14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has proudly announced that the Southern Illinois University decided to go for Windows 8 and Office 365 instead of choosing iPads and Google mail for their communication needs.
David Crain, CIO of Southern Illinois University, explained that choosing Windows 8 tablets over iPads was actually a very easy decision.
“iPads wouldn’t run Pearson electronic course materials that use Adobe Flash technology. Windows 8 on a Dell tablet was clearly more cost effective—over four years we calculated up to a $4 million savings going with Windows 8. The tablets offered 50 percent more processing power and 100 percent more RAM for the money, they are more robust and will last longer,” he said.
All freshman students will receive a Dell Latitude 19-inch Windows 8 tablet, while approximately 30,000 students will get access to Microsoft Office 365 online communication and collaboration tools, the university announced.
Until now, students have been using Google Mail, but Microsoft’s productivity suite is considered the perfect mix of email, instant messaging, and online collaboration tools.