Ministry of Education gets CIO magazine nod for virtual desktop deployment

By Digital News Asia June 6, 2014

Named to 2014 CIO 100 list for project powered by Bitara Induk, Teradici and VMware
Deployed 25,000 virtual desktops at 1,250 schools across the country

Ministry of Education gets CIO magazine nod for virtual desktop deployment

The Malaysian Ministry of Education has been named by International Data Group’s (IDG) CIO magazine to its 2014 CIO (chief information officer) 100 list of organizations exemplifying the highest level of operational and strategic excellence in information technology (IT).

The Ministry was recognised for its deployment of 25,000 virtual desktops at 1,250 schools across the country as part of a national effort to modernise education and bridge the urban-rural digital divide.

An investment in virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) technology has given school children access to high-quality computing and digital education resources – regardless of location, connectivity or end-user device – in some cases for the very first time.

Together with systems integrator Bitara Induk, Teradici and VMware collaborated to assist the Malaysian Government in fulfilling its vision, with commercial desktop-virtualization product VMware Horizon and Teradici PCoIP (PC-over-IP) Zero Client devices.

With minimal onsite IT setup or modification to the classroom environment, high-performance computing and educational resources are delivered to students and teachers across devices – even in rural and inland areas with limited access to connectivity and electricity.

As of March 2014, students, teachers, and administrators gained access to desktops, applications and data using virtual desktop infrastructure.

Educational resources are now shared among these schools, and IT administrators have been empowered to manage, secure, and broker services to students and staff in accordance with Ministry policies. To read the full case study, click here.

The deployment formed part of the ministry’s vision for preschool through university education as outlined in the Malaysia Education Blueprint, 2013-2025.

Expected to impact approximately six million students at 10,000 schools, its goal is to improve educational outcomes for Malaysian students, advance the country’s overall competitiveness in the global labour market, and bring educational parity to urban-rural schools.

“We’re delighted to congratulate the Malaysian Ministry of Education for being named by CIO magazine to this year’s esteemed list of CIO 100 honourees,” said Dan Cordingley, president & chief executive officer of Teradici.

“Teradici has been honoured to take part in fulfilling a compelling vision for educational parity for thousands of school children in Malaysia in collaboration with VMware and our systems integration partner, Bitara,” he added.

For the CIO 100 list, a team of external judges (many of them former CIOs) conducted an in-depth review of applications, looking for leading edge IT practices and measurable results. CIO magazine editors reviewed the judges' recommendations and selected the final 100.

"For 27 years now, the CIO 100 awards have honoured the innovative use of technology to deliver genuine business value," said Maryfran Johnson, editor in chief of CIO magazine & events.

"Our 2014 winners are an outstanding example of the transformative power of IT to drive everything from revenue growth to competitive advantage."

The 2014 CIO 100 honourees were publicly announced on June 2, and winners will be honoured at a gala dinner and ceremony during the CIO 100 Symposium being held August 17-19, 2014 at the Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes, California.