As universities nationwide are scrambling to find ways to cut costs and services to keep budgets afloat Pepperdine and Information Technology are saving money in a way they say will also improve future services.
The Information Technology department (IT) has found a way to save more than $100000 for the university by replacing public computers in areas such as the Sandbar CCB Café and the Psychology Lab with “Virtual Desktops” that run off one single host computer.
New technology from NComputing has made it possible to replace PCs with small devices that cost only $70 each saving money on what would be replacement units and also in energy costs.
“Not only are we saving money on what would be replacement PCs we are also saving the school up to $2300 in energy costs as well said Thomas Hoover, Pepperdine’s director of Instructional Technology.
A Virtual Desktop is not a virtual computer; it is simply an extension of a host server (PC) that students can utilize as any other computer. By using virtualized desktops, students have the ability to do every task they normally would with a normal computer, but now are doing so using a drastically smaller amount of energy.
One host computer can accommodate up to 30 others on a connected network, and all computers are able to connect to the Internet, stream video and access programs such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint as a student normally would in the library or on a personal laptop.
Replacing each PC would have cost the university up to $25,000, a sum of money that would have put a major dent into the budget of the IT Department, which is already operating on a smaller amount of capital than in years past.
Our ultimate goal was to find the best way to replace the old PCs for a lower cost but still give users better service and more options Hoover said.
Hoover and Gerard Flynn, director of technology and learning, presented the ideas of Desktop Virtualization at a convention held by the non-profit association EDUCAUSE, Nov. 4 in Denver, Colo. EDUCAUSE is known for its work in promoting intelligent Information Technology usage in higher education.
Host computers in locations such as the Sandbar and the CCB can run on as little as four gigabytes of RAM and are cost-effective brands such as Hewlett Packard and Dell. Instead of a bulky and robust server with a necessary storage room, a solo-host Desktop demands the minimum storage and upkeep possible as would a single desktop in an office or a household.
The transition to virtualization has been done almost invisibly, and 73 out of 87 students who replied in a survey to the new set up did not even realize that they were using a Virtualized Desktop.”
“I will be honest and say I still to this day wouldn’t have known if it was brought to my attention sophomore Devin Saiki said.
The frequent user of the PCs in the Sandbar said he uses them to pass the time.
I usually just check my Wavenet for e-mails and to read articles online between classes so to me it’s no big deal.”
Other students like junior Danny Park immediately noticed the change and had positive reviews for the new desktops.
“I think it’s a good change because now there will be fewer computers with individual problems and they have been pretty reliable this year Park said.
The survey has shown an overall happiness with the speed of the new Virtual Desktops, as well with the various locations on campus that they are found. The only negatives surrounding the set up can be exposed when too many users are accessing server at one time where Internet speed and video playback may slow down said Hoover in regards to potential problems with the changed desktops.
Hoover and the Information Technology group hope to expand the reach of the Virtual Desktops to more computers across campus, in an effort to not only save money, but to also meet the needs and wants of students and faculty.
We are constantly working on new ways to help students get access to their work online anywhere they may be Hoover said. He added that future improvements in student accessibility from the IT department are on the way.