ComputerWhisperer

Hi, I would be interested in this vacancy as it's part-time and I'm looking to start my own business in the field. Would this be OK? Please let me know.

Hi, We have been using a company called Lumbricus Ltd. Ask to speak to John Robinson on 0207 708 3919 x2004. Abe

Hi, There is a solution to your problem. First, have you also purchased a mac server along with the iPads? If so, the mac server can be AD integrated and users should be able to save their work in a group folder on a windows server etc. The other issue is that of managing the iPads centrally; defining policies and restrictions and pushing only authorised apps to the iOS devices and desktops automatically. All this can be achieved as long as you have a mac server. I have just successfully completed a similar project in a secondary school. Also, for the number of iPads purchased, please don't use iTunes to individually install apps as it will be extremely time consuming. If you need any assistance, let me know, but if you're not familiar with the macs/Ipads integration and management and integration with AD, you will need to outsource the work. However, management therefore after will be very simple. ABe

Hi, There is a solution to your problem. First, have you also purchased a mac server along with the iPads? If so, the mac server can be AD integrated and users should be able to save their work in a group folder on a windows server etc. The other issue is that of managing the iPads centrally; defining policies and restrictions and pushing only authorised apps to the iOS devices and desktops automatically. All this can be achieved as long as you have a mac server. I have just successfully completed a similar project in a secondary school. Also, for the number of iPads purchased, please don't use iTunes to individually install apps as it will be extremely time consuming. If you need any assistance, let me know, but if you're not familiar with the macs/Ipads integration and management and integration with AD, you will need to outsource the work. However, management therefore after will be very simple.

Hi... Thanks for your input. I'd deliberately made it simple and easy for James, without all the grey areas of argument. The key points I considered were (i) compatibility (ii) Interoperability (iii) Capacity (iv) Cost benefit (v) User experience Terminal services: Nothing new here, been around from the days of Unix. But there are several downsides and costly to implement, especially with clusters/redundant servers. When it goes down, the whole thing is down. Technology still relatively new in a GUI environment, although it's been around awhile. I don’t think terminal services is right for James's school as a solution in terms of cost/performance ratio. Wireless alone: children like using multi-media applications, especially on the Internet, causing a lot of congestion, even in a celled network. Not best solution for software deployment etc. Apple Macs: Was referring to the brand, also cost of ownership is too high - parts not easily available. User Experience: teachers just want things working using resources they always been using. They haven't got the time to start finding alternate sites etc, and why go through the frustration trying to fix old computers all the time. When they start going wrong, you'll be repairing the same machines every several weeks. Just not worth it. Compatibility: IBM compatible machines (desktop/laptops) and windows o/s will always support whatever is out there, where Apple tend to deliberately make interoperability with existing technologies as difficult as possible. Apple have been trying to do this since the 80's and is the reason why they fell behind in the race. Too greedy. Computers: Having enough computers for each child in the classroom is the way, but this does stop teachers from instructing students to work in groups when required. Again, user experience comes into it and effective learning. In my experience, primary schools make many mistakes in the planning and acquisition stages, for example, some headteachers have gone mad and converted their entire environment into Apple products, without proper consultation, just because of their personal preference. Pure madness.

From experience, primary schools spend a lot of money on IT equipment, and yet spend very little on their IT support provision. It's important to have competent persons, whether parents or contractors, to manage and maintain your computer networks. Having a volunteer do the work is insufficient as this may not be regular and may not have the necessary skills to maintain your network to the required level. In the past, I have had the task of rectifying issues for many primary schools, which had employed the services of a parent/friend or other recommended independent technicians who were not qualified to maintain and administer their networks. There many small IT companies that would provide professional IT support services to primary schools for about £10,000 per year, Monday to Friday during business hours with a helpdesk logging system, onsite and remote support, instead of reported issues being recorded in a book for when next the school technician comes in (usually once a week or so). The main advantages of using IT contracting companies are (i) they have the expertise to manage and maintain computer networks and (ii) have professional indemnity insurance. Primary schools take far too much risks with their data in the hands of non-qualified individuals who are without insurance, thus costing them a bit of money to rectify when issues remain unresolved for long periods, and affecting network reliability and user confidence. All primary schools should budget for £9/10K per year on proper professional IT support.

I'm glad that you have asked for help before going ahead... I now work for a secondary schools as a Network Manager/Administrator, and before this used to work various primary and secondary and frequently came across inadequate networks as a result of initial poor judgement. Here is my advice; [1] Replace any existing old desktop computers with newer ones that will last for another five/seven years, making sure that they are future proof to accommodate new future operating systems after windows 7. This does have to cost a fortune. especially [2] Don't bother with netbooks, as they may not satisfy [1] above for the following reasons; (i) will not be future proof (ii) Cost of ownership will be high as they will get frequently get damaged by kids, e.g. broken power sockets, lost keys, broken power buttons and screens due to accidents. Although, you may have some laptops in trolleys for class use. [3] Don't wast you money on Apple Macs; They look great and love them for that, but (i) you'll find that any site using flash player will not work with iPads unless you buy an app for that particular website. (ii) will cause a lot of frustration when trying to access free websites using flash with learning resources for children (iii) will need to purchase applications for wording processing and presentations etc for them to be a bit more useful, (iv) where will work be saved? (v) time consuming when managing ten or more ipads [4] Migrate to windows 7 for desktops and at least server 2008/10. [5] All desktops for classroomss, ICT suites and offices need to be hardwired for both efficiency and reliability. Using wireless only for the entire school will frustrate users due to connections drops etc. Use wireless for laptops in trolleys, but making sure there is enough capacity to accomodate the number of laptops. [6] Ideally, you should have one desktop/laptop for each child in the ICT suite/l apsafe respectively. [7] Your current IT support provision is totally inadequate, even for a small school. [8] Don’t rush into buying anything yet without consultation resulting a network not entirely not fir for purpose There's a lot to consider when planning for your new ICT provision, and getting it right will make your network both efficient and reliable. And it doesn't have to cost you a fortune. If you need further help, let me know and will be glad to help with future proof specifications or put you in contact with the right people so that you get a fit for purpose network that will last five/seven or more years. Hope this helpful. Abe