Microsoft EducationCustomer Solution Case Study

Haitian Higher Education Institution Implements Cost-Effective Technology Solution to Expand Programs

OverviewCountry or Region: HaitiIndustry: Education

Customer ProfileFounded in 1995, Ecole Supérieure d’Infotronique d’Haiti (ESIH) specializes in educating its 750 students in computer science and information and communications technology.

Business SituationAfter the 7.0 magnitude earthquake in January 2010, ESIH began rebuilding its computer labs, and it wanted to expand the number of available seats for students while also providing a more energy-efficient solution.

SolutionESIH deployed Windows MultiPoint Server 2010 so that students can have an independent computing experience while simultaneously sharing one computer.

Benefits Reduced energy costs Reduced equipment costs more than

50 percent Expanded educational opportunities Created possibility for solar energy

“With the energy problems we face, we must rely on batteries connected to power invertors. In a traditional lab, the batteries would drain in a matter of two hours. In our current labs, the time is extended to six hours.”

Patrick Attie, Director Adjoint, ESIH

Ecole Supérieure d’Infotronique d’Haiti (ESIH) was founded in 1995 in Port-au-Prince to provide higher education in computer science and business management. In January 2010, the university, like much of the city, was devastated by a 7.0-magnitude earthquake. When the aftershocks subsided, ESIH quickly began to rebuild and saw an opportunity to expand and provide better computing power for more students—students who would be critical to helping the nation recover. Instead of deploying traditional computer labs with desktop computers, ESIH decided to implement Windows MultiPoint Server 2010, which allows multiple users, each with their own independent and familiar Windows experience, to share one computer simultaneously. With Windows MultiPoint Server, the university reduced equipment and energy costs, increased energy efficiency, and reduced administration.

SituationFounded in 1995 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Ecole Supérieure d’Infotronique d’Haiti (ESIH) was the first university in Haiti to specialize in computer science and information and communications technology. ESIH offers bachelor and master-level classes to 750 students from both Haiti and the wider Caribbean region, and it employs approximately 54 full- and part-time faculty and staff.

As an institution providing high-level courses in computer science, ESIH provides much of the necessary technology its students need to complete their education through its computer labs. In the 7.0-magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti in January 2010, all of the school’s 180 computers in its computer labs were destroyed. When ESIH was ready to rebuild, it realized it had an opportunity to try new technologies that could help it save equipment and energy costs while it expanded the number of available seats in its labs—which would also help it expand educational opportunities for current and prospective students.

Originally, the school provided traditional desktop computers in its labs, with individual stations for each student that included a tower, a monitor, a keyboard, and a mouse. Students used the labs to complete projects for classes, in addition to Internet and email access. Student interns were responsible for maintaining all of the computers in the labs in return for a monthly stipend to help them complete their degrees. “We had eight interns, and each one was dedicated to a specific lab,” says Patrick Attie, Director Adjoint at ESIH. “They spent 100 percent of their time maintaining the equipment: installing new software, applying updates, or managing security.”

Another issue the school faced—even before the earthquake—was power, or more specifically, the cost of energy consumption. Due to frequent blackouts, ESIH often relied on diesel generators to provide electricity for the school. In the labs, it used 5-kilowatt inverters to power 20 batteries that could keep the computers running for two to three hours after a blackout occurred. For at least a year, the school had almost no electricity from the grid and was forced to rely solely on the generators to provide power. For the computer labs alone, ESIH faced a cost of approximately 843 HTG (U.S.$20.84) an hour—about 2.1 million HTG ($50,000) a year—for diesel fuel to power the generators. Energy costs for ESIH are more than 200 times the average commercial cost per kilowatt in the United States.

ESIH knew it would be costly to replace all of the desktop systems it lost in the earthquake. The school also knew that it wanted to replace its previous solution with one that would help it reduce energy costs and be more energy-efficient overall. In the past it had considered a multiseat configuration, where a single computer supports multiple users who operate independently of one another with their own monitor, mouse, and keyboard, as though they were using an individual desktop computer. “We looked at a Linux-based multiseat solution, but it was not as cost-effective as we thought it would be, and it did not offer as many opportunities as the Windows Multipoint Server solution,” explains Attie. “Also, we found that the students were more familiar with the Windows environment and Microsoft Office, because that is what they primarily used when they were working away from the school.”

SolutionAs ESIH rebuilt its computer labs after the earthquake, it decided to deploy Windows MultiPoint Server 2010. It installed three computers running Windows MultiPoint Server. On each of the host computers, it attached six workstations consisting of a monitor, mouse, and keyboard, for a total of 18 workstations. The school plans to expand its deployment and eventually have 300 seats—120 more than it previously offered.

For its host computers, ESIH deployed HP MultiSeat quad-core computers donated by HP, a solution designed to support Windows MultiPoint Server. Each of the Windows MultiPoint Server hosts is connected to the Internet through a Gigabit Ethernet connection. For the MultiPoint stations, the school acquired monitors locally and connected keyboards and mice. Students use Microsoft Office 2010 (donated by Microsoft) to create documents, spreadsheets, and presentations for classes, in addition to specialty software for designing and programming.

ESIH received training from Microsoft, and the student interns understood quickly how to use the MultiPoint Manager console to set up and manage hosts, stations, and user accounts. With the MultiPoint Manager, they can also perform additional administrative tasks: they can set up auto-logon to log on to all stations at once, apply Windows Group Policies, and provide assistance when people need help.

For students who use the labs to work on class projects, the change has been transparent. The experience of using a MultiPoint station is virtually the same as using a traditional desktop computer. “Most of our students are familiar with Windows and Microsoft Office, so it was

good for us to have a ‘Windows-ready’ platform,” says Attie. “We have not experienced any significant slowdown in the lab, even though we have six students using the same CPU [central processing units] as one student would use on a traditional dual- or quad-core computer.”

While ESIH has mainly focused on resuming lab operations for students, it plans to help teachers create a platform for distance learning based around Windows MultiPoint Server technology in the near future. The school is also considering a program to integrate some classes for Windows MultiPoint Server into its curriculum. After students have completed the classes, they could train upcoming classes, and the school would also offer a professional certification to help graduates obtain employment.

By implementing Windows MultiPoint Server, ESIH can now also consider alternative solutions to provide power. The school is investigating the possibility of installing a solar infrastructure to power its computer labs. “When we looked at implementing a complete off-grid solar power solution in the past, it was simply too costly,” says Attie. “With Windows MultiPoint Server, the solution would be much more affordable for us because it requires at least half the power of using traditional desktop computers.” The school also plans to upgrade to Windows MultiPoint Sever 2011 in the near future to take advantage of additional administrative and management capabilities.

BenefitsWith Windows MultiPoint Server, ESIH has provided a technology solution that helps it to reduce costs without further disruption to students. The school has been able to rebuild in a way that provides a foundation

“With our traditional labs, we would need to install at least 600 solar panels, at a cost of about 60.5 million HTG [U.S.$1.5 million] for the whole school. With the new labs running Windows MultiPoint Server, we would need about half the number of panels at half the cost.”

Patrick Attie, Director Adjoint, ESIH

for future growth, both for the institution itself and for the students it serves.

Reduced Energy Costs and Increased EfficiencyBy implementing Windows MultiPoint Server, ESIH can save up to 70 percent of the energy costs it experienced with its previous labs that housed traditional desktop computers. “With the energy problems we face, we must rely on batteries connected to power invertors. In a traditional lab, the batteries would drain in a matter of two hours. In our current labs, the time is extended to six hours,” explains Attie. With MultiPoint Server, the generator runs less frequently because the batteries last longer, thereby decreasing the amount of fuel the school needs to run the generators by about 15 percent.

Reduced Equipment Costs by More Than 50 PercentBy providing MultiPoint stations instead of desktop computers and using refurbished equipment, ESIH reduced its equipment costs by about 50 percent. Instead of spending almost 37,000 HTG ($900) for a traditional desktop computer per seat, the school can provide workstations for around HTG 17,565 ($430) per seat. The school can use the savings to increase lab space.

Expanded Educational OpportunitiesThe cost savings ESIH has experienced from implementing Windows MultiPoint Server means that it can expand the number of seats in its computer labs from 180 to 300, which translates to an opportunity to educate more students. Instructors can also create distance-learning programs for students who are unable to travel to the school for any reason.

By implementing courses and training programs based around Windows MultiPoint Server and offering a

professional certification, ESIH also increases the employment possibilities for its students after they graduate and join the workforce.

Eased AdministrationWith Windows MultiPoint Server, student interns have fewer computers to manage and maintain. “Our interns used to spend 100 percent of their time dealing with updates or other issues on machines in the labs. With fewer machines to manage, that time has been reduced to five or ten percent of their day,” says Attie. Student interns spend about four or five hours a day in the lab, and now they can dedicate that time to helping other students, and researching new programs and technologies to help improve the labs, instead of dealing with problems and routine maintenance. With MultiPoint Manager, they can automate and apply updates and fixes more quickly than before, which means they also have time to assist fellow students.

Created Possibility for Solar Energy SolutionWhen ESIH initially investigated an off-grid solar power solution for its computer labs, the cost—in terms of both money and space—was prohibitive. “With our traditional labs, we would need to install at least 600 solar panels, at a cost of about 60.5 million HTG [$1.5 million] for the whole school,” explains Attie. “With the new labs running Windows MultiPoint Server, we would need about half the number of panels at half the cost.” The school hopes to begin the conversion to solar power in the next three or four years. “As we expand, Windows MultiPoint Server will likely save us hundreds of thousands of dollars in energy costs,” Attie explains.

“Our interns used to spend 100 percent of their time dealing with updates or other issues on machines in the labs. With fewer machines to manage, that time has been reduced to five or ten percent of their day.”

Patrick Attie, Director Adjoint, ESIH

As ESIH rebuilds, it has actively worked to improve the educational experience for its students. By making Windows MultiPoint Server a part of its new technology infrastructure, it can continue to provide excellence in education that will help the whole country recover.

Microsoft EducationMicrosoft technology, programs, and solutions can improve teaching and learning opportunities for instructors and students and make education administration more successful.

For more information about Microsoft Education please go to:

www.microsoft.com/educationwww.microsoft.com/education/schoolswww.microsoft.com/education/highered

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For more information about Ecole Supérieure d’Infotronique d’Haiti products and services, visit the website at:www.esih.edu

This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY.

Document published March 2011

Software and Services Microsoft Server Product Portfolio− Windows MultiPoint Server 2010

Microsoft Office− Microsoft Office 2010

Hardware HP MultiSeat quad-core computers