. The ideal situation would be to establish a baseline for the beginning of the programme and to record impact perhaps twice a year, to check whether we are on track.
From today 21st of February 2012,we have a launched two surveys one for students and one for academics both surveys will close on the 29th of February 2012.
Below are the links to each of the questionnaires.
DreamSpark –Student Survey https://nerp241b1.questionpro.com c3education will offer an Xbox 360 and a Kinect sensor to one lucky winner who completes the survey by 29th Feb 2012 and gives us their contact details at the end of the survey. You have to be a UK student. The winner will be drawn at random from all completions who fill in their details in the survey.
DreamSpark – Educator Survey https://nerp241b2.questionpro.com
Your feedback and assistance, in completing these would be greatly appreciated, We will also share top level results through this blog and our Linkedin group.
Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) and Office 2003 will be reaching end of support in April 2014. We want to help you avoid the risk of running an unsupported version of Windows & Office, and to assist with your IT planning for 2012.
With this in mind, the objective of this Blog Post is to highlight the potential risks involved with the upcoming end of support of these products and to outline the options available to mitigate these risks.
Windows XP SP3 and Office 2003 will no longer be supported from April 8, 2014 onwards. After this date, Microsoft will not provide any public support for these products, including security patches, non-security hotfixes or incident support.
Running Windows XP SP3 and Office 2003 in your environment after their end of support date may expose your company to potential risks, such as:
1. Upgrade - This option affords customers the best return on investment by deploying a modern PC with Windows 7 Enterprise and Office 2010. Whether you’re a small business or the largest corporation with offices worldwide, moving to a modern PC with Windows 7 Enterprise and Office 2010 offers your business the ability to improve productivity for your employees and increase operational efficiency through improved PC security and management.
To help customers with the migration/deployment process, Microsoft and our consulting partners offer several options including proof of concept (POC) and production pilot programs, available through Microsoft Consulting Services or one of our Certified Service Partners, to help you achieve a successful upgrade to Windows 7 Enterprise and Office 2010.
2. Purchase a Custom Support contract through Premier Support to stay on unsupported products – If, for any reason, you decide to remain on Windows XP SP3 or Office 2003 after support ends, you have the option to purchase Custom Support. As a condition of buying a Custom Support contract, you must have a Premier Support agreement and we ask our customers to have a migration plan in place. The cost of Custom Support is significantly higher than regular support, and rises annually due to the rising costs of supporting a legacy product.
3. Do nothing – Microsoft recommends customers avoid this option for it can put you at risk of potential security and compliance issues.
Where can you find more information?
Are you a student with an entrepreneurial mind? Thought about starting your own business? Are you interested in technology? Listen in on our first live webcast on Tuesday 21st February from 6-7pm!
We have a great line up for the session, you’ll hear from Joshua March, Co-founder of Conversocial.com, with his top tips and guidance on turning entrepreneurial ideas into reality.
You’ll also hear from Microsoft's own Bindi Karia about our offerings, including the BizSpark programme which provides you with the tools, visibility and network support for your software startup to succeed.
Our team will be on hand to answer your questions live! To sign up, pop over to our event page on Facebook and click ‘Going’ in the top right corner. While you are there, we would love to hear your thoughts or queries on the event. Alternatively, use #BizSparkUK on Twitter!
If you’re into technology and business then this is well worth your time! We look forward to you joining us for the Webcast!
We are thrilled to announce the availability of our latest eBook, titled ‘Playful Learning: Computer Games in Education’.
Written by leading light in this field, Ollie Bray, this eBook combines thoughts, observations, tools and practical tips to help you understand more about using and making computer games in the classroom. In short, it is a guide to get children excited and re-energised about learning.
View/download the full eBook on Gaming in Education below:
If you are keen to learn more about the use of computer games in education, Ollie will be speaking on this topic at the Microsoft sponsored breakout session at the NAACE 2012 Conference. Hope to see you there!
