California-based NComputing, claimed to a leading provider of shared computing technology, has initiated a massive computer education programme along with the Andhra Pradesh government and partially funded by the Central government. The programme will provide computing access to 18 lakh school children throughout the state. Each of the 5,000 secondary schools will have a 10-seat computing lab with two desktop PCs and eight NComputing systems.
The win marks the largest deployment of NComputing’s solution in India. By leveraging NComputing, the government hopes to save nearly Rs 80 crore in up-front and ongoing costs. The government will also use 90% less electricity compared to a traditional all-PC solution.
Speaking on the occasion, Stephen Dukker, chairman and CEO said, “At about Rs 4,500 per seat, our solution is the ideal platform to enable schools, businesses, and governments to maximize their PC investment. We are the world leader in desktop virtualization and the scale of this deployment further extends our leadership position.” NComputing’s shared computing solution can be simultaneously shared by many users and uses only one watt of electricity besides being rugged, durable and easy to maintain.
The computing labs will be used to teach computer skills, office productivity (such as spreadsheets and word processing), as well as subjects like reading and math. The systems will run the Microsoft Windows Server operating system and Microsoft Office Suite.
The Andhra Pradesh programme is based on an innovative outsourcing model developed by the Andhra Pradesh government. Based on BOT model, it requires outsourcers to install, staff, and manage the labs for a five-year term. This arrangement helps ensure that the labs are installed quickly and strict performance benchmarks are met. The five-year period also enables school staff to develop their own skills in managing the labs and honing computer-aided teaching capabilities.
For starters, the state government created a transparent bid process with a tender evaluation committee to select the best technologies and the qualified educational IT companies. Over a dozen companies submitted proposals for various regions of the state. The winning bidders, which incorporated NComputing’s shared-computing solution to help secure the deal, included NIIT, ECIL, Educomp, Everonn, IEG, Terasoft, and Social Computers.
NIIT will be responsible for managing 2,005 of the schools. The solution will be integrated with desktop PCs which will be supplied primarily by Acer and HCL. These computer makers have tested and endorsed the NComputing solution and will integrate the NComputing hardware and software at their factories. NComputing’s technology has been deployed by over 20,000 organisations in over 90 countries.