SUNO Goes to the Cloud and Provides Incoming Freshmen with Laptops

Source: Greg LaRose, New Orleans City Business

Southern University at New Orleans will provide a new laptop computer to every incoming freshman who needs one starting this fall.

The U.S. Department of Education is picking up the tab for the computers through its program that targets learning institutions impacted by Hurricane Katrina. Eddie Francis, a SUNO spokesman, said the university’s information technology program estimates about 225 laptops will be available for the upcoming fall semester.

The computers will be linked to a new cloud computing system SUNO plans to have in place this summer. Students and faculty will be able to access the system through a wireless Internet connection that will cover 100 percent of the Gentilly campus, according to a statement from the university.

The importance of SUNO’s technology strides cannot be emphasized enough, according to Chris Boudy, co-founder of NewOrleansTech.net and a 2008 graduate of SUNO. Boudy, who is a rising star on the New Orleans technology scene, estimates that possibly 30 to 40 per cent of homes in New Orleans do not have internet access.

“Having a campus that’s 100% wi-fi and with cloud computing means students will be able to access Blackboard, do research, do homework, chat with fellow students, and communicate with professors much more conveniently. This in addition to freshmen having access to laptops is an awesome step for my alma mater and great particularly for the types of students that SUNO serves,” he said.

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