It’s becoming increasingly clear that Lync can be a real game-changer for universities. Among the higher education institutions we’ve talked to about this recently is De Montfort University (DMU) in Leicester. There, the Information Technology and Media Services (ITMS) team, led by their Director, Michael Robinson, is engaged in a Lync implementation that will enable staff and students to engage and work more productively, efficiently and cost effectively. To the existing choice between a phone call an email and a visit, will be added the possibilities of audio and video conferencing , instant messaging and desktop sharing, all from within each user’s familiar software, at work, home, or with a mobile device.
Driving change
De Montfort University is strategically committed to enhancing teaching and learning and management through technology. There are, though, two immediate drivers of the current adoption of Lync 2010.
One is the approaching need to replace the University’s current telephone system, which is nearing the end of its life. The other is the move, completed in 2011, of the University’s School of Nursing and Midwifery from an outlying site to a new home at the Edith Murphy Building on the main campus. This has involved a major building refurbishment and rather than commit budget and resources to equipping the new premises with the existing telephone system, the decision was made to install Lync for about 100 users, at first for phone service only, working in parallel with the legacy system. This first installation, completed in September 2011, was the first step leading towards a roll-out of full-feature Lync across the whole institution completing in August 2012. Leading the project is Michael Robinson, Director of Information Technology and Media Services.
Planning the roll-out
The preliminary installation in the Edith Murphy building was designated as Phase One of the University’s Lync implementation. It acted as a pilot for Phase 2, the full roll-out.
Phase 2 is organized into a number of workstreams, individually led but closely inter-related, covering all technical, training and project management aspects of the Lync adoption and its integration into the overall management and leadership of the University.
Two of the workstreams will deal with, respectively an upgrade from Exchange 2003 to Exchange 2010 and the setting up within Lync of the University’s Contact Centre.
The Exchange upgrade is necessary in order to gain the full functionality of Lync including voicemail, but will also provide improved email archiving and integration into SharePoint.
The Contact Centre, taking calls from outside, has to meet considerable variations in demand at the time of university clearing for example, when anxious students (and schools and families) phone in. It has to be robust and at the same time capable of returning detailed statistics. DMU’s Contact Centre, the key first point of contact, will be up and running by April 2012.
The core mission
The main drive of the Lync project is to successfully introduce Lync to several thousand users across the campus.
The need here is for flexible response to varying needs.
“It’s not just about deploying technology. We need to consider how to communicate changes to staff that things can be carried out in different ways.” For example phone call forwarding and pickup is now configured in the Lync software client rather than directly on the phone. Another would be to collaborate on documents on-line rather than sending them around via email.’’ Michael Robinson
A key preliminary is a comprehensive audit of the way the current telephone system is used. Users will rightly expect that they’ll be able to do what they did before, at least as well and preferably better. They will, though, also need to be shown, by training and example, that Lync is much more than a straight replacement for an existing phone system. It has the potential to streamline working practices – instant messaging instead of email for example, and the possibility of collaboration through web conferencing or the sharing of documents.
In all of this, some users will need more help than others, and training plans encompass a wide range of approaches, including the deployment of “champions”, lectures, online help, demonstrations and one-to-one sessions.
“There’s a balance. It’s about working with people and not frightening them. It’s possible to throw too much technology at people, too soon. We want to bring them along, to give support.”
In this, the ITMS team is able to build on a number of growth points, supportive groups and individual advocates or champions. The University has a Centre for Enhancing Learning through Technology CELT, along with eLearning champions within the faculties, all keen to support ITMS in making the most of the Lync rollout.
Crucially for innovation and change is the degree of enthusiasm and tangible support coming from the top. Michael and his team are pushing at an open door, because the Vice Chancellor (on Twitter, @DMUVC) and the Executive Board are entirely signed up to the potential of technology in general and Lync in particular.
“The Chief Operating Officer has Lync on her PC and she’s looking to use it to improve the way the people use meeting time.”
Benefits
Lync is seen as a ‘‘game changer’’ as not only does it support existing patterns of learning and collaboration with virtual meetings, document sharing and one-to-one contact but also creates possibilities for entirely new kinds of connections and encounters between individuals and groups.
“Once you start the deployment, people will find creative ways of using it, ” says Michael.
