Mastering the Summer Crunch: How Year-Round Asset Management Can Transform K-12 IT

Traditionally, IT staff waits until the hallways are quiet during the summer break to tackle major wiring projects, install updated wireless equipment, or otherwise overhaul the school’s infrastructure. That’s when the team works on collecting devices, refreshing and mass-updating, and preparing and deploying new devices. It’s also time to address any IT issues left over from the school year.

For those working in technology, summer is one of the busiest times of the year. I remember it well from my time as an IT Resource Specialist for Knox County Schools in Tennessee.

K-12 technology teams often have to manage far more devices and users than many large corporations, but with far less support. And when IT initiatives are packed into summer vacations, these teams have just four to six weeks to get the year’s work done with a reduced staff.

That’s why for K-12 IT teams, summer break is not a time for laziness, but for madness.

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Transition to Year-Round IT Implementations in K–12 Educational Environments

Most K–12 schools still cram a disproportionate amount of IT work into the short summer months, but there are alternatives. With technology now fully integrated into most educational environments, there’s growing interest in taking a year-round approach to rolling out IT updates. Rather than focusing on major initiatives and mass updates over the summer break, a year-round approach can make the back-to-school season more efficient and productive because IT teams aren’t cramming all their projects into a few weeks.

Asset management platforms can facilitate this approach. They enable K–12 IT teams to better manage the proliferation of technology and infrastructure throughout the year. They also enable K–12 IT professionals to more seamlessly manage all the tools and devices across schools and districts.

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With an asset management platform, internal technology leaders can oversee the deployment, collection, management, and audit of devices. They can gain visibility into available inventory and perform repairs and updates to devices in the moment or quarterly, rather than waiting to do everything over the summer.

Meanwhile, projects where there are no students in classrooms may be subject to breaks during the year.

4 Benefits of a Year-Round Approach to Device Management

With a year-round IT management model, K-12 technology leaders can:

Make sure devices are updated and have the latest app versions installed quarterly. This is especially important before any scheduled student tests.
Spread out large projects or massive updates throughout the year instead of cramming them all into the few weeks of your summer vacation.
Minimize stress by increasing efficiency and resources for IT team members. These are valuable insights into hiring and retaining quality staff in a tight labor market.
Allow students and staff to keep their devices throughout the summer. When devices are brought home instead of being repaired during the summer, schools can reduce learning loss for students and staff can better prepare for the coming year.

The need for effective and efficient asset management in K–12 schools is becoming increasingly urgent: 90% of K–12 technology leaders expect their IT asset base to grow in 2024, while nearly half (48%) anticipate their IT budgets to shrink. Three-quarters of surveyed IT leaders cited loss or damage as the biggest challenge they faced with student devices in 2023. The focus is now on K–12 technology leaders to maximize their teams’ time and resources.

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With a year-round approach, IT leaders no longer have to reinvent the wheel every summer. They can use the entire year to implement and maintain the best technology solutions for students, teachers, and staff. Most importantly, they can provide critical year-round leadership for their schools and districts in a rapidly evolving technology environment.