HP helps Crescent and Norwood Primary schools

Crescent and Norwood Primary Schools in Eastleigh, Hampshire, have selected a cost-effective end-to-end HP IT infrastructure to improve the learning experience for pupils and staff.

Deployed by HP Gold Partner Medhurst, the HP solution will give the Crescent and Norwood Primary Schools’ staff fast access to everything from teaching applications to roll-call administration.

“We wanted to replace our existing IT infrastructure with a more reliable, cost effective solution,” says Brian Juke, Networks Manager, Crescent and Norwood Primary Schools. “The expertise of HP and Medhurst in the education sector has enabled us to achieve this within budget. The new HP environment gives staff more time and resources to support pupils by making lessons more interactive and simplifying administration.”

Pupils have access to HP ProBook 600 Notebook PCs and HP 650 Laptops, while HP ElitePad 900 Tablets make staff more productive by giving them fast access to teaching applications and allowing them to move between classrooms without having to sign in to a new computer each time. Teachers can connect their HP devices to interactive whiteboards, making for a more collaborative learning environment.

Based on open standards, the HP devices work with the schools’ e-learning applications, including Medhurst’s web-based Dashboard Cloud. This bring-your-own-device (BYOD) solution enables staff to send resources to any device including tablets and smartphones, and allows staff and students to access school programs securely from anywhere at any time.

Two robust, centrally managed HP ProLiant ML350 G6 servers support a high-speed wired and wireless HP Networking solution. Eight fully-managed HP 2900 Series Switches provide a fast, reliable, high-level infrastructure, while dual HP MSM720 Access Controllers and 26 HP MSM460 dual radio 802.11n wireless access points provide flexible, seamless WiFi access to applications and services throughout both sites.

The new HP infrastructure will reduce power usage and hardware footprint, lowering energy costs, and can be scaled to grow seamlessly with the schools’ future requirements. To ensure maximum IT efficiency, the entire HP infrastructure is supported by a lifetime warranty with three years’ Next Business Day on-site service.

“Primary schools like the Crescent and Norwood need a reliable, cost-effective IT infrastructure that fits their budget,” says Marc Waters, Director Enterprise Servers Storage and Networking HP, Uk&I. “HP’s global experience in the education sector enables us to offer an achievable, affordable long-term strategy to improve the learning experience through technology.”