New technology has become a trend in every part of our lives, giving us new ways to do things faster, easier and with more data available. Change is all around us with new operating systems, platforms and hardware. In the midst of all this change, one thing is certain: Mobility is here to stay.
Especially in the world of education, it can be easy to be left in the dust if you’re unfamiliar with trends in mobility. For many administrators, educators and staff members, there are simple ways to use technology to increase productivity and improve the quality of the learning environment for students.
BYOD Blues?
Did you know that 83% of all students (K-12) regularly use a laptop for school?1 Not only that, but a number of students are bringing in their own iPhones and other devices to use in the classroom.
This change has led to many schools implementing Bring Your Own Device (or BYOD) policies that encourage students to use their own devices in the classroom. This aligns with current trends in student technology such as:
- Release of Apple Classroom app in August 2016 as a tool for monitoring iPads
- iPad use trending toward K-2 grade levels
- Chromebooks being used in 3rd grade and up classrooms
The use of many devices on your network has the potential to be a blessing or a curse. According to an InformationWeek Analytics Strategic Security Survey, 70% of respondents said mobile devices pose a level of threat to their company’s security, and 59% were concerned about an infected personal device connecting to their network.2
Whether your school has implemented a BYOD policy or not, it’s important that you have a system to track and manage the devices in use on your campus to simplify your IT process.
The Numbers on MDM
Mobile device management (MDM) is software that allows IT teams to better monitor and manage a diverse array of devices on a network. Information Week’s survey showed that 33% were using MDM to enforce a unified security policy, while 36% were still evaluating using MDM.
MDM for Your School
Implementing an organized system for MDM can not only take the burden off of your IT team, but it can also help save time and money with BYOD by utilizing student-owned devices for learning and increasing your IT efficiencies.
Whether your students are using tablets, smartphones, laptops or a combination of devices, you can benefit from MDM allowing you to:
- Manage device policies
- Supervise device usage
- Simplify and control app distribution
These capabilities will put you in control of device usage across your campus.
Learn more about SchoolDude’s MDM solution for schools, districts, and universities of all sizes to ensure you’re on top of new technology at your educational institution.
About SchoolDude
Founded in 1999, SchoolDude (and its parent company, Dude Solutions) has served as the market leader in education enterprise asset management, with over 1 million education professionals using our applications. We deliver Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications to help both small and large institutions better manage their facilities, IT and business operations. We help clients save time and money by managing support services effectively and efficiently, allowing institutions to provide a safe teaching and learning environment. Today, we’re the #1 provider of SaaS solutions for public and private schools, colleges and universities.
1 Pearson Student Mobile Device Survey 2015. http://www.pearsoned.com/wp-content/uploads/2015-Pearson-Student-Mobile-Device-Survey-Grades-4-12.pdf
2 InformationWeek 2011 Strategic Security Survey. http://reports.informationweek.com/abstract/21/6854/security/research-2011-strategic-security-survey.html
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