Cost Saving Strategies to

Maximize Your Technology Budget

Chris HamadyToledo Central Catholic High School

www.chrishamady.com

Twitter@chamady

Cost Saving Strategies

Repurpose Old Equipment

•Linux on Older Windows desktops

•Re-use Computer Monitors as Tele-prompters/Video monitors

•iSights/Webcams Make Great Security Cameras

•Re-use desktop computers as servers or servers as desktop computers

Reduce Dependency on

Outside Contractors

•Limited Personal Stake in Your Success

•May Be Biased Toward Keeping Their Jobs

•Customizations are Expensive

•No Immediate Access When Needed

•Invest in People, Not Services

Increase Efficiency

•Create a Help Desk

•Log Everything- Facts Don’t Lie

•Solidify Policies and Procedures (and use them)

•Consider an ITC to Cost Effectively Reduce Administrative Tasks

Evaluate Existing Technology

Implementations and Projects

•Compare and Replace with More Cost Effective Solutions

•Use FOSS for Desktops (Do Commercial Site Licenses Exist?)

•Use FOSS for Servers (WordPress, Exponent, GLPI, Moodle)

•Textbooks?

Inexpensive Backup Solutions

•Disk Utility

•Carbon Copy Cloner

•Super Duper (pre and post flight scripts)

•CLI Tools Like rsync and dd

•Others?

Do It Right The First Time!

•Professionally Installed Cabling

•Buy Quality hardware for Mission Critical Applications

•Don’t allow others to dictate issues that might create potential long term problems.

Think Outside the Box

•Use data infrastructure for video distribution

•VOIP vs Analog

•Document cameras (iPevo)

•Datavideo vs Tricaster

•Airports vs enterprise class 802.11b/g

•Virtual Machines vs Physical Hardware

•Printer management

Think Outside the Box•SSD drives in servers and workstations

•Replace printers with network copiers

•Build your own camera security system

•Insource rather than outsource (on-hold)

•Clickers vs Moodle choices

•Self servicing vs extended warranties

•ARD vs other management software

•Inexpensive TelEx

Think Outside the Box•Shockwatch stickers

•Use third-party parts if quality is good

•Software videoconferencing vs hardware

•Buy third-party RAM upgrades

•Acer monitors are good all purpose monitors

•Twitterfall and PPT project. Live HTML?

•Emergency alert system

Spend Money Like It Is Your Own

•Multiple quotes/Multiple vendors/Multiple solutions

•Name your own price

•Take advantage of your strong position when negotiating

•Maintain a strict “Professional” relationship

•Do a thorough needs analysis prior to RFP

Computer Platform Choice

•Mac OS X- No anti-virus or anti-malware licensing needed

•Macs dual boot Windows/Mac OS X reducing the need for additional hardware

•VASTLY reduced support time/money

•Integrated suite of learning tools- iLife, video conferencing, podcast producer, screen capture, PDF creation

Kiosk System

•Mac Mini

•Altinex A/V transmitter and receivers

•ElGato EyeTV

•KVM

Web Services•YouTube for video archival and

serving

•WordPress for websites and blogs

•Tumblr for blogs, videos and audio

•Voicethread for collaborative web-based audio conversations

•Stickam, Ustream, and LiveStream for live video streaming

•Pixlr for image editing

•DropBox for file sync and sharing

Web Services•Google Apps for Education for office

tools

•Jing for screen capture

•Doodle for meeting scheduling

•Zamzar for file conversion

•Edmodo for classroom learning environment.

•Wikispaces for wikis

•Prezi for web-based presentations

•ChrisHamady.com for a list of FOSS apps

Help Others and They Will Help You

Thank You!

©2011 C. Hamady