Wyse Technology recently demonstrated solar-powered cloud client computing
p>Wyse Technology recently demonstrated solar-powered cloud client computing
Education is Wyse’s second largest market, with ten of the world’s top fifteen universities using Wyse solutions to reduce costs and improve learning. They and other educational institutions benefit from Wyse’s position as the only cloud vendor to offer desktop virtualisation solutions for every budget and scale of implementation, ranging from ten to upwards of ten thousand units. Wyse is committed to helping educational institutions in Africa use its advanced cloud client computing solutions to deliver teaching and learning based on reliable, affordable and greener classroom technologies.
Clients at the show
At eLearning Africa, Wyse offered a practical solution for bringing reliable Web-based e-learning into remote rural locations, at eLearning Africa, which was held recently at the Mlimani City Conference Centre in Dar es Salaam, in Tanzania. The company showcased its latest solutions for widening access to information and communication technologies (ICTs) in education. This includes the innovative shared computing solution based on Wyse E01 zero clients for Microsoft MultiPoint Server that enables up to 10 students to share a single computer. This is designed to be easy for teachers to set up and use in the classroom, provides the latest Microsoft Windows 7 desktop experience, and requires no advanced IT expertise. Wyse also demonstrated how educational institutions can expand availability to computing for high quality e-learning through the latest cloud client computing devices that access virtual desktops over private and public cloud services.
The event was one of the first opportunities to see the newly launched Wyse T50 cloud client, running Ubuntu Linux, on the stand. Ideally suited for students working in classrooms or school computer centres, the low-priced Wyse T50 thin client delivers a rich user experience, displaying vibrant multimedia and video when connected to virtual desktops on a remote server or cloud service.
Alongside the T50, Wyse showed its high performance Wyse Z class cloud PC with Wyse WSM. This works exactly like a normal PC based on the Windows OS and applications delivered to the client as required from a central private cloud data-centre. Wyse WSM works in the cloud and automatically provisions the user environment to the cloud PCs across a wide geographic area and is currently used in South Africa to support over 70,000 desktops in 2,500 schools.
The challenge of providing Internet-based e-learning in remote communities is addressed by a new prototype solar-powered Wyse kiosk. By taking full advantage of lower power consumption of cloud client technology, the kiosk provides up to 14 hours of affordable Internet access per day and never needs to be plugged into mains power. During sunlight hours, the solar panel simultaneously powers the kiosk and charges an internal battery that enables Internet access for a further 5 hours at night-time. There are minimal maintenance costs because the Wyse cloud client technology uses no moving parts and can be supported centrally over the Internet with no local ICT skills necessary.
David Angwin, director of marketing EMEA, discussed how cloud computing technologies can provide greater ICT access for African educational institutions and communities, highlighting alternatives to traditional PCs in e-learning and how cloud computing technologies can be used to deliver reliable, low energy computers for schools, colleges and universities.
