Wyse Thin Clients Move to Head of the Class at Award-Winning School District

'Future of Education Computing' On Display at Western Wayne School District

SAN JOSE, Calif. – 08/11/2009 - Wyse Technology, the global leader in thin computing and client virtualization, today announced an exciting new implementation at the Western Wayne School District in Northeast Pennsylvania. When it comes to the strategic use of technology in the classroom, Western Wayne is an example of everything a school district can be.  In 2009, Western Wayne received the "Schools of Excellence in Technology" award from the Pennsylvania School Boards Association.  This prestigious award is given to only three school districts in the state. 

Situated between Scranton, PA and the New York State border, the Western Wayne School District encompasses 174 square miles on the border of Wayne County.  The school district is comprised of five schools: Western Wayne High School, Western Wayne Middle School, R.D. Wilson Elementary, Lake Ariel Elementary and Hamlin Elementary.  In all, nearly 2,500 students are served throughout the district.

In just a few short years, Western Wayne has progressed from a problematic technology infrastructure more focused on computer triage than technology strategy, to one that incorporates technology into the everyday educational experiences of its students, faculty and broader community.  Driven by "No Child Left Behind" performance benchmarks, the initial core academic areas to benefit from technology improvements were Math, Social Studies, Language Arts and Science. 

Western Wayne recently made the decision to move away from a PC infrastructure toward one based on Wyse virtual clients.  The District had been in the habit of annually replacing 60 computers at an annual cost of $70,000; cycling out the most out-dated and problematic PCs, or re-deploying them to lower grades.  With the move to a thin client infrastructure, the District is now adding 100 new thin clients per year at a savings of $25,000 per year after the second year.  With the financial savings, Western Wayne has also been able to incorporate additional technology services into other departments such as Art and Music.

While it can be difficult to definitively tie improved technology to an increase in academic performance, the district is seeing marked improvements in the education of its students.

"Over the course of the past two academic years the Western Wayne School District has seen solid growth in our students' Mathematics and Language Arts achievement, as measured by the Pennsylvania School Boards Association," according to Brian Seaman, Network Administrator at Western Wayne School District.  "Although we can't say that the use of technology was the sole cause of this growth, we know that the use of technology to support data analysis and classroom instruction has contributed to this increase in achievement."

"Western Wayne might very well be the education poster child for doing more with less," according to Maryam Alexandrian, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Sales and Channels at Wyse Technology.  "They have more computers in the hands of more kids.  They've saved money on hardware, software and energy.  They've been able to cut down on licensing fees, and they've also put an infrastructure in place that's both innovative and super scalable."

"I believe that what we are deploying today is the future of education computing," added Seaman.  "There is a misconception that thin clients don't have the ability to handle today's computing needs – audio, video, multiple screens and the like.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  For any school or university that's wondered whether thin clients can make their IT arm a more efficient department -- all while saving time, money and energy costs -- the answer is a resounding 'yes.'  We are phasing out PCs in favor of virtual clients throughout the district."

For more information on Western Wayne's use of Wyse Technology, download the complete case study at:  http://www.wyse.com/solutions/education/

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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