Citrix upgrade gives school secure, flexible access

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Somerset-based Taunton School has upgraded to Citrix Presentation Server 4.5 Platinum Edition as part of its efforts to improve services for staff and students.

The independent day and boarding school took the decision to upgrade from its previous, version four instance of the Citrix remote access platform, to the latest, full suite to play a central role on its strategy to supply to quick, secure access to applications for 1,500 pupils and staff, wherever they are working.

Tom Norton, Taunton School IT development manager exclusively told IT PRO that, having been a Citrix Presentation Server user since 2000, the decision was taken to upgrade to support improved graphics rendering for two and three-dimensional (2D and 3D) software programmes.

"We use a lot of graphically intensive programmes, particularly in our pre-preparatory school where high-colour graphics are used in key learning tools," he said. "But we were experiencing quite slow delivery of these programmes with version 4. The newly re-written speed screen technology in version 4.5 is able to render the graphics much quicker."

Taunton School is using VisionApp software, with licences purchased through reseller Esteem Systems, to implement the Citrix technology in its 18 IT suites, including facilities in all the boarding houses, as well as thin client devices in every classroom, staff laptops, the school's business team and staff and pupils' home PCs across its secure fixed and wireless networks.

The school will now also use a pair of Citrix Access Gateways to deliver Microsoft Office and other applications beyond the confines of the site with a high degree of fault tolerant reliability and security. It will also use two-factor authentication technology from Secure Computing combined with Citrix SmartAccess to improve security for accessing sensitive financial applications.

"The Gateway is becoming increasingly popular," said Norton. "Teachers use it to set homework so that students can access school software needed to complete assignments and coursework that they can't download to their home PCs and laptops."

As well as the benefits for pupils and staff, the addition of Citrix EdgeSight allows the IT team to monitor the performance of each end user's device, reporting potential issues back to the IT team "before it becomes a problem for the users," added Norton.

The first stage of the project was due for completion in time for the new academic year last September. Norton said the roll out of the two-factor security token devices will begin with IT staff during the next holiday and be extended to other key staff next year.

By the end of 2007, the school will also be using single sign-on with Citrix Password Manager, to increase security for accessing applications reduce the number of calls to the helpdesk from people who've forgotten one of their many passwords for protected applications.

The Citrix investment will also be key in the school's plans to deliver all the resources staff and students need - email, applications and other resources - via one online portal in the near future.

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