Essex Curriculum ICT Technical Support Partnership  
     
Essex Schools, Children and Families Service working with Support Companies
 
Choosing a workstation

Whilst almost any computer of recent manufacture could be added to your network the following factors may help in deciding on the most appropriate workstation.

  • Its intended use will determine if a desktop, laptop, netbook or hand-held device is most appropriate
  • Employ and operating system (eg Windows 7) that can attach to your network without significant alterations
  • Size and clarity of the screen together with the accessibility of the keyboard by the intended users
  • Speed of the processor and the memory size may well determine what software can be run effectively
  • Ability to login quickly to the network may be a factor of processor speed and memory
  • Weight and portability my mobile users
  • Warranty terms and conditions
  • Added value of any preinstalled software
  • Energy efficiency

It may be beneficial to pay a little extra and purchase a workstation from the company that provides your networking system to enable it to be factory configured and licensed for ready for installing on your network.










ICT Team Support Partner School
Research ‘What works well’ in schools and disseminate through websites, the Helpline and Support partner meetings.

The e-gfl purchasing portal lists a number of workstations that are appropriate for school use. They will have been chosen for their appropriateness for the school environment as well as their warranty and preinstalled software.
Work with the ICT team to provide workstations that are cost effective and  fit for purpose.

Support partners may well provided workstations of other manufacture and specification and these may be effective alternatives but purchasers need to be aware of the total cost of ownership.
Check the e-gfl purchasing portal for the latest deals.

Ensure that new workstations meet the criteria above and check that they are appropriate for the type of server system you are using and can be added easily.
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