Today's education IT must take advantage of new technologies to engage modern students while balancing operational expenses. Virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) is a rapidly growing technology that makes it easier for students and teachers to take advantage of educational software at school and on their own devices, simultaneously saving the school IT department time, money, and security challenges. Students and teachers are already using their devices in the classroom. A recent survey found that 85 percent of education institutions allow students, faculty, and staff to use personal devices on their school network [1]. Another 2012 survey discovered that 31 percent of those ages 14-17 own a smartphone [2]. By designing a BYOD (bring your own device) policy and assigning logins to virtual desktops, administrators can put mobile technology to work. With fewer than 50 percent of schools requiring an antivirus tool to be installed before accessing the network [3], virtual desktops create an easy to maintain system that enables universal software and applications in a secure manner. Virtual desktops can actually decrease the total cost of ownership for hardware, and make in-school computing easier to administrate. In other words, VDI doesn't only help manage mobile devices, it also brings benefits to traditional computer labs and IT management, especially in large-scale environments like entire districts or universities.

1. Who Benefits
from VDI?
• Students
– Digital natives used to multimedia, sharing, live information from anywhere
– Can use familiar devices to access educational tools
– Easy to collaborate, turn in work, request help
– Learning anytime, anywhere
– Self-motivated, self-directed learning options
• Teachers
– Data organization tools
– Web-based apps for classroom use (polling, tests)
– Multimedia teaching (podcasts, video, interactive)
– Feedback from statistics, data analysis
– Access to school software from home and public
• IT Managers
– Lower equipment and license costs (parent financed user machines)
– Devices are up-to-date; or old devices can be used for new apps and operating systems
– Flexible, scalable environments
– Linked clones allow simplified management, saving on personnel costs
– Enables security controls for existing devices on the network

2. Bring Your Own
Device (BYOD)
• By 2015 the number of mobile devices will have grown to over 2 billion
worldwide, a 300% increase from 2009
• 85% of educational institutions currently allow students, faculty and staff to
use personal devices on their school networks
• 2012 survey found 31% of those ages 14 to 17 have a smartphone
– These devices are already in the hands of students – one survey found 2.38 devices for
every 1 student
• Only 46% require an antivirus product to be installed before connecting to a
school network
– Virtual desktops create an easy-to-maintain system that is more secure and includes
universal software and applications

3. VDI for Education
• Access a “virtual computer” using the internet browser on any computer with
web access
– Home connection, friend’s house,
library, public WiFi
• Compatible with student or parent
computers including Windows
and MacOS
• Can be accessed through a
phone (Android or iOS)
– Ensure mobile devices brought into schools
(even iPod touches) can be used for
educational purposes
• Every virtual machine contains school software and secure access to school
networks
– Can include common apps like Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Powerpoint)
– Provides access to students and teachers off school grounds
– Less licensing needed – save the cost for parents and teachers alike

4. VDI for Education
• Collaborate and save work in the cloud
– Each user can sync files across the network, so if a teacher logs out from the computer lab,
their work is waiting when they login at home
– Encourage student group learning
– “The cloud ate my homework!” teachers have insight into student work habits. They can
collect, grade, and report all from cloud apps
• Reduce or eliminate desktop replacement and procurement cost
– Necessary computing resources come from the data center instead of new machines
– ThinApp terminals can be run on older, out-of-date-hardware
– Increased use of data center can be solved with hybrid, public, or private cloud
• Lower energy use and less management
saves money and time