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About Us | Case Studies
| Client: St Peters School |
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REQUIREMENT : IT TRANSFORMATION PROJECT
St Peter's School selected leading IT provider Blue Chip to plan and manage a network transformation programme; delivering an easy-to-manage desktop solution for all users, low ongoing support requirements and a reduced carbon footprint.
>> The Client
Based in Bournemouth, Dorset, St Peter's provides high quality education in a mixed Catholic Comprehensive School for pupils aged between 11 and 19 years.
The School Management team looked to Blue Chip to transform their IT infrastructure, to improve efficiencies and to save money across a number of key areas: reducing the time, cost and energy of managing a 350 PC desktop estate; improving the business continuity plan and refreshing the core server hardware.
>> Solution
Blue Chip provided a solution built on virtualisation technology, including virtualising server hardware with VMware's ESX Server and presentation virtualisation of user desktops with Windows Terminal Services 2008. In addition, centralised storage was delivered via an EMC Storage Area Network.
The user desktop is published to all users within the school with over 25 learning applications. As users log-on they are presented with a standard Windows desktop and access to all the required applications whether they are academic staff, administrative staff or students.
The server estate was consolidated by 50% and provides a business continuity plan that allows server applications to failover in the case of hardware failure. Virtual server images are stored near-line and are available to be on-line within a matter of minutes in the event of any failure.
>> Success and Company Benefit
Initially, a Proof of Concept was undertaken delivering user desktops to a limited number of staff. This pilot proved to be so successful and the potential savings so significant, that the school has now completed two phases rolling out virtual servers and thin clients across the two campuses. The third phase is set to enhance the disaster recovery plan, once again, with virtualisation technology delivering site failover between the two school campuses.
Bob Ward, Network Manager St Peter's School comments "This virtualisation project has delivered significant cost-savings which means we can expand the school's IT services without the need for more IT staff. In addition, the reduced amount of desktop troubleshooting now required means we can spend our time more effectively".
Technical Solution
- VMware Virtual Infrastructure 3.5
- Windows Terminal Services 2008
- EMC CLARiiON AX4 SAN
- Vizioncore vRanger Pro
- HP ProLiant Servers
- QLogic Fibre Channel HBA
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