So, for example, there’s the prospect of using Lync for contact with students away on year-long placements. Lync, with video and desktop sharing could improve contact with both employers and students.
Cost saving
“The structure of our Microsoft Campus Agreement means that the cost of deploying is approximately fifty percent of the cost of a traditional PABX system.”
There are also some savings to be made through not replacing handsets one-to-one.
“Many people are happy to use laptops with Bluetooth headsets, or mobile phones.”
Lync can reduce the need for travel, saving time, money and carbon emissions. So although DMU is housed on a compact campus, the conservative estimate is that it will save 10percent of current travel costs.
There are also clear efficiency savings by reducing misunderstandings, shortening the time spent in meetings and making draft policies and documents more widely and quickly available for consultation.
“Integration with Outlook and with SharePoint will bring huge benefits as we move to a more collaborative working model.”
Lync working with strategic change
We’re seeing profound changes in the way that higher and further education institutions are led and managed. There’s a move to the use of project teams working across hierarchies and between departments. Technology, creatively used, will both support and encourage such developments, reducing the need for face-to-face meetings, and providing easier access to draft documents and policy papers. DMU is no exception to this.
“We’re seeing more multi-disciplinary and collaborative working, with virtual teams sitting across the structure. We’re looking at modernising many systems to go along with that. putting Board papers on SharePoint for example, and using mobile devices in meetings. “
The same kind of change is affecting the way students work and communicate.
“People don’t work alone on courses. There are group projects and assignments, and Lync is fantastic for supporting that.”
Microsoft education team are going to have both presentations and demo area’s dedicated to Lync and how it can be effectively used in learning in the classroom. If you would like to find out more, ask questions and see for your self, we are at BETT 2012 on stand D30 and D40 where we would love to see you!
Windows Live SkyDrive, is a free-of-charge file hosting service that allows you to upload files to a cloud storage and then access them from a Web browser. It is part of Microsoft's Windows Live range of online services, and uses Windows Live ID to control access to files, allowing you to keep the files private, share them with contacts, or make the files public. Publicly-shared files do not require a Windows Live ID to access.
The service offers 25 GB of free personal storage, with individual files limited to 100 MB.
I have been using Windows Live SkyDrive since around 2008 and have generally used it to store my Microsoft OneNote data so that i can access my data anywhere be it on a different computer, on my phone or on my everyday mobile device and it has not yet failed me.
I have noticed of late although it is a common every day occurrence with users in general, is that students that are working on work relating to a course they are currently studying at college or university have lost there work and have therefore been unable to hand it in on time or have had to start all over again which not only disrupts your routine it can prevent you from handing in your assignments etc. on time.
The general reasons I have seen are:
- Computer System crashes and no backup has been created - USB Device gets lost or damaged (or user performs a format not realising what it actually does) - User forgets to save the document they are working on and looses work completed over so many hours etc.
The above scenarios can generally be prevented if someone is advised on how to look after their computer system, checking Anti-Virus software to protect their computer system, saving there work on a regular basis and keeping backups on a memory stick or/ other device.
I know that many university's or colleges now provide their students with Windows Live SkyDrive along side there Student email address as many university's now use Microsoft Online Services (Live@Edu or/ Office365) but there are still many places that do not.
As I have said above Windows Live SkyDrive is a Free service for you to use, and you can sign-up to this service by using your current Windows Live ID, and if you don't have a Windows Live ID then you can also acquire one of these for Free.
You can sign up to the Windows Live SkyDrive service by browsing to http://www.skydrive.com and select 'Sign Up' on the right hand side, you will then be asked to sign-in using your Windows Live ID.
Once you have logged in, select 'SkyDrive' from the top navigation bar:
You shall then be taken to your SkyDrive File-Hosting Space,
If you wish to upload your current documents to SkyDrive then you need to do the following:
1) Select 'Add Files' from the Sub-Menu 2) Select the folder you wish to upload the document to, or create a new folder 3) Open up Explorer on your computer and the drag the files you wish to upload into the square box outlined on the page 4) Once your documents have uploaded, select 'Continue' and you will then be taken to your uploaded documents.
