ITAM in Education

ITAM is for everybody and anybody. It is an inclusive discipline that holds relevance for individuals and organizations across the board. While this notion might seem ambitious, it is undoubtedly true.

IT Asset Management, or ITAM, is a crucial aspect that benefits individuals and organizations across various industries, including education. ITAM encompasses a comprehensive range of tasks to ensure the effective management of your IT assets. These tasks include maintaining an accurate and precise inventory/cycle count, diligently monitoring the assets’ physical condition, tracking employee access and assignments to specific assets, and providing timely reminders for software license updates and renewals.

One common misconception is that ITAM is only useful and required for large corporate businesses. However, you might be surprised to know that it also holds immense value for other industries, including the education sector.

Educational institutions, ranging from schools and universities to technical colleges, can highly benefit from a reliable ITAM system. As technology continues to advance, its positive impact on the education sector becomes evident. These institutions possess a diverse array of IT assets, such as printers, laptops, computers, smart boards, and hardware accessories, complemented by supporting software.

Considering the continuous influx and departure of numerous students, teachers, and staff members each year, it becomes paramount for educational institutions to adopt a fully equipped and highly efficient IT asset management system. Such a system is essential to safeguard the smooth execution of recurring and substantial operations within the educational environment.

The pandemic introduced a novel approach to teaching, and many of its conveniences persist even in the post-pandemic phase. The newer systems and curriculum require students and teachers to be equipped with laptops and computers, which serve multiple purposes such as assignment distribution, submission, and streamlining the grading process. In light of these developments, it becomes increasingly evident why an effective ITAM tool is indispensable in the education sector.

Below are specific use cases that highlight the significance of ITAM in education:

Know who has what

Having a reliable ITAM tool, such as Teqtivity, allows educational institutions to maintain a comprehensive record of asset allocation. It enables them to track not only which students have borrowed specific laptops but also provides an overview of the total number of distributed devices and the availability of remaining resources. Additionally, IT asset solutions provide notifications to schools, alerting them if they are exceeding their budget on gadgets or if there is a shortage of devices.

By streamlining device distribution, these programs offer better control over technology spending and help optimize inventory management, ultimately ensuring efficient resource allocation within the institution.

Proper Lifecycle management

With hundreds of thousands of students passing through the education system each year, keeping track of every asset, its lifecycle stage, and the software installed on each device becomes an enormous challenge. This is where the importance of ITAM tools, like Teqtivity, becomes apparent.

These tools provide educational institutions with comprehensive asset lifecycle monitoring, ensuring up-to-date knowledge of each asset’s status. This visibility allows for a better understanding of yearly costs, aiding accurate budget planning and resource allocation. By leveraging ITAM solutions, educational institutions achieve improved financial management and informed decision-making throughout the asset lifecycle.

Better and efficient use of required Software

An efficient ITAM tool plays a crucial role in recognizing the software installed on each laptop, guaranteeing that students are well-prepared for their classes. For instance, when a student finishes using specific software at the end of a semester, the system can store it centrally for future use by another student. This practice enables schools to recycle software, effectively reducing costs by eliminating the need to purchase new software repeatedly.

By leveraging such capabilities, educational institutions can optimize software utilization, promote cost-saving measures, and ensure students have access to the necessary resources throughout their academic journey.

Easier returns/replacements

Students can be notified via email when an is due for return and when it is late. This reduces the time required to physically and constantly go behind each student to return the required school IT assets.

Moreover, in the event of laptop issues, students can utilize the ITAM tool to swiftly report the problem, enabling faster and more efficient communication with authorized personnel for repair or replacement requests. With precise software updates and reliable cloud usage, students can have peace of mind knowing their work is safeguarded. This streamlined process eliminates concerns about potential data loss.

A knowledge base portal serves as a centralized repository of potential problems and their corresponding solutions. Students can access the portal anytime they encounter an issue. This efficient resource minimizes the need for excessive phone calls, emails, and allocated resources to assist students.

Accurate Reporting

By utilizing an ITAM tool, the manual data entry process into spreadsheets is eliminated. The system automates this task, allowing reports to be customized according to the school’s specific objectives and delivered directly to designated administrators at predetermined intervals. This streamlined process ensures that the data is efficient, reliable, and free from human errors.

Conclusion

As technology advances rapidly, it is essential for education systems worldwide to keep pace with these advancements. This is evident in the adoption of new teaching and learning methods integrated into curricula. The undeniable necessity and significance of an effective and efficient ITAM tool cannot be overlooked. Such a tool plays a crucial role in facilitating the smooth transition to these innovative teaching approaches, ensuring long-term convenience and success in education.