Cloud / Local file hosting solution for iPad deployment

[djclark]

So here is a little background on our school. We're a private high school of 1600ish kids. This coming school year we are jumping to iPads for ALL of our kids. We have most of the logistics worked out, but the one thing we seem to be goin round and round on is the file storage piece if this very large, and expensive Apple puzzle.

 

In a perfect world: The file storage is cloud based, and local so when the kids are on campus they don't have to go out to the Internet to get their files, but they also have access to them when they are off-site. There needs to be an iPad app so the kids can access their files as this will be their primary homework/class work device. It also has to be able to map drives in windows like a network drive, so when they log into a computer in one of our four computer labs they can get to their files as well. A computer client like Dropbox doesn't work because it syncs the files to the computer and with 1600ish kids that doesn't work..

 

The icing on this already very tall cake is that it can't be very expensive. We are a private school, and money is always tight. It doesn't have to be free, but it can't be an astronomical expense.

 

So, please feel free to throw out any products/ideas you have.

 

Thanks!

[FN-GM]

Money is tight but you can afford 1600 iPads?

 

Anyway look at Skydrive it might be able to do that. Its included with Office 365. It has an iPad app and loings to the service can be integrated with active directory.

[AliG]

You could look into WebDav. Basically home directory access over HTTP(s) and its natively supported via the ipad.

[djclark]

Money is tight but you can afford 1600 iPads?

 

Anyway look at Skydrive it might be able to do that. Its included with Office 365. It has an iPad app and loings to the service can be integrated with active directory.

 

That would be the beauty of renting them from apple and passing that cost on to the students in their tuition. However, there is only so much we make them pay. I was told that Skydrive is being discontinued by Microsoft? We have Office 365 for Education that will be used for their email.

[djclark]

You could look into WebDav. Basically home directory access over HTTP(s) and its natively supported via the ipad.

 

We have looked at that, but that then means that when they're at home they will be using our pipe to get to their files.

[plexer]

What about an instance of owncloud either on your own site or hosted.

 

Ben

[robk]

Bear in mind that if you use cloud storage for the ipads, they will hammer your internet connection when on site. Its a bit of a balancing act from what I understand.

[djclark]

Yea, I don't think our Internet connection can handle 1600 iPads all going out to the Internet to get their files, that's why I was looking for something that could be multi-homed locally and in the cloud.

 

I haven't looked too much into Owncloud, but I will see if it could work in out environment.

[eean]

We have looked at that, but that then means that when they're at home they will be using our pipe to get to their files.

 

Is that really a problem? They will be accessing them from home on the weekends and evenings, when no one is really using your net connection. Plus, the access will be more distributed in terms of time: in school, all the kids will want network access as they all hit 'save' at the same time. Having your files on-site will ease things there; but when accessing at home, there won't be the same problem. If you have a local and cloud solution, the files are going to have to get to and from the cloud using your pipe anyway.

[MrMWalker]

It may be worthwhile looking at a Kanex MeDrive, it's a very clever bit of kit that you can buy, connect to a HDD or multiple, access in school via the MeDrive app and configure your network to open a port to access from outside of school. We're currently using one in school and don't need the outside of school access but I believe it's fairly straight forward.