You can uploaded any of the following documents to your Windows Live SkyDrive Account:
- Microsoft Word Document - Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet - Microsoft PowerPoint - Microsoft OneNote
If you wish to create a document then just select the type of document you wish to create (found next to the 'Add Files' button in the Sub-Menu), give it a name and then you will be taken to the Microsoft WebApp for the respective file.
When you wish to modify the file you have uploaded all you need to do is click on the title of the document and it will open in your browser using Microsoft WebApp, Select 'Edit In Browser' and then the document will look like this:
Microsoft WebApps provide you with enough functionality to do the common tasks people wish to do with a Document, Excel Spreadsheet and Powerpoint Presentation, so you make more advanced changes you may choose to open this using your local version of Microsoft Office 2010, to do this select 'File' and choose 'Open In' you will the be presented with message providing you with a warning, just select 'Ok' and then you maybe asked to Re-Authenticate just type in your Windows Live ID User Credentials. Once you have done this you may also need to select 'Enable Editing' and then you can continue to modify your document.
When you make changes to the document these will be saved back to the file stored on your Windows Live SkyDrive Account.
*please note that the WebApps will save your document as you make changes and that if you open the document from SkyDrive using Microsoft Office 2010 installed on your computer you will need to make sure you also save regular.
This will hopefully point you in the right direction so that you can get started with using Windows Live SkyDrive.
If you wish to find out more information on how to use Microsoft WebApps visit the Microsoft Help Centre where you can find out the answers to the most Frequently Asked Questions and Tips on how to use this service: http://explore.live.com/skydrive-help-center
We would like to give you the opportunity to invite you to register and attend the Best of Microsoft Management Summit (MMS) UK 2012 in May in Manchester, Reading and London respectively. These will be our official System Centre 2012 launch events in the UK.
· 8th May, Manchester (Hilton Deansgate)
· 10th May, Reading (Thames Valley Park)
· 17th May, London (Cardinal Place)
Alternatively, if you have difficulty with T&E, you can attend by registering to one of our System Center 2012 – Virtual Launch Events on 22nd March and 21st June
We have a wave of new product launches and announcements for the Microsoft Private Cloud in 2012 starting with the release of System Center 2012, which allows you to manage your virtual, physical, and cloud environments from a single console, using common and consistent management experiences that provide full control across your existing datacentre investments.
We have also introduced a new edition line-up and simplified licensing for System Center 2012 to address both your server and client management needs including Virtual Machine Manager, Operations Manager, Configuration Manager, Data Protection Manager, Service Manager, Orchestrator, Endpoint Protection and App Controller.
Best of Microsoft Management Summit (MMS) UK 2012
This 1-day event will provide you with the best possible opportunity to learn about what’s new in System Center 2012 and our next step forward in the Microsoft Private Cloud vision, strategy and roadmap with deep dive sessions on infrastructure management, service delivery & automation, application management, desktop & device management.
TIME
AGENDA
08.30-09.30
REGISTRATION
09.30-10.00
Microsoft’s Private Cloud: Built For The Future, Ready Now
10.00-10.30
What’s New in System Center 2012
10.30-11.00
BREAK
11.00-12.00
Infrastructure & Fabric Management
12.00-13.00
LUNCH
13.00-14.00
Service Delivery & Automation
14.00-15.00
Application Management
15.00-15.30
15.30-16.30
Desktop & Device Management
16.30-17.00
NETWORKING & CLOSE
Moodle hosting in the Cloud via Windows Azure
There are two projects currently available for hosting Moodle on Windows Azure, both on CodePlex (Microsoft's open source project hosting site, which hosts over 200,000 projects currently):
http://moodle2azure.codeplex.com/ This is a port of Moodle 2.x Course Management System to Azure platform.
http://moodleazure.codeplex.com/ Enable Moodle 1.9.9 to run on Windows Azure and SQL Azure
Both of these projects are on CodePlex, there's a community of support on the site for advice as you start to implement and use them there are a number of other moodle associated codeplex projects and a whole forum on the Moodle community website for Windows users
Originally posted on the UK Faculty Connection Blog