Wyse Technology Helps Monroe County Board Of Education Achieve Technology Goals With Server-Centric Computing

District estimates it can deploy and support three times as many desktops for students, teachers and administrators with Wyse® Winterm™ thin clients, Wyse™ Rapport® and Citrix® MetaFrame® software

San Jose, CA – 04/19/2004 - Wyse Technology, the experts in server-centric computing, today announced that Monroe County Board of Education in Forsyth, GA is delivering equal access to educational resources throughout the district, and improving the educational experience for administrators, educators and students, through the use of Wyse server-centric solutions and Citrix Metaframe. Monroe County is maximizing the technology budget while multiplying points of access to the school system's networked learning resources. The district has found that over the last three years it has been able to support more workstations for a given amount of resources using Wyse Winterm thin clients than would be possible with networked PCs. Even with rapidly decreasing PC costs the Wyse thin clients cost less up front and generate continuing savings in reduced support costs and extended life cycles.

Monroe County Board of Education has 3,800 students in six schools ranging from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. The district has about 1,500 workstations, 4,100 users, and a technical support staff of three, including the IT Director. Monroe County Schools initially deployed Wyse thin clients in two computer labs to use Lightspan, an instructional application used in an after-hours program for young children. Following a successful pilot, the decision was made to expand the use of thin clients district-wide. About 600 workstations are Wyse thin clients, and it is expected that the majority of all desktops in the district will be thin clients within two years. Superintendent Scott Cowart and IT Director Dr. Keith Hamon look at thin clients as not just an operational decision, but also as a strategic decision because it changed the way the school network adds value to the educational process. The district is now able to provide equal access to educational computing resources in all schools, regardless of the location or workstation.

"Computing in education needs to act like plumbing - it needs to work and not be noticed. If it's noticed, it means there's something wrong," said Dr. Keith Hamon, technology director for Monroe County Board of Education. "The server-based solution brings us closer to technology transparency. Teachers focus on teaching, not on the technology. We've been able to significantly increase our students', educators' and administrators' access to centrally stored and managed information through server-centric computing."

Monroe County's use of Wyse thin clients illustrates the flexibility these devices have for meeting the wide variety of educational computing needs. Wyse Winterm 1200LE devices are used in school computer labs to support instruction and provide students with access to Microsoft Office software, a powerful web browser, and instructional software such as Accelerated Reader, Accelerated Math, Kidspiration, Star Reader, Star Math, Riverdeep, NovaNet, Sketch Pad and Century 21 keyboarding. In the libraries, the Wyse Winterm 9450XE are used for research and to check out books. Teachers have access at their desks to all of the student programs, in addition to SASI, a student information application, Integrade Pro for grading, Eudora, FileMaker Pro and VersaTrans, a transportation database that handles student bus schedules.

Wyse Platinum Partner ACS managed the project for Monroe County Schools. ACS regularly uses the Wyse server-centric option in school districts because it helps educational customers purchase more desktop devices for the same amount of money. Wyse thin clients are also easier to support. With Wyse Rapport device management software, a staff of one or two people can centrally manage hundreds or even thousands of desktops at dozens of locations without ever having to physically touch each device. Server-centric computing also makes rolling out new software much easier. Central servers are updated with the new software offerings, and thin clients throughout the district immediately access the new programs. Most importantly, Wyse thin clients are immune to many of the security risks that plague computer systems today, ranging from the tampering with devices by mischievous students, to outbreaks of damaging worms and viruses such as the recent MyDoom.

"With our focus on the education market, it's essential that we deliver solutions that maximize scarce resources, help our customers achieve their goals, and continue to add value over time" said Ben Waddy, K-12 Sales Manager at ACS. "The Wyse Winterm thin clients are very fast and virtually indestructible. We are able to get Wyse server-based network installations up and running in a matter of weeks, not months. This enables our customers to immediately begin benefiting from their technology investment. Our solutions wouldn't deliver the same value without Wyse Technology."

About ACS

American Control Systems (ACS) has specialized in thin-client computing since 1995, supporting more than 100 thin-client commercial and K-12 customers in Georgia and Alabama alone. In the last several years the firm's K-12 division has expanded this solid track record of bringing the benefits of Wyse- and Citrix-enabled solutions to schools that must do more with less. In addition to being a Wyse Platinum Partner, ACS is the area's only Citrix Gold and Microsoft Gold Partner. If you want fast, secure, and reliable computer systems that stay out of the way and just let you work, ACS can do for you what they have done for many others. For information see www.acs.cc or call 478-477-2278.

About Wyse Technology

Wyse Technology is the global leader in Cloud Client Computing. The Wyse portfolio includes industry-leading thin, zero and cloud PC client solutions with advanced management, desktop virtualization and cloud software supporting desktops, laptops and next generation mobile devices. Cloud client computing replaces the outdated computing model of the unsecure, unreliable, energy-intensive and expensive PC, all while delivering lower TCO and a superior user experience. Wyse has shipped more than 20 million units and has over 200 million people interacting with their products each day, enabling the leading private, public, hybrid and government cloud implementations worldwide. Wyse partners with industry-leading IT vendors, including Cisco®, Citrix®, IBM®, Microsoft, and VMware® as well as globally-recognized distribution and service partners. Wyse is headquartered in San Jose, California, U.S.A., with offices worldwide.

For more information, visit the Wyse website at http://www.wyse.com or call 1-800-GET-WYSE.

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