”Intelligent Software” Ensures PCs are Always Work-ready for Students Relying on Computer Labs at Seminole State College
| Industry: |
Education |
 |
| Number of PCs: |
4,000 |
| IT Challenge: |
Managing Student Computer Labs |
| Solution: |
Persystent Suite |
National enrollment at community colleges has seen a marked increase in recent months. According to estimates from the American Association of Community Colleges, Fall 2008 rates increased by an average of 8 to 10 percent, due in part to affordable tuition backed by government funding, but also as a result of burgeoning unemployment rates.
At one time, community colleges’ computer labs were filled with old, refurbished PCs and dot-matrix printers. Today, most colleges have tapped grant funding and tax dollars to modernize and keep computer labs, hardware, and software current. One particular recent challenge is how to ensure the colleges’ broadband Internet access is being properly utilized for research and communication purposes. Most IT administrators at community colleges have enacted mandatory lab usage policies with fundamental rules forbidding downloading and installing software, viewing non-class related materials on the Internet and the use of Instant Messaging applications. However, if a problem does manifest itself, one solution has been to “reimage” the computer. In this process, an IT administrator wipes a computer “clean” and reinstalls all the software, taking it back to a “Day 1” state rather than a “last known good” state. However, reimaging can cost students and staff valuable work time and is an arduous process for IT administrators.
One solution utilized by Seminole State College (SSC) is a new process offered by Tampa based Persystent Software. “We have looked for a solution that could allow us to quickly repair problems and keep our computers work-ready,” said Dick Hamann, VP of IT and Chief Information Officer at SSC, a 4-campus college serving the northern Orlando suburb of Seminole County, FL. There are about 4,500 workstations in SCC’s computer labs that are often open about 14 hours per day. According to Hamann, this has presented SSC with a challenge of finding software that can both prevent the computers from falling prey to viruses, malware, or other external threats, and to quickly restore systems when problems occur.
“We need to be in the business of supporting people, in addition to supporting the technology,” states Hamann, who’s worked in IT for over 20 years. Most of the problems SSC sees in the labs are user generated and often unintentional (e.g. corrupted files, unauthorized software), which are compounded by steady usage from multiple users.
Persystent’s software is the only automated PC recovery product on the market that can– in less than 30 seconds – restore application and O/S files that are corrupted, changed, or missing. Through a simple re-boot of a machine, whether done by us or the students, the software repairs the O/S, registry, applications and settings regardless of the type of system failure or problem,” said Hamann.
Hamann believes the use of a tool like Persystent’s software is paying off for the college. SSC no longer struggles with viruses such as the NIMDA worm, which in 2001 wreaked havoc on numerous organizations throughout the world. Now, SSC’s IT administrators simply power down machines to return to a desirable pre-authorized work-ready state. In addition, the new software enables SSC to save time during large-scale rollouts – getting all the computers in a lab ready for use in one hour. By giving students a way to “rebuild” the computer automatically via a simple restart of the machine, Hamann says that SSC has also cut down on help desk calls.
With no end in sight to increased enrollment and increased technology at community colleges,
Hamann has advice for his IT colleagues … “Be on the lookout for innovative solutions to increased challenges to a college’s technological infrastructure. It’s important that we remain one step ahead, says Hamann. “Most important of all, our students are happy because they can rely on technology that works, and technology that is always there for them.”
About Persystent Software
Founded in 2002, Persystent Software has been instrumental to organizations in government, healthcare and education sectors with limited resources to support a high ratio of employees to IT staff and 24/7 business uptime. Persystent Software solutions ensure that end-user desktop and laptop computers are always available and fully functional – whether in the office or on the road. Persystent Software has developed the only automated PC recovery product on the market with unsurpassed speed – restoring application and operating system (O/S) files that are corrupted, changed or missing with just a simple reboot.
For more information on Persystent Software and its solutions, visit: www.persystent.com.