Microsoft Products Preferred by European Schools
New study finds that Microsoft products are better suited to teaching and learning, compared with open source solutions.
Paris — 13 June 2007 — Satisfaction with Microsoft® products is higher among European students and schools, when compared with similar open source software (OSS) solutions, according to a new report by Wipro Technologies. The results of the study released today, was commissioned by Microsoft and audited by Professor Soumitra Dutta of INSEAD Business School.
Wipro’s Product Strategy and Architecture (PSA) practice compared the use and benefits of the two platforms in 73 schools across six European countries. The findings state that user satisfaction with Microsoft software is high among both student and teacher communities, who find Microsoft products easier to use, richer in functionality, better integrated and better suited to supporting education activities than OSS alternatives. In addition, Microsoft products were considerably less expensive to manage and maintain than open source equivalents, counteracting the perceived cost savings from OSS’s lack of licensing costs.
“In conducting this study, we found that the schools’ responses were quite consistent across the countries included in the study,” said Theodore Forbath, the Practice Leader of Wipro PSA. “Overall, our findings indicate that Microsoft outperforms Open Source alternatives when it comes to supporting the priorities of European schools.”
Key findings
The Wipro report finds that:
| • | In schools where both Microsoft Office and Open Office are available, student and teacher satisfaction with Microsoft is consistently higher. For desktop productivity, 48–50 per cent of schools reported that student satisfaction with Microsoft products is higher than with OSS, but only 17–26 per cent reported the same for the open source platform. |
| • | In terms of its support for student and teacher activities, Microsoft receives a higher rating than OSS in eight out of ten areas, in the two remaining areas the platforms were rated equally. Teachers reported that Microsoft offers stronger solutions for learning-management scenarios such as monitoring, grading and collaborating on assignments online with students and parents. |
| • | Despite the lack of licensing costs for OSS solutions, the schools benefit from Microsoft’s lower ongoing support costs, fewer failures, and less time devoted to troubleshooting. The study found that OSS solutions required just over 105 hours ICT support per month, in comparison to Microsoft solutions that required just over 87 hours per month (based on the report average of 148 PCs per school). |
“This study echoes what we hear every day — that teachers, administrators, parents and students see technology as a powerful aid to teaching, learning and employability, and that Microsoft’s products offer a high degree of functionality and value,” said Mark East, general manager of Microsoft’s Education Solutions Group in Europe Middle East and Africa. “At Microsoft, we will continue to build innovative teaching tools and scenarios by collaborating with students and teachers from around the globe.”
A closer look at costs
Overall, schools primarily using Microsoft solutions invest 16.9 per cent less resources in IT support than schools using primarily OSS solutions. In Poland, however, this figure is 37.86 per cent, less reflecting the limited availability of OSS support resources in that country. Wipro calculates that for a country such as France, which has 1.9 million PCs deployed in its schools, this translates into an annual difference of more than 36 million euros in total IT labour costs. The equivalent figure for the UK is 48 million euros.
PC failures are 50 per cent more common in the schools using OSS than in schools using Microsoft overall, and schools with experience of both platforms find that troubleshooting and resolution activities for Microsoft products were better defined and better documented.
“Prior to our deployment of the Microsoft educational platform our information resources suffered from disorgansation, said Pablo Huerga Melcón, Coordinator of ICT at IES Rosario de Acuña, a secondary school in Gijón, Spain. “Students had difficulty locating important documents and teachers struggled to organise course materials and monitor the progress of students. Since the deployment, these problems have been resolved, and our student and teacher populations are more productive than ever.”
Research programme
Between May 2006 and February 2007, research was conducted in 73 primary and secondary schools located in France, Italy, Poland, Spain, Sweden and the UK. The two-phase study included written surveys and follow-up interviews aimed at comparing and benchmarking the value of Microsoft and open source platforms for teaching, learning and administration. Support costs were also investigated. The study was commissioned by Microsoft, conducted by Wipro and audited by Professor Dutta. The full report and supporting materials are available at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=A99AADB1-696D-4E09-BB0D-E62CB92522AA&displaylang=en.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realise their full potential.
About Microsoft EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa)
Microsoft has operated in EMEA since 1982. In the region Microsoft employs more than 13,000 people in over 60 subsidiaries, delivering products and services in more than 138 countries and territories.
#########
This material is for informational purposes only. Microsoft Corporation disclaims all warranties and conditions with regard to use of the material for other purposes. Microsoft Corporation shall not, at any time, be liable for any special, direct, indirect or consequential damages, whether in an action of contract, negligence or other action arising out of or in connection with the use or performance of the material. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting any kind of warranty.
Microsoft is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corp in the United States and/or other countries.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
Microsoft EMEA Response Centre
Phone: +44 870 243 0515
E-mail: emearesponse@waggeneredstrom.com
Note to editors
If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft in EMEA, please visit http://www.microsoft.com/emea or the EMEA Press Centre at http://www.microsoft.com/emea/presscentre. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at the time of publication, but may since have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact the Microsoft EMEA Press Office at +44 870 243 0515 or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/emea/contactus.
If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft Corp, please visit the Microsoft web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass on Microsoft’s corporate information pages.
