Zumasys Congratulates The Prentice School on 25th Anniversary
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA — April 14, 2011 – Zumasys announced today the results of a multi-year technology partnership and cloud computing agreement with The Prentice School, a non-profit, independent day school for students with dyslexia based in Tustin, California. In preparation for Prentice’s 25th anniversary celebration on campus this weekend, the two organizations unveiled several technology enhancements that expand learning mediums, enhance interactivity and facilitate greater teacher/student engagement. In 2005, the school made a decision to increase its technology proficiency to ensure it was providing students the most impactful learning environment possible. The Prentice School partnered with Zumasys to update its computing infrastructure to ensure it had the most effective foundation to support its students’ unique learning needs.
To ensure students had the full access to the technology at home as well as on campus, the school became an early adopter of cloud computing. By moving all of its applications and data for assignments to the Zumasys Cloud Computing platform, the school made its wealth of learning resources accessible anywhere, anytime via Citrix application virtualization software. All applications now run on a powerful virtual server platform housed in the Savvis data center in Irvine, California. Additionally, the school’s data is replicated to the 407,000 sq. ft. SuperNAP data center in Las Vegas.
“Providing our students access to software, files, and documents from home has expanded the variety of programs we can teach and is truly preparing our kids for the 21st century,” states Carol Clark, Executive Director of The Prentice School. Now all students are working with the same software versions at home and at school, eliminating the need to transport files or flash drives. Everything is saved in the cloud. The hosted environment also helps teachers achieve a better work-life balance. Instead of having to stay at school to finish lesson plans, grading or other responsibilities, they can go home, relax with their families, have dinner, and then develop worksheets, lesson plans or other materials later in the evening.
Paul Giobbi, President of Zumasys comments, “We are thrilled to see the impact our Cloud Computing solution has had on the students as well as the staff at the Prentice School. It’s very rewarding to see technology making a difference in the lives of these exceptional children.”
With a strong technology infrastructure in place and access to an expanded suite of multimedia resources, teachers and students at the Prentice School benefit from an array of learning mediums and opportunities. Today, when students step into the school’s auditorium and PC Lab, they are met with a state-of-the-art experience. While students work independently at their desks, the instructor can monitor their workstations and control individual PCs remotely, which helps keep students on task. The lab’s in-class sound system also aids in keeping students’ attention. Additionally, wireless connectivity throughout the school enables access to the learning systems and resources from anywhere on campus.
“Zumasys allows teachers and faculty to focus on strengthening our educational expertise, while they manage the technical details,” states Stanley Tom, Assistive Technology Specialist. For students with learning challenges, Assistive Technology (AT) helps them get the most out of class and homework assignments – rather than just exhausting themselves trying to get through it. Stan adds, “Having these AT tools in place can totally change a child’s outlook on education, because it shows them that they really can learn.”
In addition to the direct benefit to students, the move to the cloud has also provided significant technical advantages for the Prentice School. By outsourcing all of its servers, applications, and data, the school no longer has to worry about back-ups and disaster recovery plans. What once was a daily chore for the business office is now handled automatically. Stanley adds, “Our IT platform is much more stable now. Plus, we have real technical experts solving our most serious technology challenges so we can stay focused on providing our students the best education for their needs.”
About The Prentice School
The Prentice School is an independent, non-profit, day school for intelligent and creative students with language-based learning disabilities such as dyslexia. The Prentice School takes a unique approach to education that helps students who struggle in the traditional classroom learn, grow and gain confidence. The curriculum at the Prentice School is taught using a systematic, explicit multi-sensory approach to teaching with technology as a supporting element. Prentice offers classes from Pre-Kindergarten (starting at age 4) through High School. The Prentice School is located in Tustin, California. For more information, visit www.prentice.org.
About Zumasys
Zumasys helps companies of every size transition their applications and infrastructure to the Cloud. Customers access the latest software and hardware technologies for a simple and predictable monthly fee thus empowering them to focus on their core business instead of running IT. Having led the way in cloud computing for five years, Zumasys delivers personalized service, world-class reliability, integrated disaster recovery, and the confidence companies need to outsource their systems and applications. The company is a Microsoft Gold Partner and also works with Citrix Systems, VMware, NetApp, HP, Cisco, ShoreTel and SonicWALL to deliver leading edge technology solutions. Zumasys was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in Irvine, CA. For more information, visit www.zumasys.com.