Software

How to Easily Deploy and Manage New Devices for K–12 Students

Microsoft’s cloud-based programs can help school IT departments save time and money.

Donna Behen is an Associate Editorial Director at Manifest and Managing Editor of HemAware and PKD Life magazines. Prior to joining Manifest, she was Health Director at Woman’s Day magazine.

Even before the pandemic, K–12 districts were facing IT staffing shortages. When schools around the country shifted to remote learning, IT teams were spread even thinner trying to provide devices, connectivity, security and troubleshooting to students across their communities.

IT departments got some help from tech-savvy teachers, but now that teachers are also facing staffing shortages, it’s harder for them to lend time to IT teams.

Device deployment is particularly time-consuming as many schools continue their work to get devices into the hands of students. To make this simpler, school IT leaders need cloud-based tech that automates parts of the management process.

Microsoft Windows devices help schools save, with options that cost less than $400. As K–12 schools continue with remote learning or move to hybrid environments, IT teams can also save time and money with Microsoft’s cloud-based programs, which streamline deployment and management responsibilities.

Click the banner below to learn more about the benefits of cloud technology in K–12 schools.

Manage and Configure K–12 Student Devices Remotely

Intune for Education is a cloud-based mobile device management service for schools that lets IT staff remotely manage the desktop and mobile devices that students use to access classroom data.

With this service, IT staff can configure and assign the apps that students need for learning, control how students and teachers access and share classroom information, and apply school security requirements to devices and applications.

With the account configurations in the cloud, students can access their accounts and schoolwork no matter what Windows 10 device they log in to. And if a device is lost or stolen, IT staff can quickly locate it.

Since many schools are working with shared technology, Intune for Education supports the management of multiple students on a single device. Although students who share a laptop may use different apps and settings, they’ll see only the ones that are assigned to them when they sign in.

The program also enables IT staff to create and edit the home screen layout on tablets so students can easily find the things they need for school. This feature lets IT staff organize and preview how apps and icons appear on home screen pages and docks and within folders.

Save Time on One-to-One Program Rollouts in K–12 Districts

IT teams also must remotely manage student devices throughout their lifecycles, from deployment to retirement.

Designed with school IT departments in mind, Autopilot enables seamless device setup. For example, Microsoft’s modern management solutions configure the operating system already deployed on devices when you purchase them. Autopilot reduces the costs of creating and maintaining custom Windows OS images, which also require significant IT expertise.

When students power on their devices, connect to the internet and sign in, Autopilot automatically configures each device from the cloud and gets them ready for learning — saving significant time and costs in a large-scale deployment. Since students and teachers can provision the devices themselves, IT departments don’t need to hire a fleet of technicians for a rollout.

DISCOVER: Streamline one-to-one deployments in large or small K–12 districts.

Autopilot also makes it easy to reset student devices if they are having issues. During a remote Windows Autopilot Reset from Intune for Education, all apps, settings and user data are removed, but the device remains enrolled in Azure Active Directory and Intune. After wiping, the student PCs automatically receive the latest Intune policies to get them ready for learning.

IT teams need tools that help simplify their increasingly complicated jobs. With cloud-based tech options from Microsoft and budget-friendly devices, K–12 technology leaders can more easily manage all the responsibilities of the future of learning.

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