Microsoft said on Tuesday at the Asia-Pacific Regional Innovative Education Forum, it has made a deal with Bandung Elementary School in West Java, Indonesia for the school to be equipped with Microsoft's server OS product on HP hardware.
Microsoft announced Windows MultiPoint Server 2010 last month, aimed at allowing educational institutions to stretch their computing dollar. Several manufacturers have signed up to build products based on the software, such as HP's MultiSeat range of computers.
Another Indonesian school, the Harapan Ibu Islamic School in Jakarta was the second to sign with Microsoft. One of its ICT development team members, Mico Kelana Perdana said setting up the host PC to 10 computers took 10 minutes, and noted additionally that the school had tried out product for two weeks before deciding to sign on.
Camille Mazo, director of business development at Microsoft's unlimited potential group in Asia said educational institutions need access to affordable computing, and aims to bring down management costs for their ICT departments.
The server OS, which allows one host PC to be shared among users using different terminals can help schools lower their total cost of ownership on hardware, maintenance and energy, said Mazo.
Similar deployment has been made available by U.S.-based NComputing which provides a virtualization software that allows one single PC to be shared by several users.
Microsoft also announced a S$1.35 million (US$0.96 million) deal over three years to set up a innovation center with Singapore's Media Development Authority (MDA) and the National Institute of Education (NIE).
The School Technology Innovation Center will focus on the development and research of new educational approaches, classroom solutions and products to improve educational outcomes in the region.
Microsoft has pledged to provide technology and trainers. The NIE will provide training, and the MDA will oversee a new media-centric framework for teaching, Microsoft said.
Social network for teachers
Microsoft also made its Partners in Learning Network site available to the Asia-Pacific region today.
The Web site is a social networking resource aimed at allowing educators to collaborate with peers around the world, and is part of the software giant's larger Partners in Learning outreach to educational institutions globally.
James Bernard, worldwide director of Microsoft Partners in Learning, announced the launch of the site at the Asia-Pacific Regional Innovative Education Forum today, noting that the company hopes to attract two million users by next year.
Bernard said Microsoft is working on localizing the network in different languages within the next 12 to 18 months.