Success story: The Silesian Centre for Education and Interdisciplinary Research

Customer

The Silesian Centre for Education and Interdisciplinary Research [SMCEBI] offers its students a unique environment to stimulate creative thinking. An interdisciplinary unit of the University of Silesia, the Center provides a full spectrum of educational and research opportunities, including IT, chemistry, physics, and materials science. An integrated, state-of-the-art campus supports the operation of interdisciplinary research teams, which offer studies tailored to specific diploma programs.

Challenge

Expansion of the campus gave rise to an urgent need of providing students with unimpeded computer access. Given the research institution character of the Center, it became vital that its IT infrastructure be accessible to users regardless of their geographical location. The school authorities wished to avoid the headaches of maintaining computer lab facilities or slow, desktop hardware; instead, they aimed for a new solution which would be light, mobile, and failsafe, thus optimizing the costs of system operations.

Solution

Google technology came to the rescue in the form of 460 Chromebooks and G Suite for Education: a communication and collaboration tool. The implemented technology eliminates the need to install software on every single desktop unit as the student can take advantage of unlimited file storage space offered by Google Cloud. As importantly, access to scientific applications is exclusively web-based, such as through the Jupyter Notebook browser. Chromebooks can be used throughout the Center by students, academic staff, and administration personnel. These devices also offer the option of remote control, which proves particularly useful to departments whose units may have been loaned out and not returned in a timely manner.

Benefits

The implementation of the Chrome devices and their user-friendly attributes have served to foster a superb climate for further research work and scientific projects undertaken by both the students and The Silesian Centre for Education and Interdisciplinary Research staff. “Compared to a standard PC, Chromebooks practically don’t use any power, so that one charger is sufficient to accommodate several devices,” comments Special Representative of the University of Silesia President, Division of Computational Physics and Electronics Manager. “They operate very quietly, smoothly, and efficiently, with a start-up time of merely a few seconds. You do not need to worry about any software updates since everything is done automatically. These features make Chromebooks an ideal solution not just for us, but for any school or university.” By continuing our collaboration with SMCEBI, Seiloc hopes to spread the awareness of the opportunities that Chrome Technology provides not just among the students at the Center, but also to other educational institutions, such as schools, colleges, and universities.

Customer comments

Compared to a standard PC, Chromebooks practically don’t use any power, so that one charger is sufficient to accommodate several devices. They operate very quietly, smoothly, and efficiently, with a start-up time of merely a few seconds. You do not need to worry about any software updates since everything is done automatically. These features make Chromebooks an ideal solution not just for us, but for any school or university.

Special Representative of the University of Silesia President, Division of Computational Physics and Electronics Manager