VARtek | Take the K-12 IT Analysis

Take the K-12 IT Analysis

A comprehensive review of your school district's Information Technology

The School District IT Analysis is an objective third-party audit of your district's existing Information Technology (IT) strategies and capabilities. For many VARtek customers over the past 20 years, the School District IT Analysis has been an eye-opening experience because of the opportunities realized to help the school district save IT costs, improve IT performance, incorporate innovation, and increase utilization in the classroom and curriculum.

STEP 1 :: Strategy & Innovation Review

Analysis Icon-Strategy VARtek will review your current IT strategy, your philosophy, and your vision for technology in the classroom. This will become the framework of the School District IT Analysis.

VARtek's Strategy Review

Comparison of your IT vision to existing implementation to see if they are in alignment
Match your priorities to budgets
Review strategic objectives with infrastructure, staffing, mobile computing, student-to-computer ratios, hardware refresh plans
Determine if you are adequately prepared for upcoming IT trends in K-12 education [such as cloud computing, mobile devices, digital textbooks, BYOT (Bring Your Own Technology), online testing, etc.]

STEP 2 :: Needs Analysis of Principals, Teachers, & Board Members

Analysis Icon-Needs-Analysis In VARtek's experience, the best way to capture the true "pulse" of the perception of IT in the district is to go straight to the source. Input from district administrative staff, teaching staff, and board members often helps guide curricular and strategic IT decisions.

Methodology

VARtek will develop, schedule and conduct in-depth face-to-face listening sessions.

In addition, VARtek will conduct an online staff survey to measure the daily impact IT has on teaching and student learning to ensure that all staff members have an opportunity to provide valuable feedback.

STEP 3 :: Financial Analysis of Current IT Operations

Analysis Icon-Cost VARtek will work with the district’s financial personnel to capture data that will provide an in-depth understanding of the district’s total IT spend and return on investment.

The analysis will include a comparison to similar districts, industry benchmarks, recommendations, and best practices.

Discovering Ancillary Costs

VARtek’s report will also reveal the ancillary costs associated with your IT, such as benefits packages to employees, maintenance of equipment acquired through grants or donations, and repairs and warranty service.

STEP 4 :: Infrastructure & Inventory Analysis

Analysis Icon-Infrastructure VARtek will collect data on the district’s IT inventory and infrastructure, creating reports on the following components:

An inventory of computers, peripheral devices and printers
Network and infrastructure, including servers, cabling, and wireless networks
Software licensing

A team of VARtek technicians will gather detailed information.

STEP 5 :: Analysis of the Current IT Staff

Analysis Icon-Staff You must have a staff with the comprehensive skill sets to serve the variety of challenges your school district faces every day. The efficiency of your administration and the education of your students depend on it.

We will assess your current IT support and administrative staff for technical skills, training, project management, and soft skills.

Certifications

VARtek team members are professionally trained and certified in the following areas:

K-12 industry best practices
Project management skills
Wireless network and IT administration
Troubleshooting

Your part

The School District IT Analysis requires commitment on the district’s part, consisting of:

A professional services fee that is below market rates.
Access to your current IT budgets, financial data and strategic plan.
Access to facilities, systems and data in order to inventory the current systems.
Access to IT users, administrators, staff, and board members for interviews and listening sessions.
Agreement to meet and review the findings and consider a Technology Management System proposal if the report indicates that your district would benefit from a cost, performance and innovation perspective.