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Features
Managing and Securing Classroom Technology Assets
2/27/2004
Managing and securing classroom technology assets has become a challenging
task for educational institutions across the country. The sheer volume and rising
cost of technology, coupled with equipment management requirements, has prompted
universities to seek out effective, yet economical ways to administer and secure
classroom equipment.
What might seem like minor technical glitches in the classroom can turn into monumental problems over time and have a profound effect on professor and student performance in the classroom. For example, changing a light bulb in your home is a relatively minor task, but when a classroom projector lamp g'es out, professor and student learning time is compromised. The time it takes for the professor to notify a technician and have that person change the lamp can take up valuable classroom time.
Also of concern to classroom technology departments is theft of equipment. A variety of theft prevention methods are used, including electronic cable alarms, tampe-proof screws, and standalone room theft systems. However, if the appropriate person to respond to alarms is not in the area, these devices are often rendered ineffective. In addition, these types of theft prevention devices do not track security breach patterns.
The University of Minnesota-Twin Cities has struggled with each of these issues relating to managing and securing technology assets. Solving these prolems became ever more important when the university’s Office of Classroom Management implemented a $7 million program to bring advanced data projection capability to 300 classrooms in 63 buildings. The challenge: installation of a system that will reduce maintenance costs and improve classroom uptime.
At the University of Minnesota, the implementation of classroom technology on this scale required improved tracking equipment usage and failure data. With new and advanced classroom technology becoming essential, the university needed to track the equipment being used, how often it was used, and what problems occurred. Having an organized reporting structure for this type of usage data would assist the staff in making equipment purchasing decisions and in managing lifecycle equipment maintenance and replacement.
The university considered setting up a server and developing a software program that would monitor classroom equipment and provide data on usage, problems, failure, and theft—all controlled from a central help desk.
Before beginning the arduous task of developing a program in house, the university learned about a software solution from AMX that contained all the needed functionality. The university currently uses AMX’s NetLinx control processor to control classroom equipment, monitor equipment maintenance, and send data to system administrators.
It was necessary for the university to interpret the data and create reports to better track how the equipment is used, and to know immediately when equipment problems occur so they can be promptly corrected. The university also needed a functionality that would notify the system administrators online when a potential equipment theft is in progress.
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