DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Michigan State University (MSU) Dubai has become the first university in the UAE to adopt centralized computing, with the introduction of 50 blade workstations and PCs in the two computer laboratories on campus at Dubai International Academic City. Students can now access all their MSU Dubai applications and data through these blade workstations located in the laboratories. This is the first application of this new virtualization technology in the education sector in the Middle East and can easily be scaled up to meet the IT demands as the study body at MSU Dubai continues to grow.
The blade workstations themselves consist of just a keyboard, monitor and mouse, which are connected via compact C-Ports to 'blade PCs' stacked in a central cage on campus. In addition to more powerful computing, the benefits are easy access for students, more desk space for students, significant noise reduction in the computer laboratories, and energy savings.
The centralized computing solution replaces the box PCs at the desk with high performance, energy efficient and secure workstations located in the data center. The blade workstations are centrally managed through a single interface and therefore don't require an IT technician to visit the end-user's desk to address an issue. The energy efficiency, reliability and management time savings all deliver a total cost of ownership that is 40 per cent less than comparable box PCs.
For the IT management team at MSU Dubai, PC troubleshooting becomes more streamlined with the flexibility to switch students from one blade workstation to another whilst a problem is resolved and to replace hard drives quickly and easily; software updates on each blade PC can be completed in just eight minutes compared to the 20 minutes required for the box PCs, previously.
"Being able to update and manage all of the workstations from a single location is a huge benefit for us," said Praveen De Silva, Principal Information Technologist, Michigan State University, Dubai campus. "We don't have a large IT team and being able to manage all the blade workstations from their advanced interface really helps streamline the maintenance of our dynamic computer lab, saves significant budget and human resources and keeps the students productive."
Mr Ali Mohamed Bhayani, Chief Operating Officer at MSU Dubai, adds:
"Information technology plays a vital role in the learning process and MSU Dubai is committed to providing advanced technology to support students and faculty on campus. This is a significant investment in 'hosted computing virtualization' - which is more costly than regular box PCs - but it puts us at the forefront of the regional education sector and even ahead of the MSU campus in the United States. Our students benefit from access to shared resources, more space and less noise, and our IT team has a more flexible network to manage and can troubleshoot from outside the classroom. Our student body has increased by 34 per cent this academic year and as our student numbers continue to grow, the blade workstation network will grow with us."
The centralised computing solution providers for MSU Dubai were Bladetec for design and integration using ClearCube blades - the pioneer in blade PC workstations.
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About Michigan State University Dubai
MSU Dubai was the first American university with a presence in DIAC, with classes beginning in August 2008. The University offers six undergraduate programs:
Business Administration; Child and Youth Development; Computer Engineering; Construction Project Management; Early Childhood Education
Michigan State University is a top American teaching and research university. Faculty members at MSU Dubai hold doctoral and other appropriate degrees in their areas of expertise as teachers, scholars and researchers from MSU, and include a substantial number of regular faculty from the MSU main campus in the United States.
MSU is fully accredited by the American North Central Association Higher Learning Commission and has full academic authority and quality control over courses and programs. MSU's regular courses, program, degree, admissions and accreditation requirements are maintained in Dubai and diplomas awarded are standard MSU diplomas.
Michigan State University has been advancing knowledge and transforming lives through innovative teaching, research and outreach for more than 150 years. MSU is known internationally as a major public university with global reach and extraordinary impact. Its 17 degree-granting colleges attract scholars worldwide who are interested in combining education with practical problem solving.
MSU has been ranked one of the top 100 universities in the world**,* for six consecutive years, by Shanghai Jiao Tong University's Institute of Higher Education in its annual Academic Ranking of World Universities.
About Bladetec
Founded in 2002, Bladetec is a well-funded, multi-national, global leader in blade computing design, architecture, and use. Headquartered in the United Kingdom, Bladetec was created to vastly improve business computing through the use and successful application of disruptive technologies using a methodology called /The Power of Less/. As a pioneer in blade computing, the most forward-thinking and successful companies in Europe, the Middle East and Africa working in financial services, education, healthcare, and government turn to Bladetec for successful solutions which give significant cost reductions in energy and administration, and dramatic increases in security and availability.
For more information go to www.bladetec.com or write to hello@bladetec.com or call +44 (0) 20 7100 7320 and speak to Stevie Rose.
© Press Release 2009
