Staploe Education Trust streamline IT support with IRIS Assets

Streamlined asset and IT management is key in keeping any organisation running smoothly.

With three busy primary schools and a college in their trust, IRIS Assets was introduced at Staploe Education seven years ago. IT Systems and Strategy Manager, David Eden, knows first-hand the benefits of a system which bridges the gap between strategic IT support and efficient asset management.

More than managing assets

“When we first introduced IRIS Assets, our priority for the system was purely asset management. As the platform has evolved over the years, however, the IT ticketing system has become a vital tool for the team. IRIS Assets now serves as the IT helpdesk across the trust.”

“Prior to IRIS Assets, when staff from any one of our four schools required support, they would email a centralised IT support inbox; we then managed tickets in a spreadsheet. While it served a purpose, it didn’t meet our needs. Outlook isn’t designed for this purpose and, equally, when a spreadsheet is saved on one server, it can be tricky to access from different locations. Managing data across multiple tabs and columns was inefficient and time-consuming.”

Supporting staff with IT support

“There are systems out there designed to facilitate IT teams and support desks. However, they’re far more expensive and they don’t offer integration with school asset management systems.”

“All of our IT contracts are kept on IRIS Assets, making it easy to run reports and gain an overview of information at any time. If a teacher raises a ticket because their laptop has crashed, I can quickly find the laptop in question and see its’ history; has it caused us issues in the past, when is it up for renewal – we’re able to take a more proactive approach.”

“The ticketing system is run as a separate channel to the asset management. Each school team has their own IT help desk; we’re notified when a ticket is raised, can communicate with our colleagues through the platform and escalate tickets as required.”

“For teachers, this is great. They provide the information and we take control. If we need to replace items, we can do so quickly and efficiently, without interfering in classroom time. We can plan ahead when items need replacing – it keeps processes simple for everyone involved.”

Tracking IT assets

“Inevitably, assets tend to move around a site. If a projector breaks, for example, we can find a replacement and rectify the issue before it interrupts student learning. And, when it comes to auditing a classroom, we know what is supposed to be there, what is missing, where that item is and why. If you’re not keeping track of assets, logistically, it can quickly become very confusing.”

“We tend to buy equipment in bulk. Last year we bought 160 new computers; in total, we have around 900. The ability to import all that information in bulk, rather than via manual data entry, is great. We simply tag each item, scan a code and all the information is digitised, available at our fingertips.”

“Walking around a location with a mobile phone to scan items, rather than carrying paper files, is far more convenient and secure, particularly when travelling between sites. Every laptop looks the same these days. When you’re at a site you don’t know very well, IRIS Assets makes it really handy to simply scan an item and gain all of the information on its’ history and contract in moments.”

Contract management

“IRIS Assets has greatly improved our contract management. With so many suppliers, it can be easy to lose track of renewal dates. Now, two or three months before a contract is due for renewal, IRIS Assets notifies us. At which point we can investigate alternative suppliers and make decisions ahead of cancellation periods. In the past, we’ve missed opportunities to save money or cancel contracts; IRIS Assets doesn’t let that happen.”

“One of the biggest compliments for IRIS Assets is we don’t have to speak with your Support Team. The system just works! But on the instances where we have been in touch, they’ve been prompt and helpful – we get great service from them.”

“We’ve looked at other asset management systems, we’ve explored alternative platforms, but we’ve never found something that offers the level functionality provided by IRIS Assets, for the money. It’s fantastic value for what it delivers to our trust.”

To discover how IRIS Assets can help your multi-academy trust, contact us for a free demonstration.