Noel-Baker Community School Deploys Dell

Dell, Inc. announced that Noel-Baker Community School, a
secondary school based in Derby, has deployed a new IT infrastructure based on
Dell end-to-end solutions.

This has created an environment that enables the school’s students to learn in
a more engaging way, supports teachers to deliver innovative methods
of teaching, and provides the IT team with the automated infrastructure required
to respond to IT demands.

With the infrastructure now in place, the IT team
no longer has to dedicate vast amounts of time to servicing the school and its
customers, and now has additional free time to focus on more strategic and
higher-level tasks to further benefit the school.

The new infrastructure is
based on Dell servers, networking, storage, end-user computing devices and Dell
KACE systems management appliances, and was created in conjunction with the
rebuild of the school’s campus. The refreshed back-end data centre
and devices that teachers and pupils use every day, have created a cutting-edge
environment for enhanced learning.

In addition to providing Noel-Baker Community School with the technology it
needs to maintain its everyday requirements, the new Dell-based back-end
infrastructure enables the school to offer IT services to neighbouring
educational institutions and charities. This is made possible as the IT team
can take advantage of the virtualized and automated environment to
outsource computing environments on-demand. This has raised the school’s
profile within the community and is generating income to fund other IT projects
and services. The deployment has also helped the IT team to show off their
technical abilities to prospective customers which may be interested in using
the infrastructure, and display the potential benefits of technology in
schools, putting the school at the forefront of IT innovation within the
education space.

The IT team wanted to provide a 1:1 ratio of computers to students to provide
them with access to the tools they needed for effective learning.
With Dell Latitude laptops deployed throughout classrooms and Dell OptiPlex
desktops installed in ‘breakout zones’ such as the library and teachers’ desks
in every classroom, students now have access to the resources they need to
complete important course work. Teachers now are fully supported and can log in to their desktops during lessons to access applications and
files. This also eliminates the need for teachers to configure their laptops
with surrounding equipment such as projectors and printers every time they move
classrooms.

The
school’s datacentre is based onPowerEdge Servers, and Dell EqualLogic storage arrays and Dell Networking, providing the flexible infrastructure
required to support new teaching environments. The IT team receives regular
requests from teachers to test new software, and with the new infrastructure
they can rapidly respond to those demands and quickly provision virtual
servers and disk space on the fly. These virtual environments now can be
created in a matter of minutes rather than days, freeing up time for the IT
team and allowing teachers to access IT services much faster than was
previously possible, encouraging them to test out new teaching methods.

Additionally, using KACE K1000 and K2000 Management Appliances, the IT
team has automated many administrative processes such as software distribution
and patching, which previously took days to complete. Updates can now be scheduled during downtime, meaning that learning is uninterrupted and frees
IT time for additional tasks that benefit the school and students.

"We wanted to create an IT environment,
which was flexible, scalable and could rapidly respond to user demands,"
said Lee Jepsen, networking manager, Noel-Baker School. "With Dell’s end-to-end solutions, we’re now
providing the foundation to help teachers and students teach and learn in a far
more effective way. We’ve automated and simplified many maintenance and
administrative tasks, and created a high quality infrastructure which partners
will also benefit from."

"The education sector has becoming
increasingly reliant on technology to deliver next generation learning and
teaching methods," said Ken Harley, education sales director, Dell UK.
"We’re working closely with
educational organisations throughout the world to provide the technology they
need to deliver the next generation of learning and improve student outcomes.
Our efficient and cost-effective portfolio provides teachers and students with
the tools needed to benefit from a truly personalised learning experience."