14 DAY TRIAL // The largest comprehensive public education system in the United States has embraced the Microsoft Cloud in a coordinated move to slash the costs associated with messaging and collaboration solutions for the entire K-12 and Higher Education system. Faculty and staff along with students, alumni, and applicants will be able to enjoy a number of Microsoft services and web-based applications, including Exchange Online, Live@edu, and Office Web Apps, but also consulting services and support from the software giant.
The ingredients necessary to the cost-cutting recipe belong to Microsoft’s Software plus Services vision and will be offered not only to Ohio's K-12 schools, and to public and private college and universities. Via the Education Alliance Agreement, the University System of Ohio is looking to cut spending for the upcoming 10 years, by ensuring that education institutions benefit from an integrated technology infrastructure. Along with state-wide messaging and collaboration reduced spending for Ohio's higher education and K-12 communities, the Microsoft Cloud services will also be able to help educational institutions streamline management efficiencies, as well as reduce their carbon footprint and become greener.
Still, as part of Ohio’s 10-year Strategic Plan for Higher Education, cost reduction is crucial, and the Microsoft Cloud is critical to cutting spending by $100,000 and even more, through the simple adoption of Live@edu. Microsoft noted that the costs slashed by using Live@edu were in relation to the size of the institution and the service implementation.
"The Education Alliance Agreement provides the University System of Ohio with major cost savings for messaging and collaboration products," Ohio Board of Regents Chancellor Eric D. Fingerhut explained. "This agreement advances Ohio's 10-year "Strategic Plan for Higher Education" by supporting a common technology infrastructure through collaboration and group purchasing, which makes the University System of Ohio more efficient."
OARnet will provide faculty and staff with Exchange Online, namely 5GB mailbox; calendar, contacts, and tasks sharing capabilities, connectivity through Office Outlook 2007 and Outlook 2003; Outlook Web Access via the browser, security with Microsoft Forefront Online Security for Exchange, and migration tools for existing mailbox data.
Students, alumni, and applicants will get a separate package, involving Live@Edu, which includes Exchange, Office Live Workspace, Live SkyDrive and Office Web Apps the Cloud-based, lightweight versions of Office 2010 components Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote when they will become available in 2010.
"Across Ohio and beyond, Education IT leaders are being challenged to reduce their costs and simultaneously improve performance and innovation," added Anthony Salcito, vice president of Microsoft Worldwide Education. "This Education Alliance Agreement expands Ohio institutions' IT flexibility and buying power, and at the same time opens up new avenues of collaboration and efficiencies for the many stakeholders – students, teachers, administrators, faculty and staff – within the state education community."