The death of the Windows desktop operating system is not necessarily related to the non-Windows platform Midori developed in Redmond, or with a Rich Internet Application platform hosted in the cloud. entrustIT, a Microsoft Gold partner in the UK offered a glimpse at where the evolution of IT will inherently take the Windows client. The entrustIT Education Desktop is a solution aimed at resolving the IT problems faced by schools and colleges, especially the lack of funding, technology resources management and maintenance as well as access and availability issues.

"The entrustIT Education Desktop is a virtual ICT solution developed for Schools that brings a new level of reliability, stability and consistency to IT for schools," revealed Jeff Dodd, entrustIT’s Managing Director, via Ray Fleming, UK Education Industry Manager for Microsoft.

In the end, entrustIT Education Desktop builds on Microsoft's vision of a Software + Services business model, by continuing to offer the Windows operating system. Advantages include 24/7/365 access to the entrustIT Education Desktop hosted in a dedicated datacenter from any location that features an Internet connection.

However, the biggest advantage is in the reduced budget that has to be allocated for hardware. The entrustIT Education Desktop does not require traditional PCs, but only thin clients capable of connecting to the Internet. All the processing is done remotely as the virtual desktop is delivered as a remote service and not as a local resource.

"The system addresses the major challenges that limit the exploitation of IT in the classroom. It enables you to: take advantage of the latest advances in education technology; spend less time troubleshooting and more on what matters – engaging and motivating your students to reach their full potential; increase the PC to student ratio to make lessons more accessible and interactive than ever before; communicate beyond the limits of the classroom. By providing 24x7 access to ICT teachers and students can share information and work together anytime, anywhere and with anyone," Dodd added.