Winnetka, IL — Like many financially strapped school districts, District 36 in Winnetka runs its technology support function on a shoestring. Just two full-time staff members support approximately 2500 students and teachers, 600 desktops, and five buildings scattered several miles apart. But the district’s IT staff has a powerful ally — one that never sleeps, never calls in sick, and can configure software in any building in minutes. This devoted resource is Apple Remote Desktop, running on Mac OS X.
Long an all-Mac district, Winnetka made the switch to Mac OS X just prior to the beginning of the 2002-2003 term. Before the implementation began, the district partnered closely with Apple’s technical and sales teams, attending executive briefings in Apple’s Chicago office as well as onsite meetings in Winnetka. According to network manager Eric Hackl, the upgrade to Mac OS X enabled districtwide IT standardization that helped minimize the need for additional support staff.
“The industry standards that were adopted in Mac OS X are a godsend,” Hackl notes. “Apple’s products have always been wonderful. And now with the new tools in Mac OS X Server like Open Directory — that enables directory services — our lives are much easier, from an administrative perspective.
In most cases, we can install software on workstations across town without having to leave our office.
— Eric Hackl, Network Manager, Winnetka School District 36
“Running 100 percent native Mac OS X software has been an overwhelming success for us,” adds Hackl. “The flexibility, functionality, features, and overall uptime of Mac OS X far surpass anything we’ve experienced in the past. ‘Sorry, a system error occurred’ just isn’t part of our users’ vocabulary anymore.”
Apple Remote Desktop Keeps Systems Connected
One of the most important additions to Hackl’s arsenal of support tools has been Apple Remote Desktop. With its real-time screen sharing, Apple Remote Desktop has greatly reduced the need for support staff to travel to the district’s five schools. Now, says Hackl, he and coworker Todd Kline can configure and troubleshoot any of the district’s iMacs or iBooks from their own desktops.
