AWS re:Invent 2016: How Higher Ed Graduated from Traditional Desktops to DaaS Using Amazon WorkSpaces (BAP203)

© 2016, Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its Affiliates. All rights reserved.

Nathan Thomas, Amazon WorkSpaces

Greg Smith, UMUC

Piotr Zielinski, George Washington University

November 30, 2016

BAP203

How Higher Ed Graduated from

Traditional Desktops to DaaS Using

Amazon WorkSpaces

What to Expect from the Session

- Learn how Higher Ed experts use Amazon WorkSpaces to:

- Serve faculty, staff, and students

- Provide access to applications and information

- Provide access from classrooms, labs, and remotely

- Manage desktops securely and simply

- Save money by paying as they go

- Build innovative products on top of Amazon WorkSpaces

Panel Participants

Nathan Thomas, General Manager, Amazon WorkSpaces

Greg Smith, AVP Enterprise Operations, University of

Maryland University College (UMUC)

Piotr Zielinski, Director of IT, The George Washington

University School of Business

Amazon WorkSpaces Are Cloud Desktops

Native Experience

Client Choice

Global Availability

Pay As You Go

Hybrid Cloud Desktop Management

Identity

Authentication

APIs for Automation

Customer-Driven Innovation

Higher Ed End User Computing Is Changing

Campus and Distance Learning Merging

Students Have a Device and a Network

Security Scope Is Expanding

Everyone Still Need Desktop Apps

Amazon WorkSpaces Is Ready

Mobile By Design

Enables BYOD

No Data on Devices

Use Existing Desktop Apps

UMUC

UMUC

• Part of the University of Maryland system

• 84,000 students world-wide, 95 degree

programs and certificates

• Students all over the world, in all

conditions

UMUC – Current Use Cases

• Information Technology staff

• Consultants/Contractors – BYOL

• Distributed labs and testing centers

• “The Classroom” – Project Triton

UMUC – Project Triton

• Provide access to specialized software

to support the academic experience

• Provide persistent experience for the

“life of the student”

• Integrate into our classroom

experience

UMUC – Project Triton

• Key project features – SSO integration,

Learner Analytics, Web Access, AutoStop

• Currently 3200 users, will be 7000 users in

January

• In the first two months, 160K hours with 30

support tickets

UMUC – Project Triton

• Triton has a material impact on the

way our students learn

• Faculty call the experience

“transformational” and “fantastic”

The George Washington University

School of Business

Amazon WorkSpaces to support growth

Users:

• 130 faculty

• 120 staff

• 3600 on-campus students

Computer Labs:

• 3 computer labs

• 150 computers

Current Support

Users:

• 130 faculty

• 120 staff

• 3600 on-campus students

• Off-campus students

• International programs

Computer Labs:

• Virtual computer labs

• Dynamic number of computers

Future Support

Amazon WorkSpaces – Pilot at GWSB

• 130 WorkSpaces

• 8 classes

• 6 faculty members

• Growth from 10 to 130 WorkSpaces in 1 month

• Plans to open access to all faculty in the Spring

• Integration with GW Enterprise Active Directory

Amazon WorkSpaces – Faculty Perspective

• Unified teaching experience

• Easy setup – by faculty, not IT staff

• Easy user management

• Easy faculty support

Amazon WorkSpaces – Student Perspective

• Unified learning experience

• No setup time

• Easy access

• Data security

• Amazon WorkDocs

Amazon WorkSpaces – IT Perspective

• Setup by faculty – easy support

• Easy provisioning and maintenance

• Version control

• Cost control – AutoStop running mode

• Usage reports

Use Case – Amazon WorkSpaces for Mac Users

Majority of students use Macs

but

Many applications require Microsoft Windows

Amazon WorkSpaces:

• Eliminate technical complexity

• Save deployment and support time

• Lower hardware requirements

Panel Discussion

Thank you!

Remember to complete

your evaluations!

Related Sessions

• BAP305 – Zero to Google Chrome in 60 Minutes:

Lightweight and Inexpensive Client Devices for Amazon

WorkSpaces, Wednesday, 2:30 p.m.

• ENT201 – Deploying Amazon WorkSpaces at Enterprise

Scale to Deliver a New Desktop Experience,

Wednesday, 3:30 p.m.

• BAP402 – Best Practices from the Trenches: Deploy

Amazon WorkSpaces Like a Pro, Thursday, 2 p.m.