Noel-Baker Community School deploys scalable end-to-end Dell solutions

Noel-Baker Community School, a comprehensive secondary school based in Derby, has deployed a new IT infrastructure based on Dell end-to-end solutions. This has created an environment which enables the school’s students to learn in a more engaging way, support teachers to deliver fresh and innovative methods of teaching, and provide the IT team with the automated infrastructure required to rapidly respond to IT demands.

With the flexible, automated and robust infrastructure now in place, the IT team no longer have to dedicate vast amounts of time to servicing the school and its customers, and now has additional free time to focus on more strategic and higher-level tasks to further benefit the school. The new infrastructure is based on Dell servers, networking, storage, end-user computing devices and Dell KACE systems management appliances, and was created in conjunction with the rebuild of the school’s campus. The fully refreshed back-end data centre and devices that teachers and pupils use every day, have created a cutting-edge environment for enhanced learning.

In addition to providing Noel-Baker Community School with the technology it needs to maintain its everyday requirements, the new Dell-based back-end infrastructure enables the school to offer IT services to neighbouring educational institutions and charities. This is made possible as the IT team can take advantage of the highly virtualized and automated environment to outsource computing environments on-demand. This has raised the school’s profile within the community and is generating income to fund other IT projects and services. The new deployment has also helped the IT team to show off their technical abilities to prospective customers which may be interested in using the infrastructure, and display the potential benefits of technology in schools, putting the school at the forefront of IT innovation within the education space.

The IT team wanted to provide a 1:1 ratio of computers to students to provide them with access to the tools they needed for highly effective learning. With Dell Latitude laptops deployed throughout classrooms and Dell OptiPlex desktops installed in ‘breakout zones’ such as the library and teachers’ desks in every classroom, students now have access to the resources they need to complete important course work. Teachers now are fully supported and can simply log in to their desktops during lessons to access applications and files. This also eliminates the need for teachers to configure their laptops with surrounding equipment such as projectors and printers every time they move classrooms.

The school’s datacentre is based on Dell PowerEdge Servers, and Dell EqualLogic Storage arrays and Dell Networking, providing the flexible infrastructure required to support new teaching environments. The IT team receives regular requests from teachers to test new software, and with the new infrastructure they can rapidly respond to those demands and quickly provision virtual servers and disk space on the fly. These virtual environments now can be created in a matter of minutes rather than days, freeing up time for IT team and allowing teachers to access IT services much faster that was previously possible, encouraging them to test out new teaching methods. Additionally, using Dell KACE K1000 and K2000 Management Appliances, the IT team has automated many administrative processes such as software distribution and patching, which previously took days to complete. Updates can now automatically be scheduled during downtime, meaning that learning is uninterrupted and frees IT time for additional tasks that benefit the school and students.