Technology: Doing More With Less

1. Technology:Doing More With Less Presented by Glen Popiel MDE/CIBER Network Engineer CCNA, CNE, MCSE, Security+ MDE/CIBER Inc.

2. Problem #1:We have no money Budget reductions are affecting State and School District budgets. These can be expected to continue To improve the quality of education, we need more technology in the classroom Technology comes at a price, in terms of hardware, software, support costs and manpower MDE/CIBER Inc.

3. Problem #2:We have no bandwidth More and more applications are moving to an online web-based format instead of being locally hosted as in the past Internet bandwidth usage is growing exponentially and there is not enough bandwidth to support these applications Each application moved online consumes additional bandwidth which is only compounding the problem MDE/CIBER Inc.

4. Bandwidth Availability At the state level there is 1,200 Megabits per second of bandwidth allocated to the K-12 MPLS network Usage by ALL districts MUST average 7.9 Mb/s 1791 Mb/s is allocated by the state to the district offices alone We’re 591 Mb/s short before we even include the schools into the equation The only reason this works is typical Internet data is not constantly streaming but is intermittent bursts of data However, more and more of our Internet usage is streaming data (video, etc) Increasing the bandwidth at the district/school level doesn’t gain anything since the bottleneck is effectively at the state level MDE/CIBER Inc.

5. The Laws of Physics are still being enforced Bandwidth demand cannot exceed bandwidth available We’re already negative 600 Mb/s at district offices alone The move to more streaming Internet content is stretching this to the breaking point Since neither Stephen Hawking nor Albert Einstein are working on this problem, we’re basically on our own MDE/CIBER Inc.

6. At The School Level The average school is connected to the Internet via a single 1.5 Mb/s T1 circuit Assuming the average student online learning session consumes 300 Kb/s and contains streaming content, each school can have about 5 students using any of these applications at a time with NO bandwidth available for other Internet activity Even if the school is not connected via a T1, the overall 7.9 Mb/s average per district still applies MDE/CIBER Inc.

7. Application Bandwidth Usage STAR Early Literacy : 32,790 Kb/s English in a Flash : 14,450 Kb/s Fluent Reader : 12,390 Kb/s Accelerated Reader : 9,027 Kb/s MathFacts in a Flash : 6,178 Kb/s STAR Math : 5,825 Kb/s Accelerated Math : 4,333 Kb/s MPB/Distance Learning : 3,000 Kb/s Streaming Video : 3,000 Kb/s STAR Reading : 2,929 Kb/s Compass/Odyssey : 2,560 Kb/s (HS) 1,280 Kb/s (K-8) Plato : 1,280 Kb/s Streaming Music : 1,280 Kb/s Based on 10 concurrent users T1 Bandwidth = 1,544 Kb/s Based on estimates provided by software manufacturer MDE/CIBER Inc.

8. Problem #3:We’re not getting all the bang for our technology bucks Implementation of Online Applications we don’t have the bandwidth to support Implementation of new technology we don’t have the network infrastructure or personnel to support Technology staff is not being involved in purchasing decisions Not enough manpower to support Network infrastructure insufficient Bandwidth not available Cost of support not considered Vendors tend to sell what they want you to buy not what you really need MDE/CIBER Inc.

9. There Are Solutions Bandwidth options Smart technology purchasing Virtualization Free Stuff Other Cost Savings MDE/CIBER Inc.

10. Bandwidth Options Conserve Internet bandwidth Content Filtering can help but it’s a band-aid User education to reduce bandwidth waste Don’t use online backup services such as iDisk, Carbonite, etc. They can transfer huge amounts of data Implement local Windows Update and Antivirus update servers More Bandwidth But I said there’s no bandwidth available Consult with your technology staff, MDE and the CIBER reps for possible solutions Host your Applications locally Adds to hardware and support costs MDE/CIBER Inc.

11. Buy Wisely Do you really need what you’re planning to buy? Is there a more effective solution available at a lower overall cost? What are the TRUE bandwidth and infrastructure requirements? Do you have the bandwidth to support it? Single User demos always work great. You have to scale it to the planned number of users Can your existing tech staff support it? Will it require additional infrastructure and/or manpower? MDE/CIBER Inc.

12. Alternative Solutions Moodle Virtualization – server and desktop Firewall, VPN, Content and Spam Filtering Voice Over IP Phone/Intercom/Bell Systems Google Apps Open Office Open Source Learning Applications MDE/CIBER Inc.

13. Moodle Moodle is a FREE Open Source Course Management system allowing teachers to create their own course content in an online environment that is hosted locally Because it is hosted locally, students and teachers can use Web 2.0 technology in a closed, secure, safe and managed environment Thousands of teachers have already created content you can use immediately in the classroom MDE/CIBER Inc.

14. Virtualization Virtualization is the latest technology trend that allows for reduction of physical equipment while providing the same level of functionality to the end user Server Virtualization Allows the consolidation of server hardware to fewer physical units, reducing long term costs The software required to do this is free Desktop Virtualization nComputing/Thin Clients Significantly reduces the cost and number of physical workstations required, replacing them with just a monitor, keyboard, mouse and a thin client device MDE/CIBER Inc.

15. Firewall, VPN, Content and Spam Filtering ClarkConnect/ClearOS is a FREE Open Source Content Filter, Firewall, VPN and Email Spam Filter solution which performs as well as expensive commercial solutions. Some commercial solutions actually use customized versions of the same software components in ClearOS in their products. Already used in over 100 Mississippi School districts Fully CIPA compliant Includes a Helpdesk Ticketing System Commercial filtering solutions can cost $5/yr per user or higher MDE/CIBER provides training and FREE support MDE/CIBER Inc.

16. Voice Over IP Phone Systems Asterisk is a FREE full featured Open Source Voice over IP Phone system with the same functionality of an expensive commercial phone system with integrated videophone capability Used by school districts to replace telephone and intercom systems Used as a school bell and alert system Used for one-on-one video distance learning sessions Typical savings of $30,000 per campus over commercial solutions MDE/CIBER provides training and FREE support for the Trixbox version of Asterisk MDE/CIBER Inc.

17. Google Apps Google Apps is an online suite of applications that provides email with calendar, word processing, spreadsheet and other features Includes mobile access for Blackberry, iPhone and other smartphones at NO EXTRA CHARGE Integrates with Microsoft Outlook 24/7 support Email Archiving is available Uses your existing k12.ms.us domain name Free to schools for first 1000 users Users can access their information from anywhere Google Docs can be used offline MDE/CIBER Inc.

18. Open Office Open Office is a FREE suite of applications that provides word processing, spreadsheet, presentation and other features Look and Feel similar to Microsoft Office Compatible with Microsoft Office data formats Can create PDF files Microsoft Office Suite 2010 costs $240 per user on the state EPL volume pricing list MDE/CIBER Inc.

19. Open Source Learning Solutions A vast amount of FREE Open Source Learning Applications is available on the Internet www.schoolforge.net OSWINS is a collection of Free and Open Source software for educational use available for download from os.cqu.edu.au Edubuntu Linux is a free Linux distribution tailored for education that includes a number of educational applications MDE/CIBER Inc.

20. Other Savings Substantial savings can be gained by turning off the power on your workstations, etc. at the end of the day Easily implemented and can be cancelled by a user working late The average compact refrigerator costs $21.25 per year Not only do space heaters pose a significant fire hazard, they use a lot of power and put an unplanned load on the school’s electrical system, often overloading circuits used for workstations. A space heater can cost a district $54 each per winter. MDE/CIBER Inc.

21. Power Savings In a district with 1300 workstations, simply by turning off workstations after hours, $2,350 per month could be saved. Over a 10 month school year this adds up to $23,500. Based on 2007-2008 MOTE survey data, there are 146, 874 workstations statewide. This yields a potential statewide savings of $632,800 to over $3,000,000 in wasted electricity costs. MDE/CIBER Inc.

22. We’re here to help Work with your technology staff to implement technology wisely. Involve them in your purchasing decisions to make sure you get the most out of your technology purchases MDE provides the CIBER representatives FREE OF CHARGE to all districts for Consulting, Training, Technology Support and E-rate assistance. The MDE staff and CIBER representatives can also assist you in evaluating and determining your IT purchasing requirements and evaluating vendor quotes Contact MDE or a CIBER representative if you would like them to assist you with these and other cost savings ideas MDE/CIBER Inc.

23. In Conclusion We CAN do more with less We need to become more aware of the full impact of our technology decisions Spend wisely Involve your Technology staff in your technology planning Take full advantage of the FREE MDE and CIBER resources available to you A copy of this presentation is available at: www.mde.k12.ms.us/mde_field MDE/CIBER Inc.