Citrix Systems, Inc., and Middle Tennessee State University jointly announced plans to install new technology on the Murfreesboro campus that will allow students, faculty and staff free, anytime access to virtual desktops, programs, personal files and network resources.

Citrix and MTSU officials said the University will have the largest virtual desktop service in Tennessee’s higher-education system. With the help of Citrix Consulting Services, MTSU will “virtualize” more than 2,000 devices by the fall.

“MTSU prides itself in being the largest undergraduate university in the state of Tennessee, and as such, we are focused on taking a leadership position with the most modern technologies,” said Bruce Petryshak, MTSU’s vice president for information technology and chief information officer.

MTSU has named this new service “MyMT,” and secure access will be as simple as opening any browser, going to the URL and logging in with a username and password, added Lorenzo Hines, the University’s assistant director of classroom technology support.

A follow-up phase will enable remote capability: students, faculty and staff will have simple, secure access to virtual desktops, applications, network resources and file storage from any device—PC, Mac, notebook, tablet device or smart phone on- or off-campus; university-owned or personally owned devices at any time.

“It will allow faculty and staff greater flexibility in accessing work related apps and data without being physically on campus,” Hines noted.

“We are committed to ensuring that our students, faculty and staff are offered the very best technologies to enable them to learn, collaborate and access information that ultimately impact student outcomes in a positive way,” Petryshak said.

The systems are expected to reduce MTSU’s desktop-computing costs by more than 35 percent and allow the University to reduce electricity consumption.

“Having all these new capabilities and being able to extend our reach while reducing costs is an absolute win-win for MTSU,” Petryshak said.

“Citrix is proud to be a partner with MTSU, and we applaud its efforts to be a leader in Tennessee higher education through the use of Citrix solutions,” said Thomas Eacobacci, Citrix’s southeast region area vice president.

— Tom Tozer, ttozer@mtsu.edu