S & B Automotive Academy: Driving down the cost of IT provision

S & B Automotive Academy is the number one automotive training provider in the UK. Proud of their excellent, modern facilies, they offer a diverse range of apprenticeships within the industry, in what Chief Exec Jon Winter describes as "a supportive, safe and stimulating environment".

The management team initially wanted to set up a break out area for students, where they could surf the net - and so an internet cafe was born. They installed the X series from NComputing, which utilises PCI cards.

They were so impressed with the performance, and how inexpensive it was, they began to roll it out into other areas of the academy.

Challenge: Initially to install an internet suite for the cafe. Additionally to improve the computer provision at a low cost, and to simplify the IT administration.

Solution: To implement five NComputing X550s, creating 25 workstations in the cafe area, then to implement NComputing 73*L230 LAN based virtual desktops in four classrooms.

Results: The money saved by the implementation of virtual desktops has freed up budget to replace outdated PCs in other classrooms. The ongoing reduction in power used by the virtual desktop suites will save 90% of the running costs of these suites. Renewal costs are a fraction of the cost of replacing PCs, and are likely to last twice as long - a massive saving on capital expenditure costs.

View the PDF case study here or read in full below.

S & B Automotive Academy is the number one automotive training provider in the UK. Proud of their excellent, modern facilies, they offer a diverse range of apprenticeships within the industry, in what Chief Exec Jon Winter describes as "a supportive, safe and stimulating environment".

The management team initially wanted to set up a break out area for students, where they could surf the net - and so an internet cafe was born. They installed the X series from NComputing, which utilises PCI cards.

They were so impressed with the performance, and how inexpensive it was, they began to roll it out into other areas of the academy.

"This started as an idea to give our students a break out area with internet facilities to add to their overall experience here at S & B. We could never have anticipated that the internet provision through the X series was actually better than we had through our PCs!" says Don Whitcombe, ICT Manager, "Very quickly, we realised desktop virtualisation was the way forward in our classrooms too".

The first classroom was equipped with twenty L series workstations which connect to the host via a LAN. Don says "We were all very impressed. The students use the workstations for general work, downloading assignments and 'end of block' tests - these are obviously sat simultaneously, and yet there is no degradation of the student experience". He added "It wasn't long before all the lecturers were asking for their classroom PCs to be replaced with virtual desktops - and as the costs were so low, we've been able to oblige".

Increasing technology access at a fraction of the cost of PCs

"The obvious benefit of desktop virtualisation is the initial purchase cost," says Don, "but what is often overlooked is that replacement costs are even more beneficial as the access device is so much more durable than a PC and so needs replacing less frequently". Don went on to say "The running costs are a fraction of running a suite of PCs - the access device itself uses virtually nothing, so you have the cost of running one host PC - instead of 30".

Another benefit Don has found is the reduction in time to manage the IT in classrooms. "We often have power cuts here and, instead of having to re-boot every PC in a classroom, I can just re-boot the host PC and everything runs smoothly. I can also make changes to an entire suite from one central computer. The saving, in terms of management time, has freed me up to undertake other projects." 

Cooler, Quieter - A Better Teaching Environment

The desktop virtualisation solutions are quieter and produce virtually no heat, making the environment for students and teachers so much more comfortable. Also, because the units are so small and can be easily hidden and secured, the likelihood of theft or vandalism - with all its resultant headaches - is massively reduced.

Desktop virtualisation works because today's PCs are so powerful that the vast majority of applications only use a small fraction of the computer's capacity. The 'virtualisation' hardware and software taps into this unused capacity so that it can be simultaneously shared by multiple students. Each student's monitor, keyboard and mouse connect to the shared PC through a small and very durable access device.

The access device itself has no CPU, memory or moving parts - so it's rugged, reliable and easy to deploy and maintain - and if the worst should happen, it's a fraction of the cost of a new PC to replace.

By spreading out the cost of the shared computer schools and colleges can provide up to five times the number of workstations for the same money.

And the Future?

Don Whitcombe says "I love this system. It's inexpensive, efficient, cheap to run and easy to manage. We already have over 100 virtual desktops in our college, and when our new building is completed in June the classrooms will be equipped with virtual desktops. I've already put my order in with KL Ltd. Working with KL has been a pleasure, and I recommend them, and of course desktop virtualisation, to everyone I talk to".