Customer Solution Case Study
Education Support Firm Fosters Greater Creativity by Using Windows 8–Based Devices
“Windows 8 gives us great interactivity.… Being able to pass a tablet around the room prompts greater engagement and participation, which results in fresh ideas, faster new-product development, and better market success.”
Chet Linton, Chief Executive Officer and President, School Improvement Network
School Improvement Network makes training videos that help educators teach more effectively. The company is replacing many of its Apple computers with tablets running the Windows 8.1 operating system. The touch-enabled Windows 8–based devices foster more creativity and interactivity in product development sessions and also increase productivity. The company has also enhanced mobile device security.
This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY.Document published March 2014
Business Needs
In 1991, educators John and Blanch Linton began producing training videos for teachers, to capture best practices from their own classroom experience. Today, their son Chet runs their company, School Improvement Network, which is one of the world’s leading online professional learning and teacher training companies. Its products are used by more than 1 million educators around the world. School Improvement Network is based in Midvale, Utah, and employs 280 people, including 40 in the Philippines.
In 2008, School Improvement Network began using Apple computers because of the “cool factor,” says Chet Linton, Chief Executive Officer and President of School Improvement Network. “Apple had high-tech hardware and great integration across all Apple devices.” However, as School Improvement Network grew, Linton became frustrated with Apple products as business platforms. “Microsoft Office for Mac didn’t have the maturity of Microsoft Office for Windows,” Linton says. “I’m a power user and would often max out the capabilities of the software packages available for Apple devices. I felt that
Apple was a consumer platform that didn’t have the software horsepower to support our business needs.”
Linton also had frequent WiFi connectivity problems with early Apple devices, and his IT team worried about the safety of company data on portable computers. Employees could not control screen lockout times (how long a computer sits idle before it locks) or auto logon times, which left the devices vulnerable. “Those of us in IT had no way to centrally set and manage these kinds of security policies for Apple devices,” says Mike Kindt, IT Director at School Improvement Network.
Solution
In 2013, Linton learned about the Windows 8 operating system, which featured a completely redesigned interface and ran on a new generation of touch-enabled devices. Linton acquired Windows 8–based tablets, laptops, and desktop computers. “The Windows 8 devices were thin and light and gave me touch-capability,” Linton says. “They were every bit as cutting-edge as Apple notebooks but had the advantage of running the Windows operating system.”
Today, School Improvement Network has 25 Windows 8–based devices, nearly all touch-enabled, from Acer, Microsoft, Samsung, and HP. That number will increase to about 250. A handful of employees whose jobs are more keyboard-intensive use Windows 8 on nontouch computers. The company runs both Windows 8.1 Pro and Windows 8.1 Enterprise.
All of the company’s applications run fast and glitch-free under Windows 8.1, which makes power-user Linton very happy. “Finally, I can take full advantage of the latest business applications and multitask at blazing speed without running into limitations,” he says.
Employees appreciate the greater interactivity that Windows 8 engenders. “In a meeting, I can switch quickly between multiple applications by tapping the screen. I can reach out and draw on a large touch-enabled display, pass a tablet to the person next to me for input, and tap the screen and print spreadsheets on the spot,” Linton says. “We just didn’t have this level of engagement on Apple devices. Windows 8 not only runs more business applications but its touch capabilities go way beyond anything that Apple offers.”
Kindt’s team uses the Group Policy feature in the Windows Server operating system to set companywide security policies for Windows 8 devices, such as defining lockout periods, enforcing password complexity, and defining access to shared resources. It plans to use Windows BitLocker Drive Encryption to better secure mobile devices.
Benefits
By using Windows 8–based touch-enabled devices, School Improvement Network has been able to introduce greater interactivity and creativity into its planning sessions, which accelerates new-product development and ultimately increases revenues. Productivity is higher, because employees can run more mature Windows-based business applications, and data safety is enhanced.
Foster Greater Creativity with Touch-Screen Devices
The greater interactivity engendered by Windows 8 touch-enabled devices has been a boon to idea generation. “We’re pursuing the grand cause of making teachers more effective so they can help students learn and be more successful,” Linton says. “When we can better engage our own team, we can better engage teachers and students. Windows 8 gives us great interactivity and the ability to capture ideas in the moment. The touch interface really pulls our executives into the data. Being able to pass a tablet around the room prompts greater engagement and participation, which results in fresh ideas, faster new-product development, and better market success.”
Increase Productivity, Reduce Frustration with More Mature Platform
Employees are also more productive using the Windows 8–based computers. “The software applications that we use, from calendaring to email management, are more mature using Windows, which helps us be more productive,” Linton says. “We have fewer interruptions and frustrations.” Linton estimates that he lost about 30 minutes a day to application performance and WiFi connection problems when using Apple computers—time that he has recouped to work productively.
“We want our employees to be as productive as they can be,” Linton says. “The less time that employees spend on computer problems, the more time they can focus on solutions that help our business grow. Fifteen minutes here and there adds up across a company of 280 people.”
Enhance Data Safety with Built-In Security Features
With the ability to centrally control mobile computer security features, School Improvement Network can vastly enhance the security of its network. “By using Group Policy to set security policies, we can centrally manage our user base, which is a huge step toward a more secure environment.”
This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY.Document published March 2014