Your planned program, where users are offered a choice of IT-procured devices, can improve end user satisfaction and flexibility. It should also make it easier for IT admins to manage devices, ensuring teachers can get classes started faster, and education industry suppliers can work more efficiently.
With device management under IT's control, the risk of student or personal data being compromised is greatly reduced. In addition, IT can recommend suitable devices for each user type - student, faculty, administration - so that applications run more efficiently. And if all devices have the same connections, it's easier for IT to set up classrooms, lecture halls, meeting rooms and hot desks that are compatible for every user.
Recommendations for Your New Program
As you ramp up your program, Lenovo recommends the following:
- Audit user roles to get user input on preferred device types. Today there are many types of device available, each with their own advantages for different roles - whether hybrid devices for interactive classroom learning, simple notebooks for schools on a budget, or powerful workstations for courseware developers and IT labs. Ensure you have the latest information from leading PC providers on what's available for your institution.
- Select a vendor that can meet the hardware needs of all user types. This means everything from classroom devices with rugged design features for students, ultramobile devices for education professionals and leaders, to desktops and workstations for science and IT labs. Your vendor should also provide an ecosystem of services and accessories, to help users make the most of their new devices.
- Most education institutions may not be thought of as commercial enterprises, but procuring business-grade devices for support and admin teams will give them access to better technical support services, security features and connectivity options. For example, ensure that all users can connect efficiently to displays and projectors because devices have the right connection ports. Or benefit from prioritized technical support and on-site servicing available with our business-grade PCs.
- For students and teachers, provision with devices built specifically for education use. These have enhanced collaboration features and are toughened for classroom use. For example, laptops with keys that are mechanically anchored so they can't be removed. Convertibles that promote interactive learning with touchscreens, multiple cameras and digital pens. Lenovo has a range of education devices suitable for any budget, both for Windows and Chrome operating systems.
- Put in place a process for recycling old devices, ensuring that data is properly destroyed and assets are disposed of in an environmentally responsible way. This can be outsourced, for example with Lenovo Asset Recovery Service. Such services can also provide cash for your old devices, which can help to reduce the overall cost of new device acquisition.
Your planned program, where users are offered a choice of IT-procured devices, should include:
- An audit of your different users and their varying needs - support staff, teachers, students or other employees.
- For classroom devices, looking at products built specifically for education use.
- Putting in place a viable process for handling old devices. Do they get reassigned to another employee or student? What happens to stored data?
