Today PC / Opensystems is pleased to announce a new set of hardware and software services for Black Lab Enterprise Linux for Education. Over the last year you have seen a ton of innovation come from PC/OpenSystems, in terms of the most usable Linux based desktop on the planet that blows away all of our competitors. We have had a ton of innovation in terms of hardware and management and you have seen a ton of innovation in our service and support offerings and we are hoping to keep the innovation alive in 2016. Since our academic customers are a very important segment of our business, we have made some corresponding changes to the services we offer them. PC / OS now has a dedicated web portal for our Education customers and 4 hardware selections : a desktop system, notebook and RAID solution all optimized for the academic sector, as well as the premier Linux backend solution, Black Lab Advanced Server for Education. With that being said, lets get started.
1. Software – Black Lab Enterprise Linux for Education will offer the same certifications featured in its Black Lab Enterprise sibling : Microsoft Office 365, Oracle online and on-premise support, WebObjects and IBM Websphere. Black Lab Server for Education is available preinstalled on hardware only and will include OwnCloud support, Apache, Postfix e-mail server and Google Apps support. Black Lab Enterprise Linux for Education will also continue to include the unique application set which has separated it from the competition. When customers purchase an unlimited district license they will also get Black Lab Enterprise Linux with unlimited district licensing: two OSes for the price of one. Black Lab Enterprise Linux for Education is available in single-license format for is $75.00 US; unlimited district licensing costs $399.99 for the standard build, and custom builds for $500.00 US, which includes school branding, specialized applications, etc.
2. Hardware - PC /OS presents 4 new offerings.
First : the Briq, our awesome Core i3 / 8 GB RAM / 128 GB SSD mini powerhouse, with a 3-year warranty and UPS, priced at $650.00.
Second, a rugged Core i3-5010U 2.1GHz / 8 GB RAM / 1 TB hard drive notebook PC targeted towards schools, also with a 3-year warranty, priced at $699.99. Both ship with Black Lab Enterprise Linux preinstalled, or our Education release upon request.
Third : a new server product line for education which has been on our drawing board for over a year. Schools tend to be very conservative on server choices, so PC/ OS presents our basic academic server : Black Lab Basic Server – based on our BriQ architecture, with an i5 Processor / 16 GB RAM / 256 GB SSD. Don't let the fact that it's based on the BriQ platform fool you : this is a full-featured, dedicated server platform with unlimited client licenses, a 4 year warranty and a UPS protection unit as standard options. This basic configuration can be expanded with our 4 drive rack-mounted USB-connected RAID system supporting up to 4 hard drives at 4 TB apiece. PC / OS also realizes that its academic customers may have some old Apple Xserves and Xserve RAID laying around : yes, these Xserve hard drive caddies can be integrated with our RAID, which ships with 4 1 TB hard drives by default. This full-featured basic Black Lab Server costs $1,299.99 USD with the default configuration : UPS, 4 year warranty and a backup hard drive preloaded with Black Lab Server for Education, keyboard, mouse and a monitor.
Black Lab Basic Server with RAID is $2,599.99 : this includes rack, UPS, powered USB hub, and 4 year warranty for both RAID and Server.
Fourth: larger districts need a much more robust server. Black Lab Advanced Server is offered with a 6 core Intel Xeon processor, 16 GB of RAM (expandable to 192 GB), 4 HD bays that support up to 4 SATA HDs up to 4 TB each and ships with 4 1TB hard drives. The price for that system is $1,899.00 for the base model which includes UPS and 4 year warranty. For the Advanced Server with our USB-connected RAID device the cost would be $3,499.00 for rack, UPS and 4 year warranty on RAID and Server, and UPS. PC / OS is going to insure that its academic customers are fully protected, serviced and ready to go from day one; these solutions will be setup so you can plug them in, turn them on, and get to work immediately if not sooner. Out of the box productivity, literally.
How are we going to service these systems? PC / OS offers on site service and support through our new SystemCare Product Service and Support or you can self-service with the assistance of our SystemCare Parts Kit. PC / OS has examined our academic customer base, taken a hard look at their needs, and has put solutions in place that can be made to fit a wide variety of scenarios with few changes necessary.
You can find more information on our Black Lab Education Services website.
You can find out more about our hardware on the Black Lab Education Hardware site.
Q&A
Here we will answer some of the most common questions we encounter. Please direct any queries outside of this Q&A to sales@pc-opensystems.com and they will be answered promptly.
1. Why use PC/OpenSystems LLC and not Dell or Apple who are the tried and true leaders in academic IT?
A: Since our founding in 2008 we have retained over 90% of our academic IT customers - in a space where change is so prevalent, this is practically unheard of. PC/ OS believes we have the right formula, the right mix of hardware to match our long-running stable software base.
2. What is the response to PC/OpenSystems' software products in the IT world?
A. Very positive overall. Among our clients we have a well-deserved and long-established reputation for responsive service and innovative products. Black Lab Enterprise Linux is the most popular desktop Linux based operating systems for many major fortune 500 companies. PC / OS clients include law enforcement, security agencies, factory, grocery and academia among its most frequent repeat customers; Black Lab is extremely popular in venues where a premium is placed on stability and security. When Google started giving Chromebooks away for free we lost 7 academic customers - after the pilot, 6 returned.
3. Is this the first time PC/Opensystems has offered hardware in the academic space?
A. No. While we used to deal with academic customers and their hardware needs on a case-by-case basis, we have made these offerings in the past, and have evolved our approach to the marked based on feedback received and what hardware tiers schools have ordered from us before.
4. What about service? Will we have onsite service and support and can we do onsite installation?
A. Yes and yes. Customers who order from us can arrange onsite installations on their schedule within a 4-hour-window in North Carolina, New York and California. PC / OS will be expanding that prerogative to other states based on demand. For other academic customers who self-service, the SystemCare parts kit for the BriQ, Basic and advanced server and XRAID are available when needed.
5. Will software upgrades come with the server systems for 4 years or does the customer have to buy the software with every new release?
A. Software has to be purchased yearly, unless a SystemCare software support plan is purchased, which relieves a customer of the obligation to constantly monitor software upgrades and licensing. Purchasing our hardware without a SystemCare subscription requires the customer to purchase-upon- release every 12 to 18 months.
6. Can the parts kits be ordered separately without having to enter a software subscription?
A. Yes.
7. Can the Black Lab XRAID be ordered outside of academia and when will it be available?
A. Yes and it will be made available on our Enterprise hardware site in a couple of weeks.
8. Who can order the educational products?
A. All primary and secondary schools. Vocational schools, colleges and military academies. We are also making our education products available to home schooled individuals.
9. When can we start ordering hardware and software and what is the acquisition turnaround?
A. You can order it today., January 19, 2016. Software you have a 24 hour turn around, hardware is 7 to 10 business days.
