Case Study: Derby Public Schools achieves modern, mobile education and 50% desktop refresh savings with Citrix desktop virtualization

Derby Public Schools makes education modern and mobile with desktop virtualization

Derby Public Schools, a district in Derby, Kansas serving over 6,000 students and about 1,400 employees across multiple buildings, faced an aging, heterogeneous desktop environment with underutilized servers, locally installed applications, and a small IT staff—problems made worse by state budget cuts. Director of IT Drew Lane needed a way to deliver modern learning tools to students while cutting hardware and management costs.

Working with SKT Business Communications Solutions, Derby implemented a phased desktop, server and application virtualization solution using Citrix XenDesktop, XenApp, XenServer, NetScaler, Receiver and Access Gateway. The rollout extended PC lifecycles and reduced desktop refresh costs by more than 50%, enabled anytime/anywhere access for students (including homebound learners), supported mixed Windows/Mac devices, and created a more flexible, device‑agnostic learning environment.

Derby Public Schools

Drew Lane

Director of Technology