Wyse Technology Teaches Snowflake Unified School District the Cost Savings of Server-Centric Computing

School district saves over half a million dollars with Wyse® Winterm™ thin clients and Wyse Rapport management software

San Jose, CA – 08/12/2003 - Wyse Technology's server-centric computing solutions to help achieve their goal of one computer for every two students in the district. Snowflake has deployed more than 800 Wyse® Winterm™ thin clients in K-12 classrooms, and manages the devices from a central location with Wyse™ Rapport® management software. The implementation has saved the district more than $500,000 through a reduction in the cost of ownership for technology equipment, utility savings and improved employee productivity and efficiency.

Snowflake is a rural school district serving 2,500 students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. The district is committed to empowering its students and teachers with access to technology, but cannot afford the high costs of deploying and managing a large number of personal computers. Budgets are tight and the personnel and resources required to manage thousands of PCs across its six campuses are scarce. To achieve its objectives of widespread computer access, Snowflake had to find a more cost-effective alternative that would still deliver the computing power K-12 students need.

After evaluating several options, Snowflake chose Wyse Technology to help them close the gap. The district saved half a million dollars and experienced many benefits from implementing server-centric computing. Wyse thin clients can be set up in the classroom in mere minutes and all devices are centrally managed through Rapport software, reducing computer maintenance and repair costs by 85 percent district-wide. The district saved $50,000 on furniture and equipment costs because thin clients can sit on smaller, lighter and less expensive desks. Additionally, Snowflake reduced its IT department supply budget by 20 percent over two years and increased overall network management efficiency. This allows the IT staff to spend scarce funds on other pressing technology projects and increase the time spent on training and staff development.

"We accelerated our deployment plan and met our project goals earlier than expected because we were able to buy twice as many thin clients with our budget than we would have with PCs," said Gary Sims, director of information technology for the district. "With the ease-of-use, reliability and manageability delivered by Wyse's thin clients, we are also able to support the technology with a limited IT staff of three people - something that would have been impossible with PCs.

"Our IT staff found that PCs were a consistent distraction for teachers," continued Sims. "Classes were often interrupted when PCs became infected with viruses, were damaged or improperly used by students, or simply locked up. These interruptions required teachers to focus on addressing IT issues and took away from time dedicated to instruction."

Several elements of the Wyse server-centric computing solution contributed to the district's decision, including reduced up-front acquisition costs, simplified management and maintenance, increased security and virus resistance and device reliability. Rapport software enables Snowflake Unified School District to centrally manage its computing environment (software distribution, device diagnostics, device configuration and asset management) from a single location. With Rapport management software, Snowflake IT staff can easily maintain the software that resides on a Wyse thin client; perform updates to specific applications; and access important information about each device without ever having to physically touch the thin client.

"There is a growing demand for technology in the classroom and many parents expect their children to use computers at school, though the costs can be difficult for districts to absorb," said David Rand, director of corporate marketing at Wyse Technology. "Wyse server-centric computing has the unique ability to assist school districts like Snowflake that are struggling with budget reductions to save money and still meet their established technology goals."

About Wyse Technology

Wyse is the #1 vendor the world's largest businesses and institutions trust for scalable thin-client computing solutions. Wyse provides the hardware, software, and services that shift computing complexity to the network, reducing cost, liberating IT departments from unnecessary support and maintenance functions, empowering users to be more productive in their jobs, and protecting and improving access to critical information and business applications. Headquartered in San Jose, California with offices worldwide, Wyse has been #1 in thin-client market share for the last eight years, enjoys a close partnership with Citrix Systems, and has been named Microsoft "Embedded Partner of the Year" for three years. Wyse customers include FedEx, Best Buy (Canada), Quaker Foods, and Gold's Gym.

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