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Centralized System Configuration & Management

A few different tools are in place throughout campus IT departments that allow for centralization and standardization of system configurations and management. Systems administrators are able to administer many systems from their own desktops, saving time formerly spent physically visiting servers. Standardized configurations make purchasing new or replacement hardware and deploying systems significantly less complicated.

Thin Clients

Thin clients provide a centralized computer desktop for end users. This dramatically simplifies desktop support, as issues like virus management are handled centrally. User documents and data are stored centrally as well, allowing for simplified backups and greater data availability; printers are also managed centrally. In addition to simplifying management, thin clients also reduce hardware costs, as it is not necessary to deploy full-blown desktop PCs to each user.

Virtualization

Virtualization allows many IT systems to operate on a single piece of hardware. Without virtualization, each IT system required its own physical server hardware. With virtualization, multiple IT systems can share a single server, reducing power and cooling costs. Virtualization also serves to improve IT system reliability, as virtualized systems can be instantly migrated to other hardware if the physical server which hosts them fails. This ensures continuous system operation.