Amazon Web Services’ desktop application streaming solution can now be used by educational institutions at a steeply discounted price.
AppStream 2.0, a managed service, was launched at last year’s AWS reInvent conference. It allows customers to stream desktop applications over cloud to any HTML5 capable browser on a laptop or computer, regardless of whether it runs Windows, Linux or macOS. According to this FAQ, AppStream 2.0 can stream any app that runs on Windows Server 2012R2 64-bit.
AWS has created AppStream 2.0 for education users. This allows schools to offer students of all ages access creative and educational applications, such as Adobe Photoshop or specialized STEM software programs.
AWS announced Wednesday that it would reduce the monthly per-user cost of AppStream 2.0 for qualified educational users by 89 percent. The previous monthly per-user fee for AppStream 2.0 was $4.19. This cost was set by Microsoft’s Remote Desktop Services Subscription Access License, (RDS-SAL), for Windows Server.
The monthly per-user fee for AppStream 2.0 is now $0.44. AWS announced that the price reduction will make it easier for educators to integrate AppStream 2.0 into their classrooms.
To request a discounted price, education customers may fill out this form.
AppStream 2.0 customers pay for the amount of compute resources they use. This includes per-hour instance fees, which can range from $0.10 an hour to $8.20 for more graphic-intensive workloads.
