from todays australian newspaper

State to deploy Vista in schools

Ben Woodhead | October 23, 2007
THE Victorian Department of Education has decided to introduce Microsoft's Vista operating system to 1600 schools and offices in what is likely to be the largest local deal for the software to date.

The decision accompanies the awarding of a $23 million contract to Commander Communications that covers the supply of Microsoft software licences to the Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood Development.

The contract covers about 164,000 devices and a number of Microsoft's most recent software releases, including Windows Vista, Office 2007 and Server 2008.

Microsoft public sector director Nigel Cadywould confirmed that the Department of Education had committed to roll out Vista, but he could not say when the organisation would make the move.

"We're super-excited about the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development's decision to deploy Vista as its standard operating system," he said.

"There are no announcements yet on when or how that will happen, but the department has made the decision."

Mr Cadywould said Vista would probably be rolled out to Victorian public schools and Department of Education agencies and business offices within the three-year term of the Commander contract.

Most corporate and government computer users typically wait until the first service pack for a new operating system has been released before moving away from more established technology.

It is likely that Victoria's Department of Education would adhere to that practice.

Commander Communications managing director Adrian Coote welcomed the win, which covers software that will be used by 540,000 students and 40,000 teachers in the Victorian public school system.

"The Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood Development is one of Commander's most important, long-standing contracts," Mr Coote said.

''After such a long working relationship, it's very rewarding to have our quality of service and value re-acknowledged and rewarded through a competitive tender process."

The line-up of Microsoft products covered by the contract includes Visio, Project, Expression Web, SQL Server and Exchange Server, as well as Vista, Office 2007 and Server 2008. Commander will also manage a portal, dubbed IPEX @Schools, which school communities use for help desk services and to order software CDs.

The portal is branded Ipex because the formerly independent PC builder won the original Department of Education software contract in 1993 and then passed it down to Commander through acquisition.

Ipex was acquired by Volante in 2004 and Volante was acquired by Commander last year.