The New South Wales Department of Education and Training decided to give high school students and teachers a computer as part of the Australian government’s Digital Education Revolution initiative. To give students access to the latest technology, the department has begun upgrading its computers to the Windows® 7 operating system. As a result, the department has improved the educational experience, reduced costs for new devices, and enhanced IT security.

Business Needs

In New South Wales, Australia, the Department of Education and Training is the largest government department and has as its mission to deliver high-quality, internationally competitive public education and training for students in preschool through high school, in addition to vocational education and training. The New South Wales Department of Education and Training has 2,250 schools throughout New South Wales, with 1.2 million students and 60,000 teachers.

The Digital Education Revolution is an initiative to which the Australian government has dedicated AUD$2.2 billion (approximately U.S.$1.8 billion) to improve teaching and learning in Australia. One of its primary aims is to equip students with the necessary tools they need to further their education and prepare them to participate in the digital workforce.

As part of the Digital Education Revolution, the New South Wales Department of Education and Training decided to equip each of its high schools with wireless network capabilities and give its high school students, and their teachers, a portable computer. In July 2009, the department started deploying 267,000 Lenovo IdeaPad S10e netbooks, each with two gigabytes of RAM and a 160-gigabyte hard drive. The computers are pre-installed with the Windows® XP operating system. “We want to afford our students the opportunity to discover, create content, collaborate, and learn in an environment that will also prepare them for the workforce,” says Stephen Wilson, Chief Information Officer for the New South Wales Department of Education and Training.

With Windows 7, students are able to collaborate, they're able to produce, and they're able to develop the skills that they need for the world beyond school in 2009. Kirstine Gonano Deputy Principal, New South Wales Department of Education and Training

Even with this advancement in education, the Department of Education and Training wanted to explore an operating system upgrade. To deploy such a large computer fleet, the department sought a solution that would help it to reduce costs. In addition, because students are allowed to take the computers off campus, the department wanted to ensure the flexibility to connect from any wireless access point while still protecting its investment.

Solution

In July 2009, New South Wales Department of Education and Training started upgrading its netbooks to the Windows 7 operating system. Although the computers have small memory footprints, the Windows 7 operating system requires fewer resources than previous operating systems, which makes it a perfect choice for the netbooks. “When we learned that it was possible to run Windows 7, we knew it was the best choice for us,” says Wilson. 

The Department of Education and Training has already upgraded 40,000 computers to Windows 7 Enterprise. The computers have a standard image with Microsoft® Office Professional 2007 and the Windows Internet Explorer® 8 Internet browser. It will continue to release 5,000 new computers each week through December 2009 and will continue the rollout to a total of 267,000 computers by mid 2012. The department is working with Microsoft Services to define and create the architecture of the solution, helping to achieve a successful deployment in the department’s large and complex environment.

As part of the upgrade, the department is implementing DirectAccess, a feature in Windows 7 that, when combined with Windows Server® 2008 R2 operating system, enables users to connect to the network with any Internet connection. It is also shoring up its IT security by implementing Network Access Protection and is using AppLocker™ to control which applications users can run.

The department is deploying  the Windows Server 2008 R2 operating system with Hyper-V™, including a Windows Server 2008 R2 domain controller at each of the 470 high schools in New South Wales. By using Windows Server 2008 R2, the department is able to implement a scalable solution that supports its geographically dispersed network.

The organization also implemented Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007 R2, System Center Operation Manager 2007 R2, and System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 R2 to centrally deploy and manage client computers and servers.

Benefits

The New South Wales Department of Education and Training is excited about continuing its implementation of the operating system to 267,000 computers. The department has been able to improve the educational experience of its students while reducing costs of the netbooks and enhancing IT security. 

Improved Educational Experience

As a result of implementing Windows 7, the Department of Education and Training is able to offer students and teachers an advanced operating system. By using the latest technology, the department is able to better meet the goals of the Digital Education Revolution—improving teaching and education to help prepare students for the future workplace. “With Windows 7, students are able to collaborate, they're able to produce, and they're able to develop the skills that they need for the world beyond school in 2009,” says Kirstine Gonano, Deputy Principal at one of high schools in the New South Wales Department of Education and Training.

Reduced Costs

By upgrading to Windows 7, the department expects to lower its total cost of ownership for each device. Power management technologies in the operating system provide efficiencies that help reduce power consumption and increase the battery life of portable computers.

Enhanced IT Security

Because the Department of Education and Training knows that one of the keys to success is giving students a sense of ownership of their computers, students are allowed to take home the computers assigned to them. By using Network Access Protection and, AppLocker, the Department is able to extend that privilege while still helping to safeguard its computer investments. “The security enhancements in Windows 7 will make the machines less desirable to thieves because the netbooks can be locked down and tracked by the Department of Education,” explains Wilson.

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