Which Comes First – the Interactive Technologies or the Technology Backbone? CDW-G and Districts Say Backbone

AUSTIN, Texas -- (BUSINESS WIRE) -- CDW Government LLC (CDW-G), a leading source of Information Technology (IT) solutions to educators and governments, today announced its work with Katy Independent School District (ISD), Upper Darby School District, and Evansville Vanderburgh School District (EVSC) to improve the districts’ core IT infrastructure and enable 21st-century learning initiatives.

“Teachers and administrators today are focused on providing interactive, engaging learning environments. In their drive to improve students’ classroom experiences, however, districts frequently prioritize the adoption of new technology platforms without first ensuring that they have the right IT infrastructure in place,” said Bob Kirby, vice president, K-12, CDW-G. “Districts soon discover a frustrating truth – even the most powerful technologies will fail without a sufficiently robust underlying IT infrastructure. Katy ISD, Upper Darby and EVSC are prime examples of how proper planning, implementation and resources can help districts build an IT infrastructure that promotes 21st-century classroom offerings.”

Katy ISD (Katy, Texas)

Katy ISD began working three years ago to streamline its IT infrastructure to support 21st-century learning. Today, the district has virtualized 70 percent of its data center, which enables teachers and students to use Web 2.0 technologies without overtaxing available bandwidth.

A robust network enables Katy ISD students to participate in digital projects, including a pending cell phone-based mobile learning initiative. “We are very fortunate in that a high percentage of our students have a cell phone with Internet capabilities, which is why we want to leverage mobile devices as learning tools,” said Lenny Schad, CIO, Katy ISD. “Within the next two years, we plan to implement a public Wi-Fi network on every campus so that students will be able to use their mobile devices at school in an interactive learning environment without additional costs or security concerns for parents or the district.”

In addition to the educational benefits of a solid IT infrastructure, the district is also conserving energy with a centralized power management system. The power management system controls when computers throughout the district are powered on in the morning and powered off in the evening. The system allows for IT managers at the district to remotely power on computers in order to perform maintenance and manage task loads, saving money on energy costs and long-term wear on the devices.

“The benefits of a solid IT infrastructure are overwhelming,” Schad said. “We have seen cost savings, created a secure computing environment and are taking advantage of new computing options. Our ultimate goal is to facilitate an interactive learning environment for students and teachers, regardless of where they are.”

Upper Darby School District (Drexel Hill, Pa.)

After dealing with compartmentalized, piecemealed IT for more than 25 years, the Upper Darby School District struggled to support its current technology, let alone transition to new solutions that would help achieve the comprehensive, dynamic learning environment that teachers and students wanted.

“After some initial setbacks, we realized that innovative technologies demand a solid supporting infrastructure,” said Eileen Hershman, educational research and technology coordinator, Upper Darby School District. “We brought together key stakeholders from around the district to evaluate our current IT architecture and create a new technology plan, which included centralizing IT at the district level and moving to a virtual computing environment.”

“We brought in CDW-G to help us because they understood the educational opportunities, cost savings and energy benefits of moving to a virtual environment,” Hershman noted. The district’s plan also included student workstations, laptop computers to support online lessons and reading initiatives, a Web-based curriculum, data storage and online administrative functions such as real-time attendance and report cards.

While the district is still in the early phases of implementation, it is already reaping the rewards of its plan. “Our virtual environment enables us to meet specific educational and administrative technology requests such as added data storage, increased security and valuable asset tracking devices, all centrally controlled through virtualization. These are key elements of our 21st-century learning environment,” Hershman said.

Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation (Evansville, Ind.)

Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation (EVSC) Superintendent Vince Bertram and his team know that a solid IT infrastructure is key to supporting innovative technologies in the classroom. EVSC’s initiatives include a computing program with more than 7,500 netbooks for its high school students and a wireless unified communications project that enables faculty and staff to share information beyond the school walls.

“We never would have been able to support the bandwidth for the netbooks without a robust network in place,” said Mike Russ, chief technology officer. “Because we made a significant investment in our district’s infrastructure from the beginning, we were ready to take on resource-intensive initiatives like netbooks and unified communications.” The next stage of the district’s plans includes breaking ground on a new data center this spring.

Working with CDW-G, the district avoided common pitfalls and overcame challenges. “We realized that in order to complete these projects, we needed help with inventory, installation and project management, so that we could maintain day-to-day activities. That’s where CDW-G proved invaluable to the success of the program – they became an extension of our IT staff,” Russ noted.

For more information about CDW-G’s infrastructure offerings for K-12, please visit http://www.cdwg.com/content/solutions/infrastructure-optimization/default.aspx.

About CDW-G

A wholly owned subsidiary of CDW LLC, ranked No. 41 on Forbes’ list of America’s Largest Private Companies, CDW Government LLC (CDW-G) is a leading provider of technology solutions for federal, state and local government agencies, as well as educational institutions at all levels. The company features dedicated account managers who help customers choose the right technology products and services to meet their needs. The company’s technology specialists and engineers offer expertise in designing customized solutions, while its advanced technology engineers can assist customers with the implementation and long-term management of those solutions. Areas of focus include notebooks, desktops, printers, servers and storage, unified communications, security, wireless, power and cooling, networking, software licensing and mobility solutions.

For more information about CDW-G product offerings, procurement options, service and solutions, call 1.800.808.4239, email cdwgsales@cdwg.com or visit the CDW-G Web site at CDWG